almost lost our peach trees this year.

[fooferdoggie]

these are a peach and nectarine dwarfs that cost me 60.00 each. I sprayed them with dormant spray but I guess it was too late and last year they got the disease. so last year I sprayed them three times but they had it far worse. I guess my mistake was not pruning the dead wood. I was going to wait to make sure what could recover could as a lot of it did. but I guess that caused the disease to go crazy and the first pics show how bad it was almost all the foliage lost. so we went and bought two new trees planning on throwing these away to only find new growth down low. so I pruned off almost all the old growth to start over. keeping my fingers crossed. the cherry tree close to the tree got it too or close to it. it may not have helped astray were blooming we had a couple of way below freezing mornings.

[Leafmite]

Peach trees need the pre-emergent spray but they also need to be sprayed twice a year for the borer moth (at least where I live), and, when the fruit begins to develop (after the blooms fall), every two weeks with Captan (fungicide) and a pesticide (we use Malathion). If you have a nearby orchard that grows apricots, nectarines, plums, or peaches, they can give you help with when it is best to spray for the borer moth in your area.
We nearly lost our tree to the borer moth but it has made a very good recovery. We did not realize that a second treatment for the borer moth was required.

Borer moth:
Peachtree Borer | Entomology

---------- Post added at 12:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 AM ----------

Good luck!

[Dollythehun]

Fireblight?

[fooferdoggie]

here it is just peach leaf curl because of all of the rain we have in winter. last year was the first year the nectarine made fruit about 1/2 the regular size. we thought they would not ripen as they stayed small but thats just the way they are.
here are the new ones that we may not need but hey more peaches

[Leafmite]

If this is just a fungus issue, then use Captan. We need to do this with our tree (every two weeks with the Malathion). That stops the leaf curl and prevents the fruit from going moldy.

If you have branches dying, you might have the peach tree borers. You can see if you do by breaking off a dead branch and peeling off the bark. No matter where you live in the US, the borer moth will eventually find your trees. The most effective pesticide for the borer moth, Lindane, has been banned so it is important to know the schedule in your area for when these moths are arriving to lay their eggs or emerging so you know when to spray for them. It is important not to give them the chance to get under the bark.

Dollythehun, we battled the fire blight on a pear tree for years and the leaves and fruit look as if they have been burned for they are black. Leaf curl, thankfully, is a much easier problem to solve.

[Dollythehun]

I don't remember studying peach curl as a Master Gardener. But, I do think it looks similar to fireblight. At least in these pictures. We cut our peach trees down long ago due to gummosis.

[fooferdoggie]

its mostly because our winters are so wet. peaches are not really grown here for the most part.

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I don't remember studying peach curl as a Master Gardener. But, I do think it looks similar to fireblight. At least in these pictures. We cut our peach trees down long ago due to gummosis.

I am not a Master Gardener and so I could be wrong but I was always told by Stark Brothers and local orchard growers that Fire Blight was a bacterial disease (Erwinia amylovora) and Leaf curl was a fungus issue (Taphrina deformans). It is possible that these websites are incorrect but they do explain what I have been told.

Understanding Fire Blight - Stark Bro's

Treat peach leaf curl now |


MSU Extension

---------- Post added at 02:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:33 PM ----------

Originally Posted by fooferdoggie

its mostly because our winters are so wet. peaches are not really grown here for the most part.

That is why you need to spray your trees with a fungicide. You might want to consult with a local orchard grower or call Stark Brothers to see what they recommend. We don't have as wet conditions but we still need to spray and we watch the weather to give the sprays a few days to work properly. You usually need to start spraying before you notice issues, too. We start with the Captan right after the last flower drops. They might have better fungicides, too, that will work better where you live.

[fooferdoggie]

my better nursery and web lookups say a dormant spray. I used that and a fungicide to make sure.

[Dollythehun]

Leafmite, that was only an observation. We spray with a copper mix and dormant oil at intervals starting in mid Feb. But, we still have problems because we let it slide a few years.