Mature Peach Tree With No Leaves Or Flowers In Spring
Gardening Question From Jovan:
Hello Pat from Dallas, Texas…I have a mature peach tree (4″+ trunk diameter) that this year has so far failed to have any leaves or flowers (by April in Texas we already have walnut-sized fruit on it). All of the past years tree has been producing plenty of fruit and never had this issue. I did follow a pruning guide and pruned it late this winter so I am not sure if that caused it any shock. Doing the bark scratch still shows green and the branches are still reddish so the tree appears alive.
I would hate to loose this tree but am not sure what else I could do so any input would be welcome.
Thanks!!
Answer from Pat:
Gardeners nationwide are having problems with peach trees not leafing out, failing to flower or flowering too early or too late. Also fruit drop (sometimes called “June drop”, which is a natural way of fruit thinning itself out) is happening at the wrong times of year. Also flowers are dropping off. All these problems are most likely due to unseasonable swings in night and day temperatures, such as hot snaps or cold snaps—sudden heat or sudden cold— and changes in weather, such as unusual drought or heavy rains at the wrong times or different than normal times of year.
In many areas the winter temperatures have been unusually high. All deciduous fruit trees are regional and each variety needs a certain number of chill hours in order to bloom and bear fruit. But chill hours also trigger trees to leaf out. That is, each variety needs a certain number of chill hours in order to stimulate it to put on leaves. Most likely your tree is not dead, as you said, but it cannot grow leaves since it thinks it is still last autumn after leaf drop and that it has not yet gone through winter. (I hope you can visualize and understand what I mean!)
It is highly doubtful that any of these problems were caused by any mistake you made pruning. Peach trees need more dormant pruning in order to stimulate more growth since flowers and fruit are formed on new wood. As long as you always follow a pruning manual, even if you don’t do a perfect job, it won’t permanently damage the tree.
My recommendation is to do what you can to keep the tree alive despite lack of leaves. Continue fertilizing with organic fertilizer under the drip line of the tree at about the times that flowers would normally appear. Additionally make sure drainage is good, that roots are not water-logged and that the roots are covered with a layer of organic mulch. If the tree never corrects itself and winter temperatures continue mild, then eventually yank it out and plant a tree which requires fewer chill hours.
Some people don’t want to believe in global warming. Unfortunately, whether man-made or not, it is a scientifically proven fact and it is affecting plants along with many other aspects of life on this planet.