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fireduck

Peach Tree Brown Rot....

fireduck
10 years ago

My peaches (4 varieties) were not great this year because of the dreaded brown rot. Most of the fruit appeared OK if they were harvested firm/hard. Not so good on the dead ripe....The fruit had brown areas radiating out from the pit area. I did a bad thing and did not rake the pits/mummies from last year. Do I spray now....or wait for dormancy??? thankyou

Comments (16)

  • alan haigh
    10 years ago

    I've never had brown rot starting from the inside out so I'm not sure what advice to offer as I didn't even think BR operated this way. Are you sure this is the fungus you are dealing with? I'm only experienced with BR control in the northeast where, in my experience, BR starts with lesions on the skin and works into the fruit from their.

    I doubt spraying now would be very useful- just don't leave any rotting fruit on the tree. It can pass from the fruit into the little wood and make control all the more difficult.

    The only essential spray I run with is an application a month before fruit ripens with an SI type fungicide such as Monterey Fungus Fighter. If scab is an issue, maybe some clorathalinil a couple of weeks before that in addition (if the label allows it). The SI I use is Indar which apparently is more affective against scab than MFF.

  • rayrose
    10 years ago

    It's too late to spray, but you need to be diligent about getting rid of the mummies as soon as they appear, and get rid of tall grass where the fungus can hybernate.

  • Anne337
    10 years ago

    This is the second year in a row that I have lost my entire peach and plum crop to brown rot. So frustrating. I faithfully destroyed all fruit last year, pruned trees during dormancy and sprayed but still all fruit affected. Must I destroy my 5 peach and 4 plum trees or can I ever get this nasty fungus under control?

  • alan haigh
    10 years ago

    Anne, you get no rewards for effort if spray timing is not right. When did you spray? With what? In order to give advice we need to know precisely what you've done so far. Also the region you are located.

    I hope Fireduck got the advice needed because this is a bit of a hijack. Maybe you should make another post and include the above info.

  • Anne337
    10 years ago

    To harvestman. I sprayed with captan for the fungus and sevin for insects. I started spraying with pink buds, and sprayed monthly until harvest. I live in Northeast Georgia and we've had lots of rain this; however, last year we were very dry and I had the same problem then. I've ordered Monterey Fungi fighter for my late Elberta tree that has not shown signs of BR as yet. But the Monterey is a systemic treatment and I'm wondering if there will be time enough for it to work in saving these peaches.

  • alan haigh
    10 years ago

    Captan is affective for about 7 days if you don't get heavy rain. It has to be active on the fruit the whole time and has no curative ability if brown rot gets a foothold. Spraying it once every thirty days isn't likely to be useful. You probably need to spray it every two weeks and after every heavy rain but I can't speak from experience as I've never relied on it for BR control.

    Monterey Fungus Fighter resists rain, has some curative ability and generally requires fewer sprays than Captan. Here, I use a similar substance and need only make one or two applications starting around a month before a variety ripens.

  • Anne337
    10 years ago

    harvestman, what fungus control do you use? What is your location? I am wondering if I can use your same material and your same pattern of application. I appreciate your help; I so want to get this nasty stuff eradicated, if possible.

  • fireduck
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    A little bit of a dis-jointed thread....but that happens sometimes. haha. I am not sure my brown/mushy peach insides (radiating from around the pit) is brown rot. It sure has affected most of my trees. I know my mummy/pit cleanup last year was not great.

  • alan haigh
    10 years ago

    Fireduck, I have never had what ails you and until you know what exactly it is you probably won't be able to find a solution. Perhaps you could take a sample peach to your county cooperative extension. You could also try to post a photo here.

    Anne, the fungicide I use is Indar and I think I pay about $230 for a jug of it capable of making probably a couple thousand gallons of fungicide spray. if you want my spray schedule adapted to materials available to non-commercial growers I can e-mail it to you, but it 's based on conditions in SE NY. It would probably be helpful, however.

    One of the insecticides I use is called Asana, which is also manufactured and packaged for commercial sprayers but Spectracide's Triazide is a similar compound and widely available in homeowner type quantities.

  • alan haigh
    10 years ago

    It occurs to me that fruit rots from the seed from moth damage but there should be a worm in the mess in my experience.

  • Anne337
    10 years ago

    Harvestman...I was very hopeful when you told me about indar. I thought you had given me the answer to my peach/plum brown rot problem. However, when I searched the web for the product I found it cost $450.00 a gallon, with no smalled quantities available. Hopes dashed. As a 76 year old retired lady on a fixed income, a husband afflicted with dementia and the costs associated with that, I can't swing the indar price. I do thank you for the information you have provided. I will try the spectracide.

  • eboone_gw
    10 years ago

    Anne337 - Indar is not available to homeowners, only for commercial applications
    There is an economical substitiute in the same class of antifungal agents called Monterey Fungus Fighter - I can't find it locally but it is available easily online, not that expensive either. It is supposed to work like the Indar.

  • alan haigh
    10 years ago

    Anne, if you'd read all my messages you would have seen I recommended Monterey Fungus Fighter early in this thread. I also offered to e-mail you a spray schedule that might be helpful which includes MFF as one of the recommended materials. If you go to my page you can e-mail me through GW but you need to give me your e-mail address as there form doesn't allow file attachments.

    Anyway, eboone has answered your question as well.

  • Anne337
    10 years ago

    Thanks to all of you for the help (harvestman and eboone). I have, indeed, ordered and received the Monterey Fungus Fighter and I am looking forward to getting rid of this nasty brown rot.

  • akimanitou
    6 years ago

    What if you live in an area which gets torrential rains during the spring? We get up to 12 inches a week some weeks in March/April and spraying can be damn near impossible during a week long storm. I am afraid we will lose our crop yet again this year. Any help would be deeply appreciated on BR. Thank you each.

  • rphcfb14
    6 years ago

    Do you have anyone growing peaches in your area? If not, that could be why. Monterey Fungi Fighter is still the go to fungicide. Not as effective as Indar.

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