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Amount of sun needed for a Peach (Rio Grande) tree (2-3 yrs old) #682604

Asked March 04, 2021, 8:25 AM EST

Hi, 

We recently bought a peach tree (Rio Grande) and we are looking for the best location to plant it in our home. We have two options:

  1. In the front of the house - This area we are currently donating the newly install Red Oak tree and possible planting the peach tree there. The only negating is the about of sun we get there. Usually at 6 am the house roof provides shade in this area. 
  2. The backyard - We have a nice size back yard for a single-family home, so we have space and plenty of sun all day. 

Question - Will the peach tree provide enough bloom if we were to planted in the front? 

We are located in Leander and the house is facing East. I am attaching a picture of the front of the home at around 5:10 PM. The tree we are donating is the one to the right in the picture (IMG_7510.jpg). 

Travis County Texas

Expert Response

Hi Julian, 

Thank you for including the variety of your peach tree. That makes a huge difference.

The chill hour requirement for a 'Rio Grande' is 450 hours. Since our winter cold weather comes from the northwest and our warm weather from the southeast, that tells you which side of your house you need to plant the peach to optimize chill hours. 450 hours is considered a low-chill requirement, so that affords you some flexibility.

Fruit trees in general need full sun, and that's usually defined as more than 6 hours. 

If it were me, I'd plant it in the backyard. The other thing to consider is attracting pollinating insects. Depending on your landscaping plans, you may have more flexibility planting flowers and herbs in the back, rather the front. Your peach is going to bloom early in the season, so you'll need to have something blooming in March, perhaps even as early as February. Cool season herbs like dill, annual flowers like alyssum, and hardy roses like mutablis can step in to help. Don't be too quick to weed out henbit or dandelions if nothing else is blooming at the same time as your peach. Those weeds provide nectar to bees and will serve as a powerful lure. Yes, I just gave you permission to have a weedy yard! Your HOA might not agree. 

Other low-chill fruit you might consider for the front yard that bloom later in the spring are pears. The new pear hybrids are fire blight resistant and make lovely trees for the front yard. 'Ayers', 'Warren', and 'LeConte' are varieties recommended for Travis County. They should be in stock at local nurseries now if you think you might like to add them. You'll need two varieties to promote cross-pollination. (Your peach doesn't need a pollinator.) Another good tree for the front might be a Methley Plum. It doesn't need a pollinator. Here are some more tips that you can find on our website, which includes a link out to the aggie hort fruit and nut pages: https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/horticulture/edible-gardens-for-austin/fruits-and-nuts-for-austin/backyard-fruit-and-nut-production-tips/

One last tip from a fellow fruit grower, plant your trees well away from any fence. Fences are superhighways for squirrels and they will be happy to eat all your green fruit for you. They don't like crossing open ground, so keep you tree out of leaping distance from something they can scramble up, including your neighbor's roof. 

Good luck!

Sheryl - Horticulture Program Assistant Replied March 04, 2021, 9:02 AM EST

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