Most peach trees (Prunus persica) are recognized as self-pollinators, or plants whose flowers feature both a stamen, the male reproductive organ, and a posture, the female reproductive organ. However, certain varietals, such as “J.H. Hale,” “Candoka” and “Hal-Berta,” aren’t self-pollinators, plus they require another number of peach tree to produce fruit. Although bees commonly pollinate these varieties of coral trees, manual pollination promotes more fruit production, particularly when limited amounts of the pollen-transporting insects are readily available. Peach trees are sturdy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8 and do best if planted in sandy soil that has reached a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Growing
Soak the whole bare-root peach tree in water for 24 hours prior to planting. Eliminate the peach tree and allow it to air dry. Eliminate any kinked or broken roots using jump hand pruners. Gently pull away any girdled or circling roots from the root ball to separate them.
Pull all weeds and eliminate all vegetation within a 3-foot radius of the proposed planting site to prevent competition for water and nourishment.
Till the soil with a mechanized tiller or garden fork to a thickness of 6 inches and distribute 1 inch of well-decomposed compost above it. Till the ground to incorporate the compost.
Dig a hole in the soil twice as wide and as deep as the root ball of the bare-root peach tree by means of a garden trowel. Rank the peach tree in the soil, making sure the graft union — the top on the back in which the scion combined the origin stock — is between 2 and 4 inches above soil level and facing northeast.
Backfill the peach tree hole halfway with its excavated soil and tamp down gently to eliminate any large air bubbles. Continue filling the hole with the soil line and mound 1 to 2 inches of additional soil around the back. Gently tamp the soil once more.
Irrigate the fruit tree to a depth of 1 foot. It takes 1 gallon of water per square foot to penetrate the soil to a depth of 1 inch, and that means you need about 12 liters of water per square foot.
Dig a 1/2-inch-deep basin slightly wider than the planting hole around the tree for future irrigation. The basin should begin approximately 1 inch away from the back to ensure that the water drains away from the back. In the very first year of planting, add 5 gallons of water to the basin weekly or if the soil feels dry. In following decades, water to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.
Distribute 3 to 6 inches of bark mulch around the tree, then keeping a distance of 3 to 4 inches from the back on all sides.
Use lopping shears to head off the newly planted tree to 18 inches tall to support the growth of lower divisions. Eliminate the weak lateral branches at the division collars so the few left are nicely spaced and distributed evenly around the back.
Move the mulch aside after six weeks and mix 1 pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer with the topsoil using a garden fork, taking care not to damage the main system. Insert 3/4 pound of 10-10-10 in the spring and another 3/4 pound of 10-10-10 in the summers of the subsequent growth years.
Remove all dead, diseased, vertically growing and unhealthy divisions, such as the ones that droop down as the tree grows. Allow approximately 3 years for the peach tree to flower.
Pollinate
Locate a newly opened male flower on a different varietal of peach tree. You may identify a man peach flower by its stamen — a thin cone protruding from the center — by carefully pulling its petals open.
Pluck the male flower from the division and pinch off its outer petals.
Locate a newly opened feminine blossom on the tree. It’s possible to determine a female peach flower by its stance — a group of small spheres in its center — by gently spreading its petals open.
Rub the male flower’s stamen about the female flower’s stigma.