Most types of fruit, especially apples, cherries, plums and pears, are not that easy to grow from a seed. Fortunately, this type of propagation usually works quite well for peaches, but not all varieties are suitable for it.
How can I grow a peach tree from a pit?
To grow a peach tree from a pit, you need a kernel variety such as “Roter Ellenstädter”, “Naundorfer Kernechter” or “Proskauer Peach”. Let the core rest in winter, plant it out in spring and keep the soil moist at all times.
Select genuine peaches
You will be able to grow plants from most peaches, but these will remain quite small and puny and will not bear any fruit. In order to grow a peach tree yourself from a stone, you need a so-called pure variety. True to the core means that the properties of the mother plant are transferred to the seedling - not necessarily common in the plant world, as mutations tend to develop from seeds. These varieties are also called “wild peaches”.
Which types of peaches are natural?
Many peaches with white flesh as well as vineyard peaches are usually pitted. Especially with the varieties
- Red Ellenstädter (also “Kernechter vom Vorgebirge”)
- Naundorfer Kernechter
- and Proskauer Peach
Your efforts should be crowned with success.
The core must rest in winter
In order for a peach pit to become a stately peach tree, you need a lot of care and, above all, patience. In contrast to other plants, a peach stone cannot simply be placed in potting soil and within a few weeks the first leaf shoots will emerge - on the contrary. Before it can germinate, a peach - not just the core but also the tree - first needs winter rest. This means you can eat a delicious, pitted peach in the fall and then pack the pit (preferably several) in a box with moist sand. The box is best placed in a place where it is dark and cool - a basement would be ideal.
Planting out the seeds in spring
After the winter break called “stratification”, you can now plant out the seeds. Direct sowing in a slightly shady, moist and protected place is possible. The cores should be covered with soil about two centimeters. Alternatively, you can of course grow the seedlings in a pot with potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon). The soil should always be kept as moist as possible.
Cracking the nuclear envelope
By the way, the actual seed core is inside the stone. You can crack the coating and take out the almond-shaped kernel to improve germination.
Tips & Tricks
It's even easier if you have a compost bin. Then throw the peach stones into the compost and you will automatically be rewarded with shoots in the spring.
