You need to thin them to one peach every 5 - 8 inches, with 8 inches being best, and you need to do so urgently for these reasons:

(1) The branches are less likely to break -- yes fracture;

(2) The fruit will be larger and more delicious.

Conservative measures with what you describe will not do.

And peaches are not like melons. Do no wait until they fall off. Do not shake them off like ripe cherries in Door County. Pull them off when they are ripe and a bit squeezeable.

I thin peaches to 12 inches. Less and they don't taste as sweet.

Thank you! Up the ladder I go tomorrow! Nancy

Ya, I have to be pretty rough with my peach trees. I only keep maybe 10% of the peaches, if that from thinning. I also prune all the time, in fact I cut major branches off just after the harvest which was late July.

In my area you can't grow peaches without using pesticides, and preferably also putting bags around each fruit on the tree until it ripens. You may be luckier in your area.

Found a couple of teens that will climb into the tree to thin them! I hope it's not too late!

Thanks!