Peach tree blossom drop

General Fruit Growing
#1

I have noticed many of my peach blossoms have dropped. Last year was a very heavy fruit set. The trees started out very vigorous so I didn’t lay down a second fertilizer treatment.

We had a long wet spring and much of the bloom time was windy and raining. There were lots of blooms though. Then I had to travel for 10 days. but when I returned, many of the blooms were just dried up or had fallen off. I don’t think it is frost damage, I saw it got down to 34 F when I was gone.

There are “sections” that still have dense fruit, but clearly unbalanced.
Some fruiting wood is completely with out fruit and I plan to cut them back short to a shoot. Some just have a single fruit at the very end.

Anyone think of the cause of the dropping blossoms?

#2

It sounds like you had a large crop last year and this year is slim. It happens. Also the circumstances you described are very stressful on your peach tree.

#3

Mrsg47,

Thanks

I thought a heavy fruit set would result in less blooms, sapping energy to feed the peaches. Do you think windy and rainy prevented pollination?

In any case, we should have plenty of peaches just less to give away!

#4

I guess your peach trees have suffered brown rot blossom blight.

Wet weather during bloom contributes to a spread of the disease.

Peaches are self fertile. Wind help spread polken, not hurt.

#5

You are in zone 5, if you had a really cold spell in the middle of winter it can kill the blossoms. I don’t have this problem myself so not sure how it manifests.