No spraying for me. I used neem in prior years but had no increase in bugs (save for japanese beetles which have no predators) or disease when I stopped.
I have semi-dwarf Contender and Reliance from Starks. I love peaches but everything cole robbie said is true for me too. Branches will break in a storm. Once every few years a frost will nip the buds. Despite the late frost we got last year the peaches produced like crazy so go figure. I also had great success, kind of , with a Super Sweet from Lowes. It is a standard size , and boy did it put out fruit. One time it was all gone overnight. I mean at least a hundred peaches. I thought I had been burglarized but it was squirrels or japanese beetles that wiped out every peach. Sadly that property was sold before I could enjoy the trees full potential in the following season.
At my acreage north of Omaha I get only a handful of fruit off the same peach varieties. Darn cold; a few degrees makes a huge difference.
Pears and plums grow well here too, but I haven't grown them myself. I have apples that do fine without any spraying. Cherries are okay but you need to net or share the crop with birds. I love the peaches best.
- Lisa
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