Narcoleptic Peach Tree

Question

I have one peach tree that is still in bud while all my others have bloomed, set fruit, and leafed out. I have scratched the bark and it is green underneath and cut a few small branches from different limbs and they are all green. I have checked for borer worms at its base and found no signs.

We have had plenty of rain, temperatures have been good, and I even mixed up a little plant food in water and poured it over the base of the tree, but it will not wake up. Anything else I can try?

Answer 1

There are a few things that can be happening. I think the most likely is that the tree is sitting in a microclimate in your yard. This can be caused by hills, buildings, dips in the ground and even other plantings. Microclimates can cause an area in a yard to be up to a full zone higher or lower than other areas of the yard and may be as small as just a few feet. The tree may be thinking that it is just not time yet, due to a microclimate. If you have not seen this tree doing this before, think about any new changes around that tree, such as new structures, that may have slightly adjusted winds or sunlight on that area, which affect the localized zone.