One of the best things about summer is PEACHES, and July is National Peach Month! Those juicy golden globes are delicious right off the tree, baked into a pie, or adorning a bowl of ice cream – yum! Producing delicious peaches requires giving them adequate water, which can be tough now with our water restrictions.
Marin Master Gardeners recommend to water regularly. The amount of water needed for the tree is primarily dependent upon the size of the tree, time of year, and temperature. It also depends on the type of irrigation being used, whether drip or sprinkler. Drip irrigate daily or use sprinklers about every three weeks. Here’s some more information on watering fruit trees.
And we’re not the only ones that love peaches – so do roof rats! Be sure your fruit trees aren’t touching fences, overhead wires, or the branches of other trees, and that the lower branches of the tree are not touching the ground.
Rat guards around the trunks of trees can keep the rats out. Rat guards can be as simple as a piece of sheet metal 18–24 inches wide and as long as the circumference of the tree plus two inches. Use a piece of wire bent like a giant staple to secure the ends of the sheet metal without penetrating the tree. Put the back of the wire against the tree’s trunk and insert the two ends of the wire through holes in the sheet metal. Then bend the wire outward to hold the ends of the rat guard together.
Sanitation is also important. Be sure to use or remove all fallen fruit.
Here’s additional information on managing rats.