Coping with Peach Leaf Curl

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

You learn about things on the internet, on TV, in the media: Global warming, the possibility of global war, food shortages, extinctions of living things -- and of lifestyles...

A lesser calamity has hit me and four peach trees directly this spring. In 2019 I had purchased the foursome from a nursery located about 30 kilometers from my home in Oregon. I was already raising apples, pears, cherries, and plums. So I decided to give growing peaches a try.

I was cautioned by the lady who sold the four trees to me that it would be necessary for me to spray the trees in November, January, and February -- to protect them from a disease known as peach leaf curl...

In 2019, 2020, 2021, and in January and February of this year I dutifully made sure all "old leaves" were removed from the trees and that the areas around the trees' bases also had no fallen leaves lying about. This was supposed to reduce the likelihood that the trees would contract the disease...

In 2020 the trees showed no signs of the disease. Since they were still young, they produced no fruit that year. In 2021 the trees also enjoyed good health -- and rewarded me with two varieties of the most delicious peaches I have ever tasted.

This year has not worked out so well. Due to an overly long wet spring, with the rains persisting throughout May and into the middle part of June -- and with temperatures actually lower than usual despite the undeniable warming of the Earth, the four trees are suffering from a serious case of leaf curl -- with 95% of the leaves on them no longer capable of providing the four plants with the food produced through photosynthesis.

Belatedly, I am attempting to protect the peach trees using arbors, trellises, and plastic sheeting -- but it may be to little and too late to save them. I was told by the lady from the nursery where I purchased them that -- if the weather dries out and temperatures warm up – the trees will put forth second sets of leaves. However, there will definitely be no peaches on the four Reltonia peach trees this year!

Indeed, if the trees fail to. put forth the second set of leaves, then they will die!

God help us all!

Steve Walker

Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

This is what peach leaf curl does to peach tree leaves It ravages them.

I’ve been using trellises to help hold plastic sheets over my four peach trees — to protect them from this spring’s excessive rains.

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.