Crop Rotation Group
Miscellaneous ●
Soil
Moisture-retentive but well-drained. Avoid planting in heavy soils.
Position
Nectarines need full sun to limit disease and produce high quality fruit.
Frost tolerant
Yes, but it is important to choose varieties known to grow well in your area to reduce risk of losing blooms to spring freezes.
Feeding
Top-dress generously with well-rotted organic matter in spring , along with a balanced organic fertiliser. Keep the area under nectarines mulched with wood chips or sawdust.
Companions
Corridors within the orchard that are planted with clovers and other legumes contribute to soil fertility and attract pollinators.
Spacing
Single Plants: 6.00m (19' 8") each way (minimum)
Rows: 6.00m (19' 8") with 6.00m (19' 8") row gap (minimum)
Sow and Plant
Prepare a large hole by breaking up the soil and adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter. A wide hole is better than a very deep one. Mulch after planting, and encircle the trunk with a wire cage or protective pipe to protect the young tree from animal and insect pests. Young nectarine trees are at high risk for damage from insects that bore into the main trunk.
Our Garden Planner can produce a personalised calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
Notes
Nectarines are self-fertile, but produce better when more than one tree is grown. Prune nectarines hard in winter. Healthy nectarine trees will bear for twenty years or more.
Harvesting
Pick when the colour has fully developed and the flesh feels soft near the stalk. The fruit should pull away easily from the tree.
Troubleshooting
Keep plant dry under cover to avoid peach leaf curl. In humid climates, nectarines often develop problems with fungal diseases such as brown rot. Preventive sprays with organic fungicides are often needed to grow good quality nectarines. In Australia fruit fly are a pest of nectarines, make sure to take appropriate control measures in areas where they are present. It is important to dispose of any infected fruit and fruit has fallen to the ground by placing them in a sealed plastic bag in the sun for at least 7 days to kill the eggs and larvae. Do not compost fruit as this will lead to the fruit fly completing their life cycle and lead to the problem recurring.
Planting and Harvesting Calendar
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Pests which Affect Nectarine (Large)
![Aphids on a pea plant]()
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![Snails leave a trail of slime behind them]()
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