How to Diagnose What Killed Your Peach Tree

A reader asked: Last spring I planted a peach tree, and it promptly died. Someone told me that peach trees won't grow near pines. Is that true? My peach was planted about 25 feet from a pine.

Let's put this old myth to rest!

It's one of those gardening myths that just won't die—that fruit trees can't grow near pines. Walter Reeves, a well-known Georgia grower, puts it plainly: pines don't harm neighboring plants the way black walnut trees do. Black walnut roots release chemicals that attack nearby plants; pines do nothing of the sort. The whole fruit-tree-versus-pine-tree problem is a myth.

Sure, there's normal competition between an old, established tree and a newcomer planted too close and starved for sunlight. But 25 feet of distance should be plenty—unless that pine was towering overhead and casting heavy shade.

It's possible that years of fallen pine needles made the soil too acidic; peach trees like a pH around 6.0. A soil test for acidity and nutrients could crack the case. The pine may also have drawn down soil nutrients, and its deep roots likely stole water from the younger tree. Remember, a newly planted tree needs slow, deep watering on a regular basis through dry spells.

Of course, plenty of other things could have killed that peach tree. Dig it up and inspect the roots for rot and the trunk for borer damage. And don't plant another tree in the same spot until you've figured out what went wrong.