I believe I’ve some thinning to do!
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We are having a banner fruit-set year out here in Vista. I think I have excellent fruit set on every single tree except one, including my 700 ch trees. Staying cautiously optimistic. My May Pride looks like this, as does my Arctic Star, which is always a reliable setter.
Patty S.
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You have a cherry orchard somewhere?
700 ch = 700 chill hours 
But, I wish I did. I just love cherries, my favorite stone fruit. I have to say, with extremely cautious optimism, I may actually have my first decent cherry set this year. Cross my fingers.
Today I thinned 3.5 Lbs of fruit sets from my Mid Pride Peach, leaving about 2 dozen to develop in places this young tree could actually support them.
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Thanks for showing that, Richard. I have the hardest time pulling good fruit off a tree, so I need confirmation that it is important and that everyone does it so I will make sure I thin mine! It is, of course, a good problem to have I suppose.
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Fruit trees have limited capacity to produce fruit, which is proportional to their root volume among other things. So given a fixed capacity a young tree can produce a lot of small fruits vs. a smaller number of healthy size fruits. Also worth considering is the capability of younger branches to hold the fruit without excessive bending (or breaking). My father taught me that on peach/nectarine - any branch with diameter less than a pencil is going to have a difficult time – except for those locations immediately at its base next on a robust branch. Also, on 1/2" to 1" branches there can be too much fruit – try to space them about 4 fingers apart.
Finally, here is a general rule of thumb about “allowing” fruit on young trees: each 1/2 pound of fruit you let develop could have been 3 feet of branch growth.
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It gets easier. As mentioned, the overall weight of fruit produced isn’t that much affected.
I find it psychologically easier to make three passes about two weeks apart each. Also, that’s some protection against weather events.
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I’d rather have fewer great quality fruits than many thin-fleshed fruits
Here’s one of the 2 or so dozen immature fruits on my tree. This one is 2 inches long.
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Ate my first peach of the year this morning – and the first fruit ever from this tree. Boy was it yummy!
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The fruit get huge on our tree. Do you have the same experience?
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Yes, one of the things I love about it.
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nice pic
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Ah, I see a few peach daiquiris in your future! And some preserves, frozen peaches for smoothies, peach pancakes, peach cobbler…
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Definitely peach cobbler, peaches for the neighbors, and several bags of frozen peach halves tonight!
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Wowwowwwoweeee!
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