Peach Bonsai - Possible!

[kvan64]

A lot of people told me not to waste time on peaches and nectarines as bonsai specimens. Some people insisted that it's possible to train them.
I've determined to try a couple common peaches. After half a year with reasonable good collected stock, I got some convincing shape. Can't call them bonsai yet but I believe I will have a couple of peach bonsai trees in a few more years

[Jamie]

nice taper and movement in that last one DK, i reckon it will come up well in the future, i think if you go for strong growth first to get good branch choice, and get the main branching worked out then work on leaf reduction and ramification it will come up nice

[IS2SXC]

don't worry about what people think i got a huge one i also collected if its wrong we are in the same club on that hahahhahah

great start on your trees
i just hope the top on mine didnt die back

keep us posted on urs and take heaps of pics

cheers minh

[jarryd]

this looks really nice is this a progression of a single tree or a few different trees, i feel with these trees its best to grow them just for their flowers in late winter/early spring as tho foliage becomes quite damaged throughout the year however this can be rectifyed through defoliation. i have an old peachcot which is like a hybrid peach apricot, i have found i have problems with ants nesting in the trunk, this tree which is around a metre tall and now has a live vein no bigger then 1-2 cm thicks, so once i get a chainsaw or some heavy powertools im going to have to get stuck into this tree as there is about 30cm diametre of excess deadwood. i am also digging up an old peach and a nectarine from the backyard to make room for some stock beds which are both around 20years old and have white and pink flowering and very nice trunks so it will be good to see others dabling with them, i will try get some pics up when i dig them, do you think i should wait untill spring or are they ok for autumn collection? i have only ever collected at bud break i have found also that the root system tends to be relatively week on some species depending on the grafted understock.

cheers jarryd

[kcpoole]

A lot of people told me not to waste time on peaches and nectarines as bonsai specimens. Some people insisted that it's possible to train them.

Some of those people are wrong, and some people are right

Both Ray and Clinton nesci have some and they work well. I have a few small ones that are in grow pots, and am going to dig a large one out of the ground this winter.
Have seen many good photos on the web over the years of peaches been bonsai'd and they look great to me

I particularly like the last photo you have

Ken

[kvan64]

Jamie, thanks for the good tips!
Minh and Jarryd, it's good to see others try to bonsai these challenging species as well. I will keep posted the photos and progress. Please also show the pics of your trees.
Jarryd, the photos here show the progression of 1 tree. I found that common peaches are on very tough rootstocks so autum dig should be find. However, I would be wary about digging big ones as their root system often reachdown very deep unless you've been watering them regularly. I would leave the big ones till late winter or early spring (just as with prunus species).
Cheers, DK
Edit: Ken, didn't see your post - Yes go for it Ken. I guess peaches will look good when they are in flowers and fruits. I also believe that they can be convincing bonsai without fruits and flowers too.

[kcpoole]

I don't know yet if the leaves reduce, but they can ramify quite nicely tho
Ken