When our peach tree eventually dies I’ll probably replace it with a more climate suitable tree, but....
It’s pretty warm here (I have soursop, mamey and even a purple Mangosteen seeding outside without protection) and the peach does ok. It’s a multigraft if UFO, sunraycer, a local plum selection and a nectacot.
There are a few PDFs on the web from the low chill stone fruit association of Australia that provide some tips that seem to work.
- don’t winter prune. Try to do all the hard wood pruning soon after harvest and restrict yourself to removing water shoots over the rest of summer. Because the low chill tree never really goes dormant, pruning over what should be winter just re-invigorates the tree when you are trying to slow it down.
- I’ve been using lime Sulfur twice in winter/spring. Once in late winter to finish off any old leaves that are hanging around, once in early spring at bud swell. Last years diseased leaves are next years spore factory.
-fertilise nitrogen heavy in spring and then treat the tree like your mango. More potassium and gypsum, antifungals same time you do mango for pm and anthracnose. I use mostly just potassium bicarbonate but sometimes copper if rain and humidity are putting heavy anthracnose pressure on the mangoes.
Rob