edenhana

Peach

Peach leaf curl, a fungal disease causing reddish, puckered, distorted new leaves in spring, is the single most common problem for home-grown peaches in New Zealand and is best prevented rather than treated, since a copper-based spray at bud swell (before leaves open) and again at leaf fall are the two applications that actually matter. Needs a genuine winter chill to flower and fruit reliably, so it performs best outside the very warmest, mildest parts of the country. Brown rot, which turns ripening fruit to mush in wet weather, is the other main disease to watch for, as it is for plums.

Sun
full sun
Water
moderate
Spacing
400cm
Harvest
Ready in about 3-4 years
Difficulty
intermediate
Grows in
Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
Expected yield
20-40kg per mature tree per season
Cost to grow
~$25 NZD
Grocery value
~$150 NZD
Mature height
4m
Flowering season
Aug, Sep
Evergreen
No, deciduous
Common diseases
Peach leaf curl, Brown rot
Common pests
Aphids, Leafroller caterpillars

When to plant by region

In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: June-August. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: June-July.

Growing stages

  1. Planting & establishmentBare-root, winter (June-August)

    • Plant bare-root while dormant in winter, in full sun with good air movement
    • Apply the first copper spray at bud swell, right at the very start of spring growth, to prevent peach leaf curl before it can infect new leaves
    • Water regularly while young roots establish beneath the developing canopy

  2. Early growthFirst 1-2 years

    • Apply a second copper spray at leaf fall in autumn to complete the peach leaf curl prevention programme for the year
    • Prune to an open, vase-like shape in the first couple of winters to let light into the centre of the tree
    • First proper crop is usually 3-4 years away

  3. Flowering & fruiting

    • Bees are the main pollinator, and most peach varieties are self-fertile so a single tree crops on its own; avoid spraying open flowers
    • Brown rot can turn ripening fruit to mush in wet weather; remove and destroy any affected fruit promptly rather than composting it
    • Thin fruit clusters to one fruit every 10-15cm along the branch for noticeably larger peaches

  4. MaturityOngoing annual harvest

    • Established trees yield 20-40kg of fruit per season
    • Continue the annual copper spray programme (bud swell and leaf fall) every year; peach leaf curl returns without it
    • Pick when fruit gives slightly to gentle pressure near the stem, rather than by colour alone

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