Knowledgebase
Miniature Pik Zee peach with fungus? #752883
Asked May 29, 2021, 5:29 PM EDT
Jackson County Oregon
Expert Response
Purchased last fall and planted this spring? Where was the tree all that time? By delaying planting it, you did not spray the requisite late fall and early January treatments for coryneum blight (otherwise known as shot-hole fungus). Peaches and apricots and some other fruit trees suffer from this problem and that is why a routine protective spray in the dormant season is required. There isn't much you can do at this point other than try to keep the tree healthy (it may lose up to 50 per cent of its leaves) and by all means, read up and follow the instructions to be found in one of the following sources: extension.oregonstate.edu/publications has several downloads of pamphlets you can read or print: EC631 "Managing diseases and Insects in Home Orchards" and EC819,"Growing tree fruit and Nuts in the Home Orchard". You can also access information about coryneum blight and its treatment in the Pacific Northwest Handbook on Insects. Follow the instructions to download the exact pest. Find this at pnwhandbooks.org/insects. Please do not use sprays without reading the entire label and taking protective cautions. Also keep in mind that Jackson County has requirements for home orchardists to spray for codling moth and other diseases that could affect the pear industry.