Choosing and Planting a Peach Tree

Question from Ron:

I just bought a peach tree at home depot and planted it in my west Texas home. I noticed after a week the leaves are falling off and ants were all over it. This is my first tree so I don’t what is going on

Answer from Pat:

Home Depot is not the best place to purchase deciduous fruit trees, such as peaches. Also, though fall planting is an okay time to plant any landscape item, in general I think it’s best to plant fruit trees bare root in spring. As soon as good, reliable nurseries in your area are carrying bare root deciduous fruit trees, that’s the correct time to plant them and it’s very important to choose a variety that is adapted to the climate zone where you live.

The problem with purchasing a deciduous fruit tree in a can from Home Depot is that the plants might have been stressed and held in the can too long. Also, you might not get a variety that is properly adapted to your climate zone. Discount houses, such as Home Depot, purchase plants in large lots and send them to all their stores. Thus, they often carry plants that are not adapted to the location in which the plants are sold. Of course I do not know what variety of peach tree you purchased since you did not mention that and though you mentioned that you live in west Texas, I am not sure what part of west Texas. There are at least six different Sunset climate zones in West Texas http://www.sunset.com/garden/climate-zones/sunset-climate-zones-texas-00400000036339/. Sunset Western Garden Book also includes lists of good varieties of peach and nectarine trees, including information on the characteristics of each variety and which climate zones each variety is adapted to.

The fact that the leaves fell off your peach tree is totally natural, however. In fall the leaves fall off all deciduous fruit trees as the trees naturally go into winter dormancy. After winter pruning, which should be minimal for young trees, be sure to spray in winter with dormant spray to kill diseases and pests. If your tree was oozing sap or had a few pests or was otherwise weakened before you planted it, this can attract ants. Ants do not actively harm the tree themselves, but they bring pests such as aphids to weakened plants with oozing sap. The pests feast on oozing sap and then the ants return to milk the pests for their honeydew. So get rid of the ants and clean up the tree with a soapy spray to remove pests. Since the tree is young and recently planted I would wrap its trunk with “Tree-Wrap” paper to keep it from sunburning in winter during the absence of leaves. Or, alternatively you can paint the trunk up to its scaffold branches with white latex paint. You could also put a strip of brown paper around the trunk after wrapping or painting it and then apply Tree Tanglefoot, a very sticky substance that will stop ants at the pass. Wear gloves and don’t get any on yourself or your clothes or you may be very upset with me for telling you to use it.