Any idea what this is on my peach tree leaf? The bump is not solid - it's the hardened, expanded leaf pushed up into a mound that's concave on the back. About 1/2" x 3/4". Ick.
Probably peach leaf curl. If you are liable to become rankled every time a bug or blight appears, peaches and other stone fruits may not be good choices for you - these are the most problematic kinds for the home orchard.
Not rankled, just sad. Last year it was pear trellis rust on the pear. Now this. We're trying to grow fruit organically, but I planted before I researched resistant varieties, and fear that there are just very few varieties of either pomme or stone fruits that you can grow in Western Washington without chemicals. Ironically this is a Charlotte peach - I believe it's one of the stronger ones out here. Thanks.
Italian prune common here, apparently easy - although well-developed tree on Camano Island a bit light and sporadic with the crops in recent years. Canopy of this specimen is a dense mop, perhaps some more serious pruning could improve production by forcing it to generate additional amount of young wood. Have not taken anything out of it for some time. Basic Home Orchard Variety List: http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/best002/best002.htm
Fixed copper spray is effective against Peach Leaf Curl. I think that it is benign enough to be acceptable for organic gardeners, but this should be checked.
I did spray all my fruit trees with copper spray along the recommended lines (two weeks apart or some such?) earlier this year. It seems to have worked and there's only one leaf on the peach that has this bug. Thanks. Frith
Peach leaf curl is not a bug. And you have to spray at just the right stages in the opening of the winter-buds to prevent it. Does sound like this year your timing was right, if you only got that little bit of it. Unless there was some other condition you were trying to address there was no point in spraying the other trees with copper, for peach leaf curl - it affects only peach trees and (I think) their hybrids and close relations (almond trees).
According to the label, timing for copper spray on peach trees is in September, after the harvest and before the Fall rains begin.
I never use sprays on anything and we get lots of apples, and peaches here. I have fought with peach leaf curl regularly on both peach and nectarine trees. The key here is to make sure the leaves are not getting rained on. Planting the peach up against a sunny south wall with eaves overhead makes a big difference. I just went out mid May and did some extra pruning to cut out infected branches that had grown out and to continue my espallier pruning. Good luck.
