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It is possible to grow a peach from a seed, but whether an adult tree will bear fruit is the first important question. The culture is considered thermophilic. To expect tasty fruits, you need to choose the right variety. The second important question is where to get suitable planting material, because not every peach seed extracted from a peach is capable of germinating.
Is it possible to grow a peach from a pit?
Theoretically, propagation of peach seeds is allowed. The crop is grown similarly to apricot. However, for many people, the lack of germination after immersing seeds in the ground remains a question. The problem is incorrectly selected planting material. The pits of all store-bought peaches are unsuitable for propagation. Fruits for sale are picked at the stage of technical maturity.Their nucleolus has not yet formed and will not sprout.
Even if you manage to germinate the seed of a purchased fruit, the tree will not bear fruit or will freeze in the first winter. Fruits of southern varieties are imported for stores, most often hybrids that do not produce offspring.
How to grow a fruit-bearing tree from a peach pit
If you really want to grow a tree from a peach pit at home, and even bear fruit, you need to choose the right planting material, follow the technology of germination and caring for the seedling.
Selection of planting material
If you want to grow a crop, it is important to understand that a peach will bear fruit from the pit only when the planting material belongs to a variety adapted to the local climate. They go to the market, to friends or neighbors to get the fruits. A seed taken from a fruit-bearing tree is guaranteed to germinate and, over time, the crop will bear fruit.
Even if you managed to find the owner of a growing peach, you should not rejoice. We need to inquire about the origin of the tree. From the seed material of a grafted fruit, a fruit crop can grow with completely different characteristics that do not correspond to the mother variety. Only seeds from a rooted tree are suitable for propagation. The grown peach will retain all varietal characteristics.
Methods for growing peaches from pits
There are three ways to plant a peach from a seed at home:
- Cold. This is what people call the method, but in fact it is called stratification. The seed material is simulated to natural conditions.A hardened sprout is grown from the seed.
- ANDextraction of the nucleus. The seed is removed from the split shell. Germination of the kernel occurs faster, but the seedling grows less prepared for bad weather conditions.
- Warm germination. The seedling is grown in a flower pot. The tree is thermophilic, as it grows at room temperature. It will take a long time to accustom the culture to street conditions.
It is better and easier to grow a peach from a seed at home, following the cold method.
Is it necessary to stratify planting material?
Seeds are stratified at low temperatures, but not negative. A prerequisite is to maintain high humidity and free access to oxygen. Optimal conditions for the procedure are in the cellar, basement, or on the lower shelves of the refrigerator.
Stratification involves the following steps:
- Prepare a wide, shallow container. The bottom of a plastic bottle will do. To fill, take peat or well-washed river sand.
- The seeds are immersed in the filler to a depth of 7 cm. The container with the crops is wrapped in a bag, ventilation slits are cut with a knife, and stored in a cold place until spring.
- Caring for crops requires rare watering. The filler is kept moist at all times.
- In March, sprouts will sprout from the seeds. To replant them, prepare other containers filled with a mixture of equal proportions of compost, peat, and forest chernozem.
- Transplanted seedlings are placed on a window in a cool room. You can’t bring the peach into the heat suddenly.
- The sprouts are grown on the balcony window for about a week at temperatures up to +10OC. During this time, the above-ground part adapts to the heat, and the pots are transferred inside the house.
A peach pit that has undergone stratification produces a strong sprout. The crop will grow resistant to poor conditions, and it will be easier to tolerate winter frosts.
How to plant a peach pit at home
Step-by-step instructions will help you grow a peach from the pit in pots, including simple steps.
Preparing the container and soil
The most convenient way to plant peach seeds is in plastic flower pots. Take a container that is wide but shallow, with a capacity of about 2 liters. The bottom is drilled to drain water, otherwise the rhizome of the seedling will rot.
The bottom of the planting container is covered with small stones. After arranging the drainage layer, the remaining volume of the pot is filled with a soil mixture consisting of equal parts of sand, peat and forest chernozem.
