Question:
My peach tree had Peach Leaf Curl. I’ve picked off all the curled leaves, and the new leaves seem to be okay. I’ve read about treating them with a copper-based fungicide. Is this effective, will I have to do it every year or is there a better solution? Also, is it true that the peaches infected from Peach Leaf Curl can’t be eaten?Answer:
- Peach Leaf Curl is a fungal disease that attacks only peach and nectarines trees. Curly leaves on apples, plums and or cherry trees, is a different problem.
- The Peach Leaf Curl fungus causes the meristematic cells of a leaf to pucker, curl and to be light green and yellow to shades of red and purple in color.
- The powdery white appearance is the result of the spores breaking through the leaf surface. Eventually, the leaves turn brown and fall off with the remaining spores over-wintering on the tree.
- A liquid copper fungicide is the recommended solution.
- It is applied annually in November after fifty percent of the leaves have fallen off with a follow-up application in February, when the buds begin to swell and show color.
- This is called the pink bud or popcorn stage.
- During the blooming cycle, Peach Leaf Curl is problematical with rainy conditions, as the spores wash into the opening buds infecting the emerging leaves. Ideally, you like it to be dry. With an extended rainy season into May, it isn’t uncommon for multiple sets of leaves to be infected.
- Peach Leaf Curl affects only the leaves and not the maturing fruit. So, the peaches are perfectly okay to be eaten. The fruit may develop brown blotches from the lack of leaves during an early season heat spell. Typically, the leaves protect the maturing fruit from sunburn.
- Peach Leaf Curl is one of those frustrating problem a backyard orchard faces.
- With all the proper applications, Mother Nature can still cause problems. So don’t throw in the towel. The flavor of homegrown peaches and nectarines are far better than what’s available at your favorite supermarket.
Question:
The yellow flowering clover called Oxalis is a problem with my lawn at this time of the year. My attempts at pulling/digging out the main roots seem only to have resulted in spreading more seeds. What should I use to get rid of it?Answer:
- Oxalis is a pesky weed to control in turf.
- Unfortunately, manually removing Oxalis proves to be tedious and unsuccessful as it reproduces itself from seeds as well as underground rhizomes.
- There are many broadleaf herbicides available to control Oxalis. I’ve found that Turflon Ester from Monterey Lawn and Garden does the best job in controlling the Oxalis.
- It’s a liquid that's applied with a tank sprayer. One application generally is sufficient control the actively growing Oxalis, but a repeat application is necessary to kill off the newly germinated seedlings.
- This is a war of attrition that you win.