A lot of my peaches have problems growing straight as well. This is from Jesus member.
What can be done to get them to grow straight?
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Because they are usually chip budded or t budded.
Then once the new bud is calloused the old rootstock top is cut off. Since the new lil bud is grafted to a vertical growing stem perpendicular to the sun, it literally cannot grow up tto the sun without first growing crooked from its vertically placed grafting position.
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You are asking a question that is best addressed by describing the forests from which the species originated. European forests tend to be umbrella shaped trees which do not have a strong vertical single trunk tendency. American forests are mostly tall straight trees that grow up and not out. This is easily shown by European chestnut versus American chestnut. European chestnut is an umbrella shaped tree. American chestnut is a tall straight timber type tree. Guess where peach originated and the forest type it came from?
That crooked growth pattern is a characterist of rich may or at least from what I can tell.
Both of my rich may trees grew crooked. I dont care as long as they produce peaches. My wife purchased both trees, so i’m kind of stuck with them.
China
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That tree also has very sparce foliage. If you plant more peaches, I’d suggest planting on a big mound.
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Also I need to get a handle on bacterial leaf spot post shuck split. I sprayed them with Daconil/chlorothalonil and captan W50 as per the labels. Daconil says to stop at shuck split, so I did. The only thing I have for bacterial leaf spot post shuck split is captan 50 with a spreader sticker. I did also sprayed copper at the beginning of bud swell. However it has and continues to be abnormally wet.
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I have an apple tree that is growing like a Z, a plum that’s a bunch of zig zag, and my peach looks like this here
plus a pear and an apricot that are leaning over like old people with a bad back.
I don’t mind. they all have some fruit on em. they got character
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I put stakes & tree straps to try to keep my tree trunks straight for the first 3-5 years. That does seem to help with the crookedness of all my fruit trees. At times I have had to put two or three stakes and straps to help straighten the trunks. Some are pretty crooked when they arrive.