Very helpful. I’ve got only a few trees to manage (and only one peach/nect!), so I guess I’d rather spend a bit more time to manage dense growth than lose the ability to bud down low and have to replant. I’ll definitely make it a point to think about doing this. Generally leaving a couple buds in a short stub at rough intervals down low year to year as “young” buds to resprout. (this was new to me, as it almost resembles a spur on an apple or something–even though the growth rate is quite different)
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I missed this thread this winter I guess. It was full of good info and videos. I liked your pruning video! Very helpful, and cool battery powered pruners. I didn’t even know they existed before today.
I watched Mike Parker’s videos and picked up some more good tips.
I was curious though, on the young newly planted peach trees, he recommends heading back the whip to stimulate new shoot growth. He says this will stimulate (usually) 3 shoots that will form at the top near the heading cut. He leaves them and lets them grow all season. Then he comes back the following year and removes them with another heading cut. And also at that time chooses the scaffolds he wants from the shoots that have grown lower down the trunk, beneath these 3 tight, upright shoots.
On a small backyard scale where the labor is not an issue, would it be beneficial to the tree to pinch back those 3 vertical shoots sometime early to mid summer to keep them from growing excessively? Wouldn’t that help direct more energy into the shoots (next year’s scaffolds) that should sprout and grow beneath them?
Or does allowing those 3 vertical shoots to grow unhindered help produce the new lower scaffolds with wider crotch angles?
Another question, is this the better way to proceed with peaches, vs notching buds where you would like your scaffold branches to form?
Sorry for the late reply. It’s getting busier for me at the orchard.
If you pinch them back, it will force lower buds to grow on those shoots. It really won’t reduce vigor though. It’s almost impossible to reduce vigor on a young healthy peach tree by pruning. Pruning just directs the vigor to other areas. Leaving the top vertical growing shoots near the top of the heading cut forces the growth below to be more horizontal, which is what you want.
Many times we do pinch back the vertical growing shoots at the heading cut. We do this because letting those grow two to three feet tall over the summer simply allows the tree to catch more wind and wallow a bigger hole in the soil at the base of the tree. By keeping that tree as low as reasonably possible, it keeps the wind leverage lower.
If you have plenty of labor, and want to size your tree as quickly as possible. Select your three scaffolds early as possible (trying to keep the size of the scaffolds at less than 1/2 the diameter of the trunk). They can be selected the first season if the tree is very vigorous, and fertilized well. Prune off all other growth on that trunk other than selected scaffolds. Then tie those scaffolds at the desired angle, using a heavy weight or a stake.
When the scaffold growth turns upright (as they will continue to want to grow upright), keep tying them down at the desired angle. When any growth coming of the sides of the scaffolds turn upward. Tie that back down to the appropriate growth angle, as well. This method will minimize pruning and direct all the vigor into useful productive wood. Only growth coming out of the top and bottom of the scaffolds is pruned.
I’ll also mention, don’t use swinging weights to try to force scaffolds lower. In a big windstorm, the weights will many times break the scaffolds. Tie them down with weights which won’t move on the ground (like cinder blocks). Or use stakes.
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Thank you for taking the time to answer. I figured you were getting really busy and didn’t expect a reply for quite awhile!
Thanks for explaining the 3 vertical growing shoots… I will be watchful of how much they grow. I have had a lot of wind action cause some wallowing a few years ago and want to avoid that.
Thanks for the tips on that. This year for the first time ever, I tied a hanging weight to one limb, but staked all the rest. I have been watching it and so far so good, but why take the chance!?! I will remove the weight and tie it to a stake today.
I forget to ask about the heading cuts on lateral branches in the newly planted and 2 year old trees. I didn’t do any pruning before they leafed out, which is typical for me.
I have pruned all the 1 and 2 yr old trees already, selected scaffolds on those that had good ones to choose from. I didn’t head back any of those scaffolds though. In the videos, Mike Parker says to make those heading cuts on the chosen scaffolds so it will stiffen the branches and cause more secondary branching behind the cut. Is it OK to do that now with the tree actively growing and leafed out? He was doing it on dormant, last year’s growth.
Thanks again! Hope you can keep up with work with all this rain in the forecast. 
Yes, it’s OK to head them back during the growing season. We are pruning now. We head those back while pruning.
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Awesome, thanks!
Is there a time to prune, and no later, that the resultant shoots coming from pruned branches will have flowers for the following year?
Adding another question that’s related. Despite heavy pruning, my peach trees are thick with branches in the center. There is no light in the interior of the trees. While I know it’s best to prune when the tree is mostly hardened off, what is the best time to clear out extra growth?
Sumner pruning is fine.
Very good demonstration. Thanks
Thanks! I’ll make sure there is no rain in the forecast. 
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For peach trees, anytime during the growing season is optimum. Regardless of what research says, pruning during the growing season is optimum.
The caveat is that you don’t want to prune shoots which have peaches growing on them. That will reduce the size of peaches. That said, we are just about done pruning for the early season on peach trees. We’ve pruned loads of peach shoots off, which have peaches. There is too much wood on the trees, so we’ve pruned much wood which have peaches on them, just to get the trees pruned, if that makes sense.
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thanks for info.
in this scenario:
if I prune a larger branch and resultant shoots are created at the pruned area, will those resultant shoots have flowers the following spring if that larger branch:
pruned early spring
pruned early summer
Thanks.
Any new wood will have flowers the following spring on peach trees, with the following exceptions:
If the wood is heavily shaded, it will not produce flowers, or many times will produce less.
If the tree is juvenile, the new wood will not produce flowers.
If the tree is pruned very late in the growing season, the new wood which grows after pruning will not produce flowers, or will produce less flowers.
Some peach varieties will naturally produce few flowers. Some varieties will produce very few flowers.
If there is an exceptionally cold winter, or if there is a very sudden drop in temperature below zero, sometimes it will kill all the flower buds, so that the new wood will not produce flowers the following spring.
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Thanks!
that pretty much covers it.
I’m not going to prune after June so I think I’m good to avoid late season pruning.
Thanks for replying!