Nectarine tree - Ask Extension
Hello,
My husband planted a nectarine tree last spring in our yard in Portland Oregon. It had flowered earlier this spring but this week looks a litt...
Knowledgebase
Nectarine tree #928652
Asked April 16, 2026, 10:27 PM EDT
Hello,
My husband planted a nectarine tree last spring in our yard in Portland Oregon. It had flowered earlier this spring but this week looks a little sickly and sad. We are worried that it’s diseased and wanted a specialist’s opinions based on some photos of the foliage. Many thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Antoinette and thanks for your pictures of your sad nectarine tree. Unfortunately, nectarines are susceptible to the same diseases as peaches in the Willamette Valley and must be sprayed regularly to avoid them. In this case, peach leaf curl is your culprit, a fungus which may kill the tree if not treated. Since your tree is so severely infected and young, it may not survive despite treatment, but you can try!
These chemicals, which are the only two available for home use, should have been sprayed in late October and again in early February, but you can try one now if the directions on the label allow it. The label is the law, so read very carefully!
-Bonide Copper Fungicide at 4.3 to 13 oz/3 to 9 gal water.
-Ortho MAX Garden Disease Control at 3.75 teaspoons/4 gal water
You can also let the infected leaves drop, rake them up and hope the tree will produce new foliage which will not be affected this year as our weather warms and dries. If you do this you will still need to spray this fall and next winter, as the tree is obviously susceptible to this disease.
Here is an article with further information. It also contains a list of varieties which are not as susceptible to the fungus.
https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/peach-prunus-persica-leaf-curl
Good luck,
These chemicals, which are the only two available for home use, should have been sprayed in late October and again in early February, but you can try one now if the directions on the label allow it. The label is the law, so read very carefully!
-Bonide Copper Fungicide at 4.3 to 13 oz/3 to 9 gal water.
-Ortho MAX Garden Disease Control at 3.75 teaspoons/4 gal water
You can also let the infected leaves drop, rake them up and hope the tree will produce new foliage which will not be affected this year as our weather warms and dries. If you do this you will still need to spray this fall and next winter, as the tree is obviously susceptible to this disease.
Here is an article with further information. It also contains a list of varieties which are not as susceptible to the fungus.
https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/peach-prunus-persica-leaf-curl
Good luck,
