Peach Tree Problems - Ask Extension
I have been tying to save this peach tree for 3 years and I just can't seem to get it right. It had gotten very overgrown and last year I cut it back...
Knowledgebase
Peach Tree Problems #672897
Asked August 04, 2020, 4:22 PM EDT
I have been tying to save this peach tree for 3 years and I just can't seem to get it right. It had gotten very overgrown and last year I cut it back...but I think I cut it back too much and put it in shock. Every summer I get TON of flowers and peaches but I can never harvest them because they shrivel up and die. Or something is eating them. Earlier this summer I noticed some sort of think substance coming out of the trunk. See images please.
This summer I had fewer flowers and peaches, because of the shock I think, and still, they shriveled up and died so again zero harvest. I noticed that the leaves are much more dense this year...there are big clusters of leaves that I haven't had before.
Can you help please? I REALLY want to save this tree!
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
It is virtually impossible to harvest peaches consistently unless you adopt a spray schedule for the various pests and diseases.
The disease that is making your peaches shrivel up and die is brown rot, which is ubiquitous in Maryland. Here is how you battle it: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/diseases-stone-fruit
Without a spray schedule, you'll only get peaches once in a very few years when weather conditions are perfect. If you dislike spraying, try just doing the three key fungicide sprays given on the webpage.
The globs of sap on the trunk may be peach tree borer, which is actually dangerous to the life of your tree. Here's help with that: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/stone-fruit-insects
The heavy leaf-out this year may be a combination of the pruning and the ample rains this spring. It is not of concern.
Ellen
The disease that is making your peaches shrivel up and die is brown rot, which is ubiquitous in Maryland. Here is how you battle it: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/diseases-stone-fruit
Without a spray schedule, you'll only get peaches once in a very few years when weather conditions are perfect. If you dislike spraying, try just doing the three key fungicide sprays given on the webpage.
The globs of sap on the trunk may be peach tree borer, which is actually dangerous to the life of your tree. Here's help with that: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/stone-fruit-insects
The heavy leaf-out this year may be a combination of the pruning and the ample rains this spring. It is not of concern.
Ellen
