A PVFS Customer Question with Staff Response

Question:
How do you deal with peach leaf curl. I guess it’s a problem here. Some people use a copper spray. That’s not organic is it? What do I need to do to prevent this or to help the peach survive this.  Thanks, Susan

Answer:
Most people use either a copper or sulfur spray during the dormant season. Ideally, you would spray three times while the leaves are off the tree, with the third spray being just as a little bud color is beginning to show. The sprays we sell are used by organic home-gardeners. If you have our 2010 Main catalog, the lavender section on page 130 explains the use of mineral fungicides quite well. If you are a certified organic grower, you must check with your certifying agency to see if the products are approved.

I have had some success at treating peach leaf curl with compost tea during the growing season. Some people pick all the infected leaves off and fertilize to help the tree make a new set of leaves, which are usually disease free. If you decide to replace the tree, Frost & Q-18 are two curl-resistant varieties.

Hope this helps,

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