Any chance of pictures?

The only thing I could take pictures of are leaves on the ground, and branches starting to look very thin without leaves. Olpea help please. Mrs. G

Peaches often have a leaf drop about now, as long as they are showing vigorous new growth don't worry about it.

Whew, after all of my reading, I guess I missed that chapter. Thanks H-man. This has just never happened before and it is worrying to see healthy large leaves on the ground! thanks again.

"Peaches often have a leaf drop about now, as long as they are showing vigorous new growth don't worry about it."
Really? I have had at least a few peach trees for about 20 years now and have never seen any significant leaves drop until the fall. I am by no means an expert though. I wonder what % of the leaves are dropping, and do your trees still show signs of vigorous growth as harvestman suggested. The leaves are not yellowed or otherwise discolored? Keep us posted, hope to hear that this is not serious.

Well, I often see peaches drop a percentage of first leaves shortly after first growth surge. Used to think it was Captan burn. Now I don't know.

I never worry much about any foliage problems that aren't threatening a majority of the leaves when the tree seems to be going full speed ahead.

I will keep you posted. I did use Captan in my mixture this past weekend. Its about to rain yet again, So I cannot do a thing in the orchard today.

I do not have soggy soil. My orchard is on a very gradual slant with excellent drainage. A lot of rain, fog and humidity here by the sea. This particular tree 'Elberta' had horrible PLC last year but after my spraying with copper last fall and this spring it is gone. Also gone were all the flowers I had the previous year. Only two to four peaches seem to be holding on. Oh dear. Mrs. G

Mrs G, Out of curiosity, what else besides Captan was your mixture?

Immunox, triazicide and a sticker spreader.

Captan and a sticker spreader- we just covered that on another thread- some phytotoxic issues with the combination. I think commercial growers don't worry about it because they are selling fruit, not leaves and the damage is relatively minor. Even Captan alone is somewhat caustic to leaves in springs without much sun, causing the leaves to be very tender. Doesn't stop growers from using Captan.

I did not want to hijack this thread but I really need clarification on how to make up the mixes, Mrs G. Please see my new post on Spray Mixes. Thanks.

Terri

Mrs. G.,
A couple of years ago, it rained where I lived 10 straight days. The soil was saturated. My peaches started dropping green leaves. Scared the heck out of me. I posted the concern, a couple people confirmed that it happened because of too much water/saturated soil.

Once the weather and soil started getting drier, the problem went away. Luckily, there was no standing water to kill them.

We had a lot of rain recently. It may have rained more where you live. I think it could be your peach trees telling you they had enough (of rain/water). They should recover well.

Mine did not drop leaves this year. It did not rained as many days in a row like that year.

Thanks Mamuang! I remember that stretch of rain. And I can hear the thunder in the background now, We have had two and half days of sun, but we have had our share of rain this year. All of my other trees are quite fine, especially my five plum trees, they are growing like crazy this spring again! As are my apples. I also hand picked tons of leaves off of one peach tree last summer due to plc. By the fall the tree was once again covered in fresh strong leaves. I'll just watch the trees. Its also happening to my 'Belle of Georgia'. ugh

Mrs. G,

Just read this thread. Looks like Hman and Mamuang answered your question.

The only time my peach trees drop leaves (before fall) is when it's too dry (obviously not your problem).

Captan can burn leaves, but I don't see it on my peach trees. Something is stressing your trees to cause them to drop leaves. My guess is your trees have had too much rain.

Thanks Olpea, I'll just hang in there and give them some fertilizer in the am. Are you ok in Kansas with all the nasty weather that has been going on close to you? Weather has become such an important issue. Mrs. G

Mrs. G,

The weather has been tough on us. The prolonged cold this spring wiped out about 80% of the peaches. Trees that should have 400 fruit maybe have 100. Young trees that should have 75 fruit have 1 or 2.

The effect was variable in the Midwest. Newsletters report in some places there was so little fruit set on peaches, growers are abandoning the blocks. In other places there was good peach set. I'm still trying to figure out why my trees got hit so hard, since the min. temps never approached critical levels. I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't pseudomonas causing bacterial ice nucleation. Kocide is labeled for it. I wish now I would have used it.

