peach trees

Question

I purchased a tree and on the trip home all of the leaves turned brown. Watered and fertilized leaves did not come back. Trying to decide if it should be trashed or not, but have found leaves growing just above the soil on the trunk. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Answer 1

Your tree should not have died on the way home, unless you drove through a deep freeze or car wash, or some such thing. Or you left it sitting in the vehicle after you got home for several days so that it dried out. However it happened, the dead leaves are gone. If the branches are still bendy and green, it might make new leaves. If they are crispy and snap when you bend them, they’re all dead. The green leaves around the bottom are leaves from the root stock. Fruit trees are typically grafted, that is a tasty fruit variety of plant is grafted onto a root stock of a tougher but less tasty variety of the same specie. Growth from the root stock is pruned off so the tasty fruit gets all the energy — unless the tasty tree is dead. If you know you didn’t do anything to kill the tree, you might try returning it to the store. For future information, here are some article about planting and growing peaches: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/peach-tree-care.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/fertilizing-peach-trees.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/peach-tree-thinning.htm