Peach Leaf Curl

[moonjooce]

I was bought a miniature nectarine last year and I got 3 lovely fruit on it. This year it has peach leaf curl. I keep it in a pot. Does anyone know whether it is salvageable this year? Do I need to strip the infected leaves and flowers? I was hoping to get more fruit but not sure whether I'll have to write this year off. What is the best way to prevent it happening again?

[Nicos]

We spray with Bordeaux mixture before the flowers appear. Then several applications during the year ( not letting it get on the fruit)

Take off the worst affected leaves , spray and you'll find the new ones come through healthy. ( then spray again as you feel appropriate ...ie when you remember , preferably before signs of it happening again)

The best way to prevent it is to keep rainwater from falling on it.

[moonjooce]

ok thanks. Daft question - how would you suggest a good way to keep rainwater off it? it's such a pretty tree (normally) so it would be nice to look at it without it being covered up. Also, does watering it with water from a water but matter providing it doesn't get on the leaves?

[Nicos]

Ah now....this I don't know to be honest.

I get leaf curl every year cos I always forget to keep one step ahead. I just know what I'm supposed to do!
To be honest- my tree has flowered , the frost got the flowers cos we were in the UK and we've not yet sprayed it...pathetic or what???? ( and yes- it's just started showing signs in the past few days.)
And yes- mine is planted outside and watered with waterbut water.

See...you're none the wiser!

Just hope you are a better mommy than I am

[starloc]

In the UK i get leaf curl unless kept out of the rain in winter

Its strange i asked people in Bulgaria and they dont seem to have a problem with leaf curl at all, one of the old houses i have has peach trees, loads of peaches, no leaf curl last year
( but.... the neighbours may have sprayed them....i dont know they said they had been taking the fruit for years as the house is empty)

When i keep mine in the house in the winter they are fine, summer rain is ok! , i tend to forget to bring
them in now they are bigger so they get leaf curl

You need to spray every year before leaves come off and as they start to grow, i tend to spray a few more times as well

If they get leaf curl i just take infected leaves off and spray with dithane or captan , bordeaux mix didnt seem to work on its own

[moonjooce]

I've just found that Bayer do 'Bayer Fruit & Vegetable Disease Control' as a dithane replacement (which it says you can't get anymore) and it says it treats peach leaf curl so have ordered some and will give it a try. So if I bring it in over Winter it should be ok? That would explain why it was ok last year - I was bought it in January 2011 and kept it inside until around May and had no problems.

What I plan to do is take off all the leaves with curl, then spray it with this Bayer disease control and cross my fingers - how does that sound to people?