Peach tree in front of my house - Ask Extension
Hi there, I am sending you 3 pictures of the peach tree in front of my house that I planted 7 years ago. It has been very productive and some years ...
Knowledgebase
Peach tree in front of my house #642560
Asked May 28, 2020, 3:54 PM EDT
Hi there, I am sending you 3 pictures of the peach tree in front of my house that I planted 7 years ago. It has been very productive and some years branches have broken off. This year it has a lot of branches that are dead or that did not leaf out. Some of them are lined with dead leaves (as can be seen in one of the 3 pictures). The tree also has a sprinkling of peaches this year. My friends who are more knowledgeable than me looked at the tree and did not see anything obviously wrong with it and thought it might be due to a late frost. They refered me to CSU. Can you help me? Or direct me to who I can talk to for help? Thank you so much. I would hate to lose this tree. It means a lot to me. Neil
Denver County Colorado
Expert Response
So sorry to hear of the damage to your tree. There have been two recent severe cold weather events in Denver, one last October and one in early April that likely damaged the tree. Its condition is probably not due to insects or disease.
The dropping leaves may be the tree trying to push out a new set of leaves after the first set of buds was damaged.
So, what do you do if it had cold damage? With some patience and good basic care, your tree can survive. Trees cannot heal the same way humans can. After injury and damage, trees can seal off the injury and continue to live long lives, but the damage will not be reversed. Give it time. Many trees are getting a slow start this year due to cold weather damage.
Have a professional tree service with a certified arborist on their staff remove the dead and damaged branches.
When a tree is under stress from injury, we don’t want to force it to grow with fertilizer and cause more stress. Avoid further fertilizing during the growing season and fertilize only if necessary in the fall.
Trees that have experienced injury need extra attention to their normal care and maintenance, such as proper watering. As trees push out new growth to compensate for the damage, water is essential. Adequate water promotes leaf development and larger leaves produce more energy reserves for the tree.
See https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/657.pdf
657-1 . CMG GardenNotes #657 . Watering Mature Shade Trees . Outline: Why trees need water, page 1 Tree establishment, page 2 . Obey All Ordinances, page 2
