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steve_in_los_osos

plum/peach leaf woes--ID?

My poor plums look like they just want to die :-( They are peppered with little red dots and the leaves are pale and drooping, especially the Santa Rosa. I did dormant spraying last Winter and everything came out looking good but they have declined seriously, the plums moreso than the peaches. New growth after summer pruning came out normal but (especially on the plums and pluots) is gradually getting the same red spots. Some pictures:

plums & pluots:

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peaches:

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(and, by the way, what eats those round cutouts from the peach leaves?!)

I should mention that I live in a marine climate and it has been very humid and somewhat warmer than typical this year. Also, there is a purple-leaf ornamental plum on the property behind me, near the fence line, that has declined over the past few years and is mostly defoliated by this time of year.

Fungus, bacteria, bad karma?? I tried a probably-too-late spray of copper on the plums/pluots and sulfur on the peaches just to see if I could affect the new growth. The new peach growth looks better than the new plum growth, but just a little.

Of course there is water stress this year also, but that's likely to be an ongoing issue now. Can I save these trees?

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