Peach tree - Ask Extension
My peach tree has many leaves that are all curled and like they ate dying. There are baby peaches on.
Knowledgebase
Peach tree #867031
Asked May 04, 2024, 3:59 PM EDT
My peach tree has many leaves that are all curled and like they ate dying. There are baby peaches on.
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
There are two likely causes for the symptoms that you describe:
It could be peach leaf curl which is a fungal disease, or peach aphids which are small sucking insects.
Click on the highlighted text to learn more about each.
Aphids would be the better problem to have of the two as if you have a healthy biodiversity (more likely if you limit pesticide use) beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings, which show up a little later than the aphids, help to control populations. You can also wash some off with water from the hose.
It is a challenge to grow tree fruits well in Maryland due to the many insect pests and diseases that are common in our climate. A carefully timed and repeated chemical spray schedule is needed to grow what most people deem acceptable fruit. Most homeowners don't want to do that (and it's not great for the environment). However, I had a peach tree for many years that produced enough (blemished) fruit to make a delicious pie or two each year- cutting out the bad portions, and the rest was left to wildlife, which enjoyed it too.
You can learn more here:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-stone-fruits-home-garden/
Christine
It could be peach leaf curl which is a fungal disease, or peach aphids which are small sucking insects.
Click on the highlighted text to learn more about each.
Aphids would be the better problem to have of the two as if you have a healthy biodiversity (more likely if you limit pesticide use) beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings, which show up a little later than the aphids, help to control populations. You can also wash some off with water from the hose.
It is a challenge to grow tree fruits well in Maryland due to the many insect pests and diseases that are common in our climate. A carefully timed and repeated chemical spray schedule is needed to grow what most people deem acceptable fruit. Most homeowners don't want to do that (and it's not great for the environment). However, I had a peach tree for many years that produced enough (blemished) fruit to make a delicious pie or two each year- cutting out the bad portions, and the rest was left to wildlife, which enjoyed it too.
You can learn more here:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-stone-fruits-home-garden/
Christine
