Crown Gall

Question: I've attached 4 photos.  Purchased peach tree from Stark Bros in January.  It did fine all summer. Noticed a soft spongy deposit at the soil level. Sent attached photo to Stark Bros. They said it was crown gall and to contact local extension service.  Checked crown gall on line and it looks "devastating", like some kind of cancer.  I'm 81 yrs old and this is my first attempt at growing a tree in a pot.  Reason I tried this is because you can't get a decent peach in store and I don't even buy them anymore.  How can I save this tree. It's not just me, it's all the senior citizens at the Arbutus Sr center looking forward to these peaches.  The tree is such a good size I thought for sure I would have peaches next year.  I was going to transplant it into a larger pot next year. I even bought the pot.  What can I do to save this tree.  PS: I also noticed the leaves started to crinkle at the end of the summer (see photo). Is that from the crown mold? or just natural?

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied October 25, 2024, 3:12 PM EDT
response: The pictured symptoms do not look like Crown Gall to us. Instead, the oozing sap (called gummosis) and softened trunk base suggests either a borer (like Peachtree Borer), infection (like a fungal or bacterial canker), or general tree stress (at least, the gummosis by itself). Sometimes, borers and cankers in the trunk are fatal to a young tree.  Fruit trees as a group are high-maintenance plants, and peach trees and their stone fruit kin are vulnerable to an array of pest and disease issues. They generally benefit from routine sprays (even if organic) to suppress the insects, bacteria, and fungi that cause problems with tree health or loss of the crop any given year. You can explore our Growing Stone Fruits web page for more information about tree care and troubleshooting.  Young fruit trees will not produce a good harvest for their first few years. It's recommended that any fruit which may develop from pollinated blooms be prevented from maturing (by clipping or pinching off fruits while they are still quite small and immature) for the first 2-3 years after planting. This is because ripening fruit is a big resource drain on a young tree, and it would be better served using that energy to develop a more extensive root system and sturdier branching first. Fruit trees are usually grown in the ground, so in a container, root growth will be much more limited, which will greatly limit canopy size and thus reduce the size of the harvest when the tree is ready to fruit. We realize that you might not have the option of planting this tree in the ground, but if you do have that option, we suggest that it be transplanted soon so it can start to establish. If you need to keep the tree in a pot, make sure that the container has good drainage (nothing blocking the drain holes, as peaches do not tolerate soggy roots) and that it's sited in as much direct summer sun as possible. A minimum of 6-8 hours of sun is needed for good growth and flowering/fruiting.  There is no pesticide treatment that will cure any existing borer or canker issues. Both can be discouraged from being a future problem by minimizing tree stress (watering as needed during drought, periodic fertilization, and avoiding injury to the bark). If the gummosis is instead due to just environmental stress, then it should abate on its own. Trees do have ways of combatting borers and infections of the wood, but they don't always work, so time will tell if it pulls through.  The degree of leaf crinkling in the photos looks typical and minor, though excessive leaf puckering/distortion and reddening is caused by Peach Leaf Curl, a fungal infection that can be quite common in our region and which is not treatable once symptoms manifest earlier in the year. Preventative treatment for this disease involves at least one fungicide spray, applied in late autumn and potentially again in late winter, before buds swell and begin to break dormancy.  If the tree's canopy doesn't look adversely affected (like wilting when the soil is not dry, or branch tips dying back during the growing season), then the cause of the present gummosis probably didn't cause serious damage. Since the tree is about to drop leaves for winter, it will be hard to tell if any dieback is occurring, so you will probably just need to wait and see how it leafs-out next spring. (Don't rely on blooming as a sign of it being okay, as sometimes spring-blooming trees flower normally and then fail to survive.)  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied November 04, 2024, 1:00 AM EST
response: Thank you so much for your response.  I checked gummosis and it sounds as deadly as crown gall.  I need to do more reading on the subject and try a few things but wanted to thank you for giving me direction.  When I get more info under my belt, I may get back to you with other questions. Am so glad I found you guys.  Take care, Nadine  On Friday, October 25, 2024 at 03:12:23 PM EDT, Ask Extension wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied November 04, 2024, 9:13 AM EST
response: You're welcome. (Gummosis is just oozing sap, and it can have several potential causes, not all of which are fatal to a tree.)  Miri