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greenthumbnotme

Young nectarines oozing clear sticky liquid

greenthumbNOTme
10 years ago

For the second year in a row, it looks like the nectarine crop is gone. The young fruit is oozing a clear sticky liquid. This fruit tree thing is a lot harder than it looks. Is this the dreaded plum curculio or something different. What can I do next season to prevent this? Thanks for helping a novice.

Comments (17)

  • Krazy-in-Florida
    10 years ago

    Bummer, I know the feeling. I loose every Satsuma from my trees every year. You posted in the right place. Lots of knowledge here, I just don't have it. Good luck.

  • ltilton
    10 years ago

    It looks like the dreaded plum curculio, tho your photo is a bit too blurry to tell for sure.

    For next year, you should do an insecticide spray right at shuck split and repeat the spray as long as the PCs are active. There are plenty of spray scheduling guides around to guide you.

    Spectracide "Once and Done" Triazicide is a good agent for this purpose.

  • Scott F Smith
    10 years ago

    OOzing usually is oriental fruit moth, the curc entrance is sealed and the OFM keeps the entrance open.

    Get 'em good next year.

    Scott

  • ltilton
    10 years ago

    Scott - would OFM be in the fruit already this year?

  • Scott F Smith
    10 years ago

    I'm starting to see OFM in my orchard now. They are usually in the tips first but if there is a huge population they can be in the fruit as well.

    Green thumb, it is worthwhile to figure out if you have OFM or curculio, OFM needs treatment all summer and curculio is spring only. Cut open fruits and get a live worm out. If it crawls in a direction with its legs its OFM; if it just writhes about (legless) its a curc. There are other ways to tell them apart but I find that is the easiest.

    Scott

  • ltilton
    10 years ago

    A magnifying glass helps, to look for legs on the larvae.

  • treehugger2012
    10 years ago

    IHATE THAT SEEN. I HATE THAT SEEN. I SAW IT SO MANY TIMES ON MY AAPLES AND PEACH AND PEAR. JUST THINKING ABOUT IT GIVES THAT LOUSY FEELING. IT MAKES ME PUKE. THISYEAR I AM FOLLOWING ANOTHER APPROACH, PREVENTING THR EGGS FROM HATCHING BY SPRAYING HOTRICULTURE OIL AND SURROUND. I NEED A PRAYER.
    ABE

  • philly_kid
    10 years ago

    I have that kind of sticky, sap-like stuff, on my 2 year-old apricot trunk. There is no fruit. Do you still think it's OFM?

  • olpea
    10 years ago

    Philly,

    Stone fruit, peaches and apricots in particular, ooze goo at the slightest injury. In the case above, the fruit is clearly being attacked by an internal feeding grub, since it produces a total crop loss according to the OP.

    In the case of goo oozing from the trunk it could be any damage - borer, lawnmower, canker. Sometimes stone fruit trees ooze simply because of a heavy rain.

  • justjohn
    10 years ago

    I found a worm in a peach this morning. It is white with black head and 2 pairs of what looks like tiny legs just behind the head. The remaining body has no more legs..looks like a grub. My peaches were pitted on outside as if wounded and grown over. I want to believe it's pc since ofm and coddling moth have color on both ends. This one is only colored black at the head. At least that's what I've found on some images on Yahoo.

  • ltilton
    10 years ago

    Curculio larvae have no legs.

    Both PCs and OFM have brown heads and no color on the other end. The difference is in the legs, or absence thereof.

  • justjohn
    10 years ago

    Thanks ltilton. This one definatly has some legs and the head could be a really dark brown. There are legs at the front a small space and more legs toward the end.. Probably worse than pc, they have to be controlled all summer I think.

  • alan haigh
    10 years ago

    I've been thinning fruit at many sites last couple of weeks and here in southeastern NY only two insecticide sprays starting at petal fall (of latest apples) and finished 10-14 days later has consistently protected all fruit well for another year. This includes a bountiful and nearly spotless E and J plum crop at many sites and a few nectarine trees as well. Lots of pears, apples, apricots and peaches, of course. All waited for late apples for first spray.

    Many of the sites were protected with Asana, a pyrethroid that is similar to Spetracide's Triazide. There was a tremendous amount of rain between sprays so there were reasons why it shouldn't have worked so well at so many sites- but there you have it.

    I mention this realizing that not everyone will have the same success with so little spray, but if you are Z6 or colder there's at least a good chance 2 sprays is all you need.

    Of course, there's still time for stink bugs to become a menace at a site or 3. But this doesn't seem like the season for too much of that- not to hot and spring came about the normal time. So far it seems they become a problem in warm seasons.

  • justjohn
    10 years ago

    Harvestman, you are blessed. Bugs swarm my head everytime I walk outside. Gotta love the southern humidity, too.

  • hayestree
    8 years ago

    I know this is old but I signed up just to comment. Research EM (LABs) which would be Lactobacillus bacteria that provides bacteriocides along with mulch mixed with bokashi (inoculated wheat with EM or LABs). Using the liquid during leaf and bud set along with the understory of mulch mixed with bokashi process a wonderful organic and absolutely harmless to friends and family approach. Shame on you all for promoting companies like Spectracide and products like Pyrethrin that are neither organic or safe at all. Those of you that do use them, how many of you or your children have experienced cysts on reproductive organs? These things might make your fruit look good but so did the apple to Snow White.

  • mes111
    8 years ago

    NO CYSTS HERE

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    No cysts here either. Sounds like a fairy tale.

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