Indian Blood Cling Peach Tree

Indian Blood Cling Peach Tree is a historic heirloom variety known for its unusual dark crimson skin, deep red flesh, and distinctive old-fashioned flavor. The large, round peaches have firm clingstone flesh with a rich, pleasantly tart flavor when fully ripe.

The fruit is especially prized for canning, pickling, preserves, pies, peach butter, sauces, and other homemade recipes. Fully ripened peaches may also be enjoyed fresh.

Indian Blood Cling is a late-season, heavy-producing peach when grown in a climate that provides enough winter chilling. It requires approximately 750–800 chill hours, making it better suited to colder regions than to most of North Florida.

PLANT DETAILS

• Botanical name: Prunus persica ‘Indian Blood’
• Also known as: Indian Cling, Indian Red Cling, Indian Blood Peach, Blood Peach and Claret Clingstone
• Peach type: Historic heirloom clingstone peach
• Fruit size: Large
• Fruit shape: Round
• Fruit color: Dark crimson to deep red
• Flesh color: Deep red
• Flavor: Rich, distinctive and pleasantly tart when fully ripe
• Texture: Firm
• Pit type: Clingstone
• Harvest season: Late peach season, generally near the Elberta harvest period
• Mature size: Approximately 12–15 feet tall and wide with regular pruning
• Sun requirements: Full sun with at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight
• Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil
• Chill requirement: Approximately 750–800 chill hours
• Pollination: Generally listed as self-fruitful; another peach nearby may improve fruit set
• Best uses: Canning, pickling, preserves, pies, baking, peach butter and fresh eating
• USDA zones: Commonly listed for Zones 5–9

Indian Blood is documented as a high-yielding, red-fleshed clingstone peach requiring approximately 750 chill hours. Dave Wilson Nursery lists it at approximately 800 chill hours and describes it as a heavy-cropping, late-season canning peach.

POLLINATION

Indian Blood Cling is generally listed as self-fruitful, meaning a single tree may produce peaches without a second variety.

However, planting another peach tree with a similar bloom period may improve pollination and fruit production. Bees and other pollinating insects are still needed to move pollen among the flowers.

Fruit production will depend heavily on whether the tree receives its required winter chilling.

NORTH FLORIDA GROWING NOTE

Indian Blood Cling is not considered a dependable peach for DeFuniak Springs, North Florida, the Florida Panhandle, South Alabama, or most nearby Gulf Coast locations.

This variety requires approximately 750–800 chill hours. UF/IFAS currently recommends that Florida homeowners choose peach varieties closer to approximately 300 chill hours because recent winters have often failed to provide enough cold for even 400- to 500-hour varieties.

When a peach tree does not receive enough winter chilling, it may experience:

• Delayed or uneven leaf growth
• Weak or scattered flowering
• Poor fruit set
• Uneven fruit development
• Little or no harvest

Indian Blood Cling should be considered a high-chill specialty or trial variety in our area rather than a reliable North Florida peach.

Customers wanting more dependable peach production should select Florida- or Gulf-series varieties with chill requirements suited to their location.

FRUIT THINNING

Indian Blood Cling may produce heavy crops when its chilling requirement is met.

Once the young peaches are approximately the size of a nickel and the danger of a late freeze has passed, thin the fruit so the remaining peaches are spaced approximately 6–8 inches apart.

Thinning helps:

• Produce larger peaches
• Improve fruit flavor and quality
• Reduce stress on the branches
• Lower the risk of broken limbs
• Improve sunlight and air movement around the fruit

HARVESTING

Indian Blood Cling is a late-season peach. Harvest timing varies according to winter chill, spring bloom, summer temperatures, and location.

Pick the peaches when they have developed their deep crimson color, give slightly under gentle pressure, and separate from the branch without excessive pulling.

Because this variety naturally has firm flesh, ripe fruit may remain firmer than many modern melting-flesh peaches. Its firm texture makes it especially useful for canning, pickling, baking, and preserving.

PLANTING AND CARE

Plant Indian Blood Cling Peach Tree in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil and good air circulation.

Train the tree to an open-center or vase shape so sunlight and air can reach the interior branches. Remove crowded, crossing, damaged, or inward-growing limbs and maintain the tree at a manageable height for thinning, spraying, and harvesting.

Peach trees planted in Florida should be grafted onto a rootstock suited to Florida soils and root-knot nematode pressure.

LOCAL PICKUP, LIMITED SHIPPING AND WHOLESALE

Most trees and plants are available for local pickup at our nursery in DeFuniak Springs, Florida.

Limited shipping may be available for select smaller plants or trees. Please contact us before ordering if shipping is needed. Shipping charges are calculated separately.

Wholesale availability may be offered to landscapers, farms, garden centers, and other qualified buyers. Availability and minimum quantities may vary.

Advanced Nursery Growers
1911 McLeod Road
DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435
Phone: (850) 391-2228
Email: info@advancednurserygrowers.com