Time to spray peach trees Q. My miniature peach tree produces a few peaches every year, but I have noticed a reddish curl on the leaves the past two years. A. Reddish curl sounds like leaf curl, which occurs on new spring growth, says Judy McClure, coordinator of the UC master gardener program. Leaf curl is a fungus disease common on peach and nectarine trees. Identified by the reddish areas on newly developed foliage, the leaves will become thick and puckered and often severely distorted. A second set of leaves that develops normally will replace these leaves.
Damage is done because the leaf loss can decrease tree growth and fruit production.
Bare branches are also susceptible to sunburn. To prevent leaf curl, McClure recommends treating your tree with a copper-based fungicide in November after the leaves have dropped. For effective control, verify the copper-containing compounds have at least 50 percent copper. In areas of high spring rainfall, a second application is advised, preferably before buds begin to swell. Let us hear from you.