Expert: nick mccann - 5/23/2009

Question
I have 2 patio peach trees that I planted in the ground 2 years ago.  They did fine the first year planted, came back great the second year.  This year they budded, have green shoots growing from the bottom, but are not leaving.  There are some leaves, but many buds are not leaving at all. I snapped off a stem and there was no green, although some of them still look alive and are leaving slightly.  Will this come back?  Should I fertilize or feed it - if so with what? I live in zone 5a

Answer
Hi Kelly, These types of questions are the toughest to answer, for without actually seeing the tree, it is hard to determine if the tree is going to survive or not; by what you say, it sounds like this past winter may have compromised it pretty severely and whether it will survive or not is pretty much up to Mother Nature at this point. Keeping it properly irrigated and making sure it gets plenty of sun, is about all you can do at this point; prune off any dead wood and be patient, many times it can take several months for a determination to be made one way or the other. Nick