Sanitation: Remove and destroy affected buds and blossoms during bloom. Remove and destroy maturing fruit when symptoms appear. In August or September, remove and destroy mummies and fallen fruit. Do not compost.
Fruit Thinning: See below—Fruit Thinning. Thinning fruit reduces spread of brown rot spores among fruits.
Pruning: Prune to allow good ventilation. Remove infected twigs, infected fruiting wood and infected branches. Do not compost.
Irrigation Methods: Use basin or drip irrigation to avoid wetting blossoms, foliage and fruit. (See our Peach and Nectarine Care Guide.)
Fertilize: Use Master Nursery® Fruit Tree and Vine Food twice a year, around Memorial Day and Labor Day. If you prefer organic fertilizers, use Gardner & Bloome® Citrus & Fruit Tree Fertilizer two to three weeks earlier. Supplement all organic fertilizers with iron sulfate if tree has chlorosis. Water all fertilizers in immediately after application.
Water: At planting, construct a soil berm at the drip line of the tree. As the tree matures, extend the berm to the span of the drip line. Flood weekly during the first year and then at two to four week intervals when the tree is mature. If a drip system is used, place hosing along the tree’s drip line with emitters on 12 to 16 inch centers. This system will also need to be adjusted as the drip line expands. Both flood and drip irrigation is preferable to sprinkler, since they reduce water splash, a common byway of fungal spores. If sprinklers must be used, adjust the heads so that they angle water low and away from the trunk. Keep in mind that a large, mature tree may consume up to 30 gallons of water per week in July and August and September. Start irrigating your tree(s) by mid-May or June.
Fruit Thinning: Thin fruit when it reaches one inch in diameter. Leave two inches between fruits. Thinning is especially important if the tree is infected by brown rot.
Other Comments: Watch for dieback of twigs and fruiting spurs and oozing, amber-colored gum on branches. These may be symptoms of (1) bacterial blast or (2) brown rot. Clear gum is usually not serious. Sudden limb death during summer heat could be (3) Eutypa dieback. Currently, no controls exist for Eutypa, but summer pruning allows wood to callus internally before rains begin, at which time disease spores are most prolific. |