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Sometimes the months just seem to fly by, and before you know it spring approaches...and all of a sudden there are leaf buds starting to swell on our deciduous peach, nectarine and plum trees. Lurking around those buds are spores of the disease Leaf Curl, which causes distorted and discoloured foliage, along with reduced tree health and poor fruit yield. Leaf curl is a disease that needs to be prevented: late winter (right now) is your last chance to act, before it's too late to stop the leaves being permanently damaged.
To prevent leaf curl developing on stonefruit trees like nectarines, peaches and plums, Yates Liquid Copper or Yates