Hello everyone, I have a white peach tree that I planted when I just 10 years old. I'm now almost 23, that gives you an idea about how old this tree is. My situation is that after around 9 years and possibly much neglect, I realized the tree had been planted incorrectly. The rootstock was nearly all underground, thereby apparently killing and rotting it. The main trunk and branches of the tree have become hard and callous. It is still the size that it was when I originally purchased it (only about 5 feet tall). I have since then "re-planted" it in the correct manner. There are multiple flowers about to bloom. My question is, now that I have taken the corrective measures, will the rootstock be able to fully revive? Or will it continue to dwindle year after year with marginal growth and productivity? If it is just hanging on a thread, I rather put it out of its misery and possibly plant another who CAN thrive. I have included pictures of the blooms, branch, and rootstock for your viewing. I am really sideways about this situation. Maybe you can help me decide. Thanks for your time and help! Best Regards, Jeff [Link to pictures]
Hi Jeff--just wanted to commiserate on this with you. I planted almost all my trees and shrubs way too deep when we moved to our acreage years ago. Despite my enthusiasm about gardening, most of these plants struggled and some died, including a number of fruit trees. I have also dug up and tried to remediate this, raising plants sometimes 6 inches higher, for goodness sake...what was I thinking! Anyway, a few comments for your peach tree. In your climate, I'm guessing peaches do well (they struggle in our wet cool winters here, very prone to disease). The flower buds look good to me, hopefully this tree will finally do better. I worry about the trunk that was covered and is now exposed...I would guess that a loose cylinder of shade material, like a piece of reemay, coiled around that lower trunk, might protect it from sunburn. Other than that, some coarse mulch over the root zone, but kept back from the trunk to avoid rot, is my strategy for best results with trees. Peaches do grow fast, and fruit very young, so if this one struggles too much, a new tree would replace it rather quickly. But I know about holding onto plants you started as a kid...still got one or two of those after many decades...plus new peach trees don't usually come for free. I would give it some care and time and see what happens.
