what made my peach leaves all wrinkly?

[mr darcy]

for two years my little peach trees have curled up leaves esch spring which then wither, can't see any insects, how can i treat this (can i do something in winter before the leaves) and what is causing it???? ps won't use chemicals...

[Alison]

It's peach leaf curl and happens when the tree gets wet over winter. You can spray or, if it's a little tree you can also give it shelter from the winter rains. Mine is in a large pot and I put it in an unheated greenhouse until it starts flowering in the spring and never have any problems. If your tree is in the ground then it can help to rig up a shelter but not something I've ever done.

[janeyo]

Mine got it despite being in the g/h over winter, but still got a crop off it. Young tree in a large pot.
Bordeau mix is what to spray with. Don't think there are any alternatives but stand to be corrected.
Alison - does yours bend over at the top? Mine does in the g/h and I wonder if it will either rot the tops with the condensation or grow funny?

[Brengirl]

I have a peach tree (SW UK) lasr year I overwintered it the unheated gh. This year, however, it is too big to move. It is trained to our kitchen wall and I have fleeced it. The recent winds have endeavoured to undo my work but so far it is snug and warm. I just have to protect it until the flower sets but havn't a clue how to do that. "How does it get fertilised?)

[Jeanied]

Peaches under protection will need a paintbrush to brush the pollen from one flower to another - accompanied by an encouraging buzzing noise (no, only joking) for pollination which imitates the action of bees. (Or, Brengirl - a rabbit's tail on a stick).

[bazzaboy]

accompanied by an encouraging buzzing noise

LOL...

Mr D, the horti-company Harrods produce a purpose-made protector (which theoretically still allows insects access so you don't have to buzzzzz quite so much). Works out quite pricey (and evidently not now available until the New Year) but an illustration might help you work out your own Heath Robinsonish variation, see

http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/p...bs/GDN-440.jpg
(Sorry that image so small, if you go to their main site you can get bigger versions and some texts about peach curl...)

I've successfully protected mine using bubble wrap pinned to trellis but I had to regularly repair it which was a pain.... So last Winter I didn't bother and hey presto! all the leaves got peach curl duh!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bb

[mr darcy]

thankyou, seeing as it's peeing down here again it looks like another wet winter!! I'll have to have a think how to protect them successfully as they are in ground and it gets right windy up 'ere!!!

[Brengirl]

It's a good job you told me you were only joking Jeanied. I would have looked a bit silly the bee bit lol

I had a look at the Harrods cover Bazza. It gave me the idea of looking for a large fire guard. If I can find one (second hand) it might work on all fronts. By lifting the lid you could leave it open during the day. and give it a once over with a shaving brush.

I also spray my tree with fungicide spring and fall.

[Alison]

Alison - does yours bend over at the top? Mine does in the g/h and I wonder if it will either rot the tops with the condensation or grow funny?

No, it's only a small tree and very upright. Do you mean that yours is too tall for the greenhouse and being pushed over?

Never sprayed at all and the only time I had a problem was the year I left it outside.

[FruityFamily]

Hello,

Sorry to jump in on this post, but I am also interested in Peach Leaf Curl. I have just planted an Avalon Pride which is supposed to be Leaf Curl resistant. Does anyone have any experience of this? I'm just not sure whether it is completely resistant, or if I should also give it a helping hand with either spraying/protecting it from the wet & windy weather.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[sarraceniac]

Get some Bordeaux mixture, a copper based fungicide also good on grape and other fruit fungi. You can get it at good GCs or on eBay (where I got mine). It wants spraying once when the first symptoms appear after removing all infected leaves and then in January when everything is dormant. Do not spray if there are fruit on, copper is not very human or animal friendly. If you are organic then you must remove infected leaves and do all the protection stuff but without chemicals it is a pig.