Excessive vegetative growth in peach orchards shades the lower portions of trees and decreases fruit bud development, makes expensive summer pruning necessary, and causes crowding between trees in close plantings. The problem is greatest in early-maturing peach cultivars. In trees harvested in May to July, top growth continues until the end of summer; the competitive effect of fruit, which decreases the summer vegetative growth of later maturing cultivars, is reduced after harvest.