Editing Peach (section)

=== Growing conditions ===
[[File:A peach orchard in spring.jpg|thumb|Peach orchard, Northern Greece]]

Peaches are easiest to grow dry, continental or temperate climates, with conditions of high humidity greatly increasing diseases and pests in subtropics and tropics.{{sfn|Byrne et al. 2009|p=507}} In addition the trees have a [[chilling requirement]]. Most cultivars require 600 to 1,000 hours of chilling at temperatures between {{convert|40 to 50|F|C|order=flip}}. During the chilling period, key chemical reactions occur, but the plant appears dormant. Temperatures under {{cvt|30|F|C|order=flip}} are ineffective for fulfilling the chilling requirement. Once the chilling period is fulfilled, the plant enters a second type of dormancy, the [[Dormancy#Trees|quiescence]] period. During quiescence, buds break and grow when sufficient warm weather favorable to growth is accumulated.{{sfn|Lockwood|Coston|2007|p=2}} The chilling requirement is not satisfied in tropical or subtropical areas except at high altitudes with low-chill cultivars, some which require less than 100 hours of suitable temperatures.{{sfn|Thakur et al. 2024|p=100}}

[[File:Bee pollinating peach flower.jpg|thumb|A peach flower with a [[bee]] pollinating it]] 
The trees themselves can usually tolerate temperatures to around {{convert|-26|to|-30|C|F}}, although the following season's flower buds are usually killed at these temperatures, preventing a crop that summer. Flower bud death begins to occur between {{convert|-15|and|-25|C|F}}, depending on the [[cultivar]] and on the timing of the cold, with the buds becoming less cold tolerant in late winter.{{sfn|Szalay|Papp|Szabó|2000|pp=407–408}} Another climate constraint is spring frost. The trees flower fairly early and the blossom is damaged or killed if temperatures drop below about {{convert|-1.1|C|F}}. If the flowers are not fully open, though, they can tolerate a few degrees colder.{{sfn|Chen|Okie|Beckman|2016|p=816}} The flowers are also vulnerable to temperatrues higher than {{cvt|22 to 25|C}} during the day.{{sfn|Byrne et al. 2009|p=524}}

Climates with significant winter rainfall at temperatures below {{convert|16|C|F}} are also unsuitable for peach cultivation, as the rain promotes [[leaf curl|peach leaf curl]], which is the most serious fungal disease for peaches. In practice, fungicides are extensively used for peach cultivation in such climates, with more than 1% of European peaches exceeding legal pesticide limits in 2013.{{sfn|European Food Safety Authority|2015|p=29}}

Finally, summer heat is required to mature the crop, with mean temperatures of the hottest month between {{convert|20|and|30|C|F}}.

Peach trees are grown in well draining soils as they are vulnerable to disease in wet soils. They are most productive in [[topsoil]]s approximately {{convert|18 to 24|in|cm|round=5|order=flip}} with a [[sandy loam]] character.{{sfn|Kamas Stein Nesbitt 2015|p=2}}

Most peach trees sold by nurseries are cultivars [[Shield budding|budded]] or [[grafted]] onto a suitable [[rootstock]]. Common rootstocks are 'Lovell Peach', 'Nemaguard Peach', ''Prunus besseyi'', and 'Citation'.{{sfn|Ingels et al. 2007|p=29–30}} The rootstock provides hardiness and budding is done to improve predictability of the fruit quality.

[[File:Nectarine Fruit Development.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The developmental sequence of a nectarine over a {{frac|7|1|2}}-month period, from bud formation in early winter to fruit [[ripening]] in midsummer]]
Typical peach cultivars begin bearing fruit in their third year. Their lifespan in the U.S. varies by region; the [[University of California at Davis]] gives a lifespan of about 15 years while the [[University of Maine]] gives a lifespan of 7 years there.{{sfn|Hasey|2009|p=2}}{{sfn|Moran|2014}}

Peach trees need full sun, and a layout that allows good natural air flow to assist the thermal environment for the tree. Peaches are planted in early winter.{{sfn|Carroll|2017|p=1}} During the growth season, they need a regular and reliable supply of water, with higher amounts just before harvest.{{sfn|Carroll|2017|pp=3–4}}

Peaches need [[nitrogen]]-rich fertilizers more than other fruit trees. Without regular fertilizer supply, peach tree leaves start turning yellow or exhibit stunted growth. [[Blood meal]], [[bone meal]], and calcium ammonium nitrate are suitable fertilizers.

The flowers on a peach tree are typically thinned out because if the full number of peaches mature on a branch, they are undersized and lack flavor. Fruits are thinned midway in the season by commercial growers. Fresh peaches are easily bruised, so do not store well. They are most flavorful when they ripen on the tree and are eaten the day of harvest.{{sfn|Carroll|2017|p=4}}

The peach tree can be grown in an [[espalier]] shape. The Baldassari palmette is a design created around 1950 used primarily for training peaches. In [[walled garden]]s constructed from stone or brick, which absorb and retain solar heat and then slowly release it, raising the temperature against the wall, peaches can be grown as espaliers against south-facing walls as far north as southeast Great Britain and southern Ireland.