I inherited a property with 2 peach trees (or so I was told). Both produce buds, but on one tree, the buds will grow into a pink-ish flower, and then tiny peaches will form. On the other (which is a more vigorous grower), the tree produces the buds all over its branches but they never grow out into the pink flower, and no fruit is produced. The buds will just “dry up” and most will eventually fall off the tree. Both trees grow the buds at the same time in the season. I’ve watched these 2 trees for two seasons now, and the same pattern has happened. Both have been pruned the same, fertilized the same, mulched the same, protected (fungicide/insecticide) the same. They are about 8-10 feet apart in the backyard. I was not told what types of tree they are (other than “peach”). It is such a stark difference between the two that I wonder if the problem tree is actually not a peach. Also, on the non-producing tree, it grows “nodules” (little lumps) on its branches (everywhere, not just a few branches). The fruit-bearing tree does not do this. I first thought this was an insect burrowing underneath the bark but I cut off a branch and cut a nodule open, and there was nothing that resembled an bug or insect (grown or larvae). It just looked like a natural, brown growth spot inside the limb. These are all over the tree branches
A fruit tree consistently failing to bloom is often caused either by cold damage or insufficient chilling. Since you’re in zone 8, low chill hours are more likely. Are you in an area with consistently warm winters?
Sometimes crown gall can cause lumps on branches, but I don’t see anything that looks like that in your pictures.
Some of the branches on the non-flowering tree look a bit dry—do the buds crumble or the branches snap if you bend them? Is it just the flower buds that dry up or is it whole sections of twigs?
The trees in the picture don’t look particularly abnormal or unhealthy to me, though they are dense—I would prune them to increase airflow if they were my trees.
They look very different to me, but peaches don’t like my location’s springs, so my relatively limited experience is extra limited in the case of the trees themselves, but those two fence panels look nothing alike and the ground in that corner looks like it has been “cleaned” with prejudice. You might look closer at the environment and make sure some level of poisoning isn’t occuring.
If the mulch under htem is their own leaves, you might inspect some of the fallen leaves for additional clues, and you might consider mulching heavily with compost as the soil in general looks rather inhospitable.
The non-flowering trees branches do not seem dry or brittle. Only the tiny buds dry up and fall off. I will check for other dryness (I was worried about over-watering)
We are in northern Georgia. It rarely snows but is quite cold for about 3 months.
I have read about lack of chill causing issues in Georgia peach production in recent years. Though if you’re in a colder area of the state I’d think most varieties would be fine.
You might be able to see how many chill hours you have here:
Also, it didn’t occur to me to think about how much growth I’d expect on the ground at peach bloom time, but I agree with @Mtncj. Its surprising how barren the area around the trees is.
