Chilling Requirements Of Peaches
So, are the chilling requirements of peaches important to you, the home gardener? If you want a peach tree in your garden that gives you more than shade, you're darn tootin' it's important.
Gardeners in the Deep South must choose peach varieties with a low chilling requirement, ranging from 200 chilling hours in southern Florida to about 650 chilling hours in South Carolina.
Winter temperatures dictate where plants will grow because of chilling requirements and winter minimums. The chilling requirement is the number of hours between 32o and 45oF required before a plant starts normal growth in the spring.
In warm climates, choose varieties with low chilling requirements, and chill bulbs before planting. Allow leaves to remain in place until they fade completely. To hide fading foliage, plant companion annuals.
The flower buds have a short chilling requirement to break dormancy (something on the order of 600 hours). Once the requisite number of chilling hours is met, the buds are ready to open with the first sunny day.
Here, Paul uses tulip and paper-white narcissus bulbs. The tulips have a chilling requirement, the narcissus don't.
Figure A
Tulips ...
Swapping to varieties with a lower chilling requirement may be necessary, and with the predicted increase in severe storm events, installing fruit protection will be more important.
 See also: Plant, Flower, Bloom, Spring, Water
  
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