Do you have a desire to plant a tree in your garden or backyard, but concerned about how large it may grow when fully mature?
The last thing you’d want is to have a stunted tree or worse, have the tree branches damaging the house as it matures. The peach tree is one of those trees that needs enough space.
How big do peach trees get? Peach trees average between 15 and 25 feet tall and have a 20-25 foot spread. It all depends on the type of peach tree. However, other factors can impact the height and spread of the mature tree. These include the location, sun exposure, watering patterns, pruning, stresses, and feeding.
Before you plant the peach tree, you need to know its expected size, which is largely dependent on the tree variety.
Read more to find out what impacts the size of the peach tree.
If peach trees have you puzzled, my comprehensive guide, Frequently Asked Questions About Peach Trees, is your answer! Filled with practical wisdom and vital care details, it’s your pathway to transforming your approach to peach tree care.
Peach Tree Size
The peach tree is not considered a giant among fruit trees by any measure. Moreover, some peach tree varieties are compact by nature and can fit in any small corner of your backyard.
Peach Tree Height and Width
Many peach trees will average 25 feet tall and the same in width. However, regular pruning can keep this height and spread in check.
With diligent and careful pruning, gardeners can keep a peach tree under 15 feet high and 20 feet wide, but a ladder is required when pruning and harvesting peach trees in this size range or larger.
Dwarf Peach Tree Size
The dwarf peach tree is the mini version of the tree. It usually averages between 8 and 10 feet tall and the same in width.
Pruning keeps the dwarf peach tree in shape and can cut down its height by a couple of feet. You might not need a ladder to reach the top of the tree and harvest all the fruits.
Semi-Dwarf Peach Tree
The semi-dwarf peach tree is somewhere between the normal peach tree and the dwarf varieties.
As far as the tree’s height is concerned, the semi-dwarf peach could reach between 12 and 15 feet tall and about 15 feet wide. A ladder will be required for pruning and harvesting.
How Fast Do Peach Trees Grow?
Peach trees are not known for their fast growth rates. All three types of peach trees have different growth rates.
Both the dwarf and semi-dwarf species average about 12 inches a year in the right conditions. As for a regular peach tree, it could grow about 24 inches a year with the proper care.
Peach Tree Maturity
Another aspect that the different varieties of peach trees differ in is the time they take to reach maturity.
A standard peach tree often needs about 4 years before it matures and starts bearing fruits.
Dwarf peach trees mature faster and start flowering within 3 years. The semi-dwarf peach trees fall somewhere in the middle between those two types.
Factors That Affect Peach Tree Growth
Under ideal growing conditions, the peach tree will grow and thrive, reaching its maximum annual growth rate of 24 inches, but it’s rare for a peach tree to have perfect growing conditions consistently.
Here are some of the factors to pay attention to when growing and caring for your peach tree.
Planting Location
Space is as important to the peach tree as the type of soil is. When choosing a location for the tree, make sure that the mature tree won’t hit a wall or a fence or get crowded by another tree near it.
The location also should provide the tree with 8 hours of sunlight every day in the spring and summer. Make sure the soil is loamy and drains quickly.
Test the pH level (this gadget makes it simple), and amend the soil to bring the pH level between 6.0 and 6.5.
Water Availability
In the first couple of years of the peach tree’s life, its root system is still underdeveloped and can’t draw enough moisture from the deep layers of the soil. During those years, the young tree depends on the moisture near the surface of the soil.
You’ll need to keep the soil evenly moist and factor in rainfall as part of the weekly water quota.
Use mulch around the tree to improve moisture retention in the soil, but don’t let the mulch come in contact with the base of the tree.
Nutrients
The peach tree needs a lot of fertilizer throughout its life. A newly planted tree needs about 1 pound of fertilizer. Apply it once in the early spring as the tree emerges from its dormancy.
Once the tree begins producing, you can fertilize it once during flowering and again in early summer, not to exceed 5 pounds total per year.
Pruning
Pruning is crucial for the peach tree. Not only does pruning help to manage its size, but it also ensures proper ventilation and sunlight exposure to the center of the tree.
Focus on creating inner paths and removing damaged and crisscrossing branches. The center of the tree should be open to promote good airflow.
The best time to prune a peach tree is in the winter while the tree is dormant, but light trimming in the summer is acceptable to remove wayward shoots and damaged or diseased areas.
Pests & Diseases
Although the peach tree attracts different common pests, none is more dangerous and destructive than the peach tree borer. It’s a moth that looks like a wasp but has clear wings.
When the moth wants to lay eggs, it chooses a spot on the trunk of the peach tree near the ground.
When the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into the bark and eat their way to the roots of the tree. Depending on the level of infestation, the peach tree borer can stunt the growth of a young peach tree.
Leaf curl and leaf browning are two common peach tree fungal infections. You can treat them with any copper-based fungicide.
Related Questions:
Are Peaches Self-Pollinating?
The majority of peach trees are self-pollinating with each tree growing male and female flowers that open around the same time. If you have a self-pollinating variety, you won’t need more than one peach tree in your garden.
Do Peach Trees Need Full Sun?
Peach trees need full sun to thrive, flower, and bear fruits. The leaves are responsible for photosynthesizing sunlight and turning it into plant energy. Without sufficient light, the tree won’t have the energy it needs to thrive.
Make sure that the tree gets 8 hours of direct sunlight every day during the spring and summer.
Closing Thoughts
The average peach tree grows to about 25 feet tall and the same in width, but dwarf peach trees are more compact and average 8 to 10 feet high and wide. Semi-dwarf peach trees fall somewhere in the middle.
Growing conditions such as location, amount of sunlight, water and nutrient availability, pruning, and environmental stressors impact the growth rate of peach trees.
There is so much more to learn! Dive into these information-packed guides next:
- Can You Grow Peach Trees From Pits? Prep & Planting Advice
- Do Peaches Grow True to Seed? What To Expect & Growing Tips