Rainfall has been heavy here. Any peach trees around here that aren't on a natural high spot or in raised plantings will be severely weakened or die. I even have some new apples at the farm that weren't planted in terraces (generally apples don't need it) that may die. Very different from last year.

Olpea, I had to look up pseudomonas and I'm glad I did. Will you use Kocide 3000? I can find it only in 25lb. bags, which is way too much for 23 trees. I wonder what its shelf life is.

As to blocks of trees having crops and yours being slim is mind-boggling. Do you send leaves for culture to a lab? Or bark? I am so sorry about your peaches. It is devastating. I was wondering how the winds and rain were interacting with your orchards. Mrs. G

Olpea,

So sorry to hear about such hardship at your orchard and in your area. I should stop complaining about rain and a few breezes we got in New England. It's so minor when compare to what you and others in the Midwest have had to deal with.

Mrs. G. somehow a few years back, I got Kocide 3000 via the Internet in a two lbs container. It must have been repackaged because there is minimal info on the label. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I got it from.

Back to the original question, I also had a lot of leaves drop on my peaches this year. Interestingly, I did not spray a few new trees without fruit and they did not drop any leaves. So I think it was some phytotoxicity. For me I think it was fungonil, I never use it but decided to try it this year as an experiment but I was a bit late, fruits were dime-sized.

Scott

My mircro climate is amazing. I'm in the middle of all this rain, and it has not rained in over a week. Again the dry trend that hits here continues. My peach trees are too young to have fruit. But they are growing well.

Scott,

In May, it rained almost every other day. I could not sprayed until 5/27. I sprayed the mix of Triazicide, Immunox and sticker. It was late. PF-1 peach got hit hard by OFM.

In June, we got 90+ for 3 days last week. I sprayed only triazicide and sticker on peaches on 6/3.

So far, no green leaves have dropped yet. I'd like to find out, too, what factors can cause peach trees to drop green leaves besides too much rain.

If it rains every other day, spray the day it doesn't, if fruit are being molested. Killing the insects in the trees may be the main battle.

I protect many orchards whether spring is very wet or very dry and it is rare that I get any significant pest damage in any of them- and it takes me about 6 full (and I mean full) days to spray them all.

Unfortunately, since petal fall, if it did not rain, it's quite windy (up to 18 mph). I don't know about you but it's too windy to me. I do wear a protective gear that makes me look like Darth Vader's body double.

Now, it's good to know that most spray does not require a 24 hour period of dry weather.

" For me I think it was fungonil, I never use it but decided to try it this year as an experiment but I was a bit late, fruits were dime-sized. "

Scott,

I've sprayed chlorothalonil (Echo) at shuck-split for several years (this year included) and never seen any negative affects on the foliage.

That said, once I used a homeowner bottle of chlorothalonil (don't remember the brand name) on my tomatoes. Every time I used it, it burned the foliage. I kept reducing the rate till I was at 1/4 of the labeled rate and it would still wilt the leaves some. I finally tried some Echo (90% active ingredient) at the labeled rate, had no problems and have used it on tomatoes ever since. So it could be the formulation that caused your phytotox, even though in theory it shouldn't make a difference.

Mrs.G & Mamuang,

I have the Kocide 3000 in the two pound bags. I got it several years ago and have only used it a little for leaf curl. I get most of my pesticides from Midwest Grower Supply and they currently offer Kocide 3000 in 10 lb. bags.

I just ordered a four pound bag of Kocide 3000. I do remember about three years ago, Glenn from RI suggested I use it. Why didn't I? Olpea you're on! Lets see how this will work. I found it on the internet from a farm supply company.

As I write tonight, we have the tail end of a southern front coming through. It is pouring as it did yesterday, all day today and tomorrow. This is supposed to slow on sunday and start again on Monday. By tuesday it will definitely be time to spray again.

The only trees enjoying this rain are my key lime and meyer lemons.

Scott I too have used Fungonil and it has never done a thing to a leaf or fruit. No burn whatsoever. Guess I was lucky. It just kills me to see my trees in stress mode. I hope my Shui Mi Tao is all right through this miserable weather. The Shui Mi Tao and the 'Early Crawford' are the only two peach trees that still have some leaves because they were planted this spring and have been growing vigorously. Horrible feeling. . . when there is nothing you can do but wait. Mrs. G Thanks for listening!