How to germinate peach pits at home
To properly grow a peach from a pit, one of three methods is used: stratification, warm germination or core extraction. You can take a simpler route by combining the warm and cold methods:
- for accelerated stratification, the seeds are kept in the refrigerator for up to 10 days;
- after hardening, the seeds are soaked for 3 hours in a solution of any growth-stimulating drug;
- seeds that have passed all stages of preparation are planted in 3 pieces in two-liter pots to a depth of 8 cm;
- The crops are covered with transparent film or glass on top and placed on the windowsill.
Grow peach in a pot at room temperature. The shelter is opened daily for a short time for ventilation.When sprouts appear at 4 months, the cover is removed. The pot is placed on a window where there is a lot of light, but there is no exposure to the burning rays of the sun.
Growing peach from stone at home
In the future, in order to grow a peach tree from a seed, the crops are provided with proper care. During the day, the plants have enough natural light; in the evening, turn on the phytolamp. As the soil dries, watering is carried out.
A year later, next spring, the seedling can be planted in open ground. If the peach continues to be grown in a pot, in winter the tree is given a dormant period at a temperature of +2OC. From March to September, regular fertilizing with mineral complexes is applied every 2 weeks. From organic matter, an infusion of humus is useful for the culture.
As the crown grows, the root system increases proportionally. In spring or autumn, the plant is transplanted into a larger pot. When the height of the tree reaches 70 cm, the crown begins to form. Peach fruits are borne on the side branches. When forming, try to pinch the top and long, strongly growing branches.
The video talks about seed germination:
How to plant a peach pit in the ground
When growing in open ground, it is important to plant the peach pit correctly and not delay the timing so that the sprout has time to get stronger before the frosts. The last date for sowing seeds is the end of June. Shoots will appear in late August. By winter, the seedlings must have time to form brown bark, otherwise they will not survive the winter. Before the onset of cold weather, stop watering and fertilizing. The top of the tree is pinched.
It is allowed to plant peach stones in the fall in September. The seeds will undergo natural hardening over the winter and sprout the next season.The disadvantage of autumn planting is the reduction in the percentage of seed germination.
Site selection and soil preparation
When growing in open ground, choose a sunny place for sowing peach seeds. It is better to avoid shaded areas. In the spring, during the flowering of an adult tree in the shade, with recurrent frosts, the temperature can drop by 1OFrom below zero and destroy the inflorescences.
Any soil on the site is suitable for cultivation. The tree is unpretentious to grow. It is only important to ensure good drainage at the bottom of the planting hole. If the site is located on clay, add peat, sand, and compost. Sandstones are bad for growing peach because moisture quickly disappears. To bring the soil up to normal, add a lot of organic matter.
Planting peach pits in open ground
The seeds are planted to a depth of 8 cm. A distance of up to 3 m is maintained between each sowing, so as not to replant the seedlings later. During the season, the sprouts that appear can stretch up to 1.3 m. In the fall, they begin to form a crown. Powerful side shoots are left on the peach, everything else is cut off into a ring.
How to grow a peach from a seed in the country
It is easier to grow peaches in the country by immediately sowing them in open ground. Most often, summer residents prefer autumn planting. The seeds are soaked before sowing. However, the hard shell may not always yield to germination. To reliably obtain seedlings, the seed is lightly pricked with a hammer or sawed through with a file. With this procedure, it is important not to damage the nucleolus.
The standard distance between growing crops is 3 m. The option of growing a meadow garden is possible. Peaches are arranged in rows.A gap of 50 cm is left between each plant. The row spacing is 2 m. When growing a meadow garden, each crop bears about 15 fruits.
Transplanting peach seedlings to a permanent place
Growing seedlings in pots lasts 1 season. From the second year of life, it is advisable to transplant peaches to a permanent place. A similar procedure is used if dense crops were initially grown in open ground. The best time to transplant is early spring. The hole is dug with a margin so that the root system can fit freely. For backfilling, soil mixed with soil, peat and compost is used. The root collar is left not buried - at ground level. After backfilling, the seedling is watered and tied to a peg. The soil around the trunk is covered with mulch.
Conclusion
It is not always possible to grow a peach from a pit the first time. The most common reason is improper seed preparation or poor quality. If the first attempt at growing is unsuccessful, the process must be repeated.
