Fruits and Nuts: Should this peach limb be removed?, 1 by NV

NV wrote:
I have a vigorous Belle of Georgia peach tree with a great shape, but last summer one of the branches began to crack under the weight of the fruit. By supporting it with a lumber prop, I was able to carry the fruit on that limb to maturity.

As you can see in the pictures (from each side of the limb), the area where it began to fail could remain weaker or offer a point of entry to possible pests. I considered removing the limb just below the crack, but other than the pictured scars, the limb looked healthy all the way to dormancy so I kept putting it off.

The tree is 15 feet tall and wide. The limb is about 3 inches in diameter where it is cracked and the crack is about 10 inches long. It oozes a bit of sap when the weather turns warm or after heavy rain, but otherwise things look okay and the tree seems fully healthy.

I have several other scaffold branches on this tree, so losing this limb wouldn\'t be a major setback -- I\'ll still get plenty of fruit. On the other hand, I love a big harvest and if there\'s little risk leaving it intact (with support as needed), I\'m very happy to leave it alone (or treat it in some way if preferable).

Have any of you had experience with such an injury? If you left it intact, did it cause any problems down the road?

Thanks very much for reading!