Publications

Growing peaches and other fruit trees in Georgia and the southeastern United States is challenging. Peaches are not native to North America; however, many cultivars have been developed for our area, and Georgia has a long history of successful peach production. One must choose the site and the proper cultivar and provide care throughout the year to be successful. This publication includes information for peaches on site selection and preparation, planting, fertilizing, insects, diseases, and harvesting. Recommended varieties for Georgia are also listed.

This section of the Home & Garden Edition covers pest control in home orchards, including apples, peaches, bunch grapes, muscadines, strawberries, blueberries, and other fruits. Beginning in 2022, the Home & Garden Edition has been updated biennially. When purchasing a product based on a first-year recommendation of the Handbook, check the current product label before purchase to be sure it is still labeled for the use for which you are buying it. For pesticide products you have on hand from earlier purchases, you are allowed to use them until they are depleted without penalty under the law. Always follow label instructions before use. Contact the product’s manufacturer for the most up-to-date label.

When the peach tree moves into its bearing years a shift in emphasis from exclusive attention to vegetative development for building a tree structure to maintaining a balance enough vegetative growth to promote adequate fruiting wood and return bloom for the following season’s fruit crop and managing the current season’s fruit crop.

The southeastern peach industry is known for the high quality of its fresh peaches. As a new peach season approaches, it is time to ready the packinghouse for output of the best peach product.

A relatively new peach tree training system is being adopted by some southeastern peach growers; it is an easy, low-maintenance system that can be used even in the home orchard.

San Jose scale, Comstockaspis perniciosus (Comstock), is a pest of peaches, nectarines, plums, and other tree fruits including apples, pears, and cherries. San Jose scale is considered a secondary pest in many regions of the country, but in the Southeast U.S., it has been one of the most common and most destructive pests to the peach industry since the early 2000s.

Essential to successful peach tree culture is selection of a location that provides adequate sunlight, cold air drainage and water drainage.

Plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst), is a key insect pest of peaches in the Southeast region of the United States. It is a snout beetle native to North America and is found east of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. and Canada. Plum curculio drives the insect pest management program for Georgia peach producers. This circular covers the biology, damage, and current management recommendations for plum curculio in Georgia peach production.