Peach trees with a pillar growth habit can be planted much more densely than standard peach trees to reap some of the benefits of intensive orchard systems. Photo by Geraldine Warner New peach varieties with upright growth habits give growers the opportunity to plant peach trees at high densities, without needing a dwarfing rootstock. Why plant high-density peaches? For the same reasons growers have planted high-density apples, says Dr. Ralph Scorza, plant breeder at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research lab in Kearneysville, West Virginia. Advantages include greater efficiency in pruning, spraying, thinning, and harvesting, and the possibility of mechanizing some […]