edenhana

Nectarine

Genetically a peach with a single recessive gene removed, nectarine shares peach's growing needs almost exactly, including the same vulnerability to peach leaf curl and the same two-spray copper programme at bud swell and leaf fall. The main practical difference is skin: nectarine's smooth skin offers less protection than peach's fuzz, which is part of why it tends to bruise more easily and shows brown rot damage a little sooner in wet weather. Otherwise, treat it as a peach in every respect, from pollination (mostly self-fertile) through to pruning.

Sun
full sun
Water
moderate
Spacing
400cm
Harvest
Ready in about 3-4 years
Difficulty
intermediate
Grows in
Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
Expected yield
15-30kg per mature tree per season
Cost to grow
~$25 NZD
Grocery value
~$140 NZD
Mature height
4m
Flowering season
Aug, Sep
Evergreen
No, deciduous
Common diseases
Peach leaf curl, Brown rot
Common pests
Aphids, Leafroller caterpillars, Fruit fly (in affected biosecurity zones)

When to plant by region

In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: June-August. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: June-July.

Growing stages

  1. Planting & establishmentBare-root, winter (June-August)

    • Plant bare-root while dormant in winter, in full sun with good air movement, exactly as for peach
    • Apply the first copper spray at bud swell to prevent peach leaf curl, which affects nectarine just as readily as peach
    • Water regularly while young roots establish

  2. Early growthFirst 1-2 years

    • Apply the second copper spray at leaf fall in autumn to complete the peach leaf curl prevention programme
    • Prune to an open, vase-like shape to let light into the centre of the tree
    • First proper crop is usually 3-4 years away

  3. Flowering & fruiting

    • Bees are the main pollinator, and most nectarine varieties are self-fertile so a single tree crops on its own; avoid spraying open flowers
    • Nectarine's smooth skin bruises and shows brown rot a little sooner than peach's fuzzy skin, especially in wet weather; remove and destroy affected fruit promptly
    • Thin fruit clusters to one fruit every 10-15cm along the branch for noticeably larger fruit

  4. MaturityOngoing annual harvest

    • Established trees yield 15-30kg of fruit per season
    • Continue the annual copper spray programme every year; peach leaf curl returns without it
    • Pick when fruit gives slightly to gentle pressure near the stem, the same test used for peach

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