What's up with my peach tree? - Ask Extension
Hi! I'm hoping this is the right place to ask this. I've never grown a fruit tree before, but I've grown veggies & flowers for years. I planted a ...
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What's up with my peach tree? #863408
Asked April 05, 2024, 8:10 AM EDT
Hi! I'm hoping this is the right place to ask this. I've never grown a fruit tree before, but I've grown veggies & flowers for years. I planted a redhaven peach about 3 years ago, and it was 2 years old at the time. We've never gotten a single piece of fruit off of it, which is fine, but it seems to be having some issues. For the past two years, I've noticed the ends of most of the branches have sort of turned brown and withered away (see pictures), and it has a couple lesions on the trunk. I tried googling these symptoms to no avail. Do you know what's going on with it, and how I can fix it? I garden organically, so a solution that adheres to organic principles would be preferred. All I've ever done is watered it and built up a big pile of hay/leaves around the base in the fall (leaving a few inches between the mulch and the trunk). Thanks for your help!
Stark County Ohio
Expert Response
Hi Deanna,
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you.
Unfortunately, peaches are susceptible to several diseases that can cause symptoms similar to those in your photos.
Determining which disease is present can often be difficult.
Three common diseases may be appearing in peach trees right now, causing twig dieback and lesions. Bacterial Canker, also known as bacterial twig blight or dieback, and/or Perennial Canker, also known as peach canker, are primary causes of lesions [cankers] on peach tree trunks and branches. They can also result in twig dieback. Somewhat less likely as the cause of your issues is Brown Rot, also known as blossom blight.
All of these become active in the spring when temperatures are warm during the day and cool at night and there's excess rain. All tend to attack trees that are stressed or injured in some way, whether by improper pruning, insect damage, winter damage, etc. I've included links to several articles describing these diseases, their causes, symptoms, and management options.
Given the similarity of observable symptoms for these diseases and the limits of working from photos alone, I would recommend seeking a more definitive diagnosis. Start by contacting your local OSU Extension office, https://stark.osu.edu/ to request an on site visit or a referral to a diagnostic expert.
They may also be able to help you submit a sample to the OSU Plant Pathology Lab, perhaps the only way to know for sure what's happening to your tree. https://ppdc.osu.edu/submit-sample/landscape/woody-ornamental-plants
Bacterial and Perennial [Peach] Canker:
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-fru-25
https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-fr-t-08.pdf
Brown Rot [Blossom Blight]:
https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-fr-t-27.pdf
I hope this information is useful and you are able to save your tree.
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you.
Unfortunately, peaches are susceptible to several diseases that can cause symptoms similar to those in your photos.
Determining which disease is present can often be difficult.
Three common diseases may be appearing in peach trees right now, causing twig dieback and lesions. Bacterial Canker, also known as bacterial twig blight or dieback, and/or Perennial Canker, also known as peach canker, are primary causes of lesions [cankers] on peach tree trunks and branches. They can also result in twig dieback. Somewhat less likely as the cause of your issues is Brown Rot, also known as blossom blight.
All of these become active in the spring when temperatures are warm during the day and cool at night and there's excess rain. All tend to attack trees that are stressed or injured in some way, whether by improper pruning, insect damage, winter damage, etc. I've included links to several articles describing these diseases, their causes, symptoms, and management options.
Given the similarity of observable symptoms for these diseases and the limits of working from photos alone, I would recommend seeking a more definitive diagnosis. Start by contacting your local OSU Extension office, https://stark.osu.edu/ to request an on site visit or a referral to a diagnostic expert.
They may also be able to help you submit a sample to the OSU Plant Pathology Lab, perhaps the only way to know for sure what's happening to your tree. https://ppdc.osu.edu/submit-sample/landscape/woody-ornamental-plants
Bacterial and Perennial [Peach] Canker:
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-fru-25
https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-fr-t-08.pdf
Brown Rot [Blossom Blight]:
https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-fr-t-27.pdf
I hope this information is useful and you are able to save your tree.
