A Damaged Peach Tree

A Damaged Peach Tree

Last spring I planted a miniature peach tree in a sunny spot in my garden. It was very healthy until it was flooded and lost most of its leaves. Should I replant in a drier place, or replace it?

Unfortunately if the roots of your peach tree have been too wet for an extended time, they may have rotted out. You will need to determine if the tree is still alive by checking there is sap flowing to the branches. Do this by scratching the surface of the branch with your fingernail, or prune the tips of the taller branches to see if it is still alive at its outer extremities. Keep pruning back and if no signs of life, work your way down to lower branches to determine if it’s worth transplanting or starting again with a new tree. 
Whether you decide to transplant or plant a new specimen, now is the best time to do it. Select a spot in the garden which does not flood to the same extend as the previous site. Dig a hole twice as wide and as deep as the container the tree came in. Add Daltons Nutrient into the hole, and create a mound at the bottom in the middle where the rootball will sit; this helps with drainage. Place the tree in the hole and add the soil making it compact and firm as you go. The ideal position is when the tree sits in the ground, the base of the stem should be slightly higher than ground level to prevent water pooling around the trunk and causing any rot. Apply Daltons Citrus & Fruit Fert in early spring, and again at six weekly intervals until mid December, recommencing in mid February through to autumn. 

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