Peach leaf curl
Spring leaves on peaches and nectarines pucker, thicken and turn red, then drop.
What you'll see
- New leaves come out thick, puckered and curled, and red, pink or yellow instead of green.
- Affected leaves turn powdery gray with spores, then fall; a second set of normal leaves grows in.
- Worst after cool, wet springs; year after year it weakens the tree and cuts the crop.
Why it happens
A fungus lives as spores on twigs and buds through summer and winter. Rain splashes them onto opening buds in cool, wet spring weather.
How to fix it
- Once leaves have curled, spraying won't help; the tree grows new leaves when the weather warms.
- Pick off curled leaves before they turn powdery, where you can reach them.
- Next winter, spray a copper fungicide labeled for leaf curl after leaf fall, and again before buds swell; follow the label and keep kids and pets away.
Keep it from coming back
- Plant resistant peach varieties where you can.
- For trees trained on a wall, keep rain off with a plastic shelter from leaf fall until late spring.
- Use copper sparingly, because it builds up in the soil.
Sources
General guidance, not a diagnosis. For valuable, edible or outdoor crops, check with a local extension service or plant expert. Use any product exactly as its label says, and keep children and pets away while it dries.