Crystals on peach tree fruit - Ask Extension
Our home orchard has some fruit with small amounts of dried sap &/ or clear crystals 'growing' on them. What is this & is this fruit safe to ...
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Crystals on peach tree fruit #345913
Asked July 23, 2016, 5:46 PM EDT
Our home orchard has some fruit with small amounts of dried sap &/ or clear crystals 'growing' on them. What is this & is this fruit safe to eat or unaffected fruit on the same tree edible? How do we treat?
Crawford County Pennsylvania
Expert Response
Sap crystals on your fruit could mean that sap is leaking out of your tree above the affected fruit. I would scout the tree carefully for any signs of holes that would account for the sap.
Sapsuckers will drill holes in trees to get at the sap. So will peach borers.
I recommend you try to locate a source for the sap crystals somewhere above the affected fruit. If you find any suspicious holes, dig a bit with a pocket knife to see if you can extract an insect. It is also possible for a tree to leak sap from a wound caused by an animal or an impact of some sort. The fruit should be fine to eat as long as it doesn't show signs of disease.
Sapsuckers will drill holes in trees to get at the sap. So will peach borers.
I recommend you try to locate a source for the sap crystals somewhere above the affected fruit. If you find any suspicious holes, dig a bit with a pocket knife to see if you can extract an insect. It is also possible for a tree to leak sap from a wound caused by an animal or an impact of some sort. The fruit should be fine to eat as long as it doesn't show signs of disease.
