Peach tree diseases - Ask Extension
Hello, the peach tree in my backyard has some sort of disease. Can you please identify and give advice? Is they anything I can do to save it or should...
Knowledgebase
Peach tree diseases #878123
Asked July 21, 2024, 2:20 PM EDT
Hello, the peach tree in my backyard has some sort of disease. Can you please identify and give advice? Is they anything I can do to save it or should I replace it with a new plant?
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
There are a couple of things going on with your peach tree.
On the fruit itself, it looks like a disease called scab or bacterial spot. Scab doesn't tend to affect fruit quality for eating fresh, preserving or for making desserts. Just peel. (This is easiest done on ripe fruit by making a slice through the skin and dipping it in near boiling water for a moment).
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-fru-39
https://extension.psu.edu/peach-disease-scab
Bacterial spot can similar symptoms but is more problematic. Differences described here:https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/management_of_bacterial_spot_on_peaches_and_nectarines
What you are seeing on the trunk is what is called gummosis. Gummosis is the weeping of sap in response to either a physical injury to the bark, or possibly from a boring insect pest or canker disease.
Tree fruits like peaches, pears, apples, plums and cherries are difficult to grow in our area without close management which includes carefully timed and repeated applications of chemical sprays for the insect pests and diseases that regularly arise in our climate.
Most homeowners aren't willing or able to do these treatments, but that doesn't mean you might not be able to get some useful fruit, at least for a while. For many years I got blemished and maybe buggy apples and peaches--enough to make a couple of pies each year, after cutting out the questionable parts.
It's up to you whether you remove the tree or not.
It's much easier to grow small fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc. in our area.
Here is our fruit growing information:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/fruits-home-garden/
On the fruit itself, it looks like a disease called scab or bacterial spot. Scab doesn't tend to affect fruit quality for eating fresh, preserving or for making desserts. Just peel. (This is easiest done on ripe fruit by making a slice through the skin and dipping it in near boiling water for a moment).
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-fru-39
https://extension.psu.edu/peach-disease-scab
Bacterial spot can similar symptoms but is more problematic. Differences described here:https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/management_of_bacterial_spot_on_peaches_and_nectarines
What you are seeing on the trunk is what is called gummosis. Gummosis is the weeping of sap in response to either a physical injury to the bark, or possibly from a boring insect pest or canker disease.
Tree fruits like peaches, pears, apples, plums and cherries are difficult to grow in our area without close management which includes carefully timed and repeated applications of chemical sprays for the insect pests and diseases that regularly arise in our climate.
Most homeowners aren't willing or able to do these treatments, but that doesn't mean you might not be able to get some useful fruit, at least for a while. For many years I got blemished and maybe buggy apples and peaches--enough to make a couple of pies each year, after cutting out the questionable parts.
It's up to you whether you remove the tree or not.
It's much easier to grow small fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc. in our area.
Here is our fruit growing information:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/fruits-home-garden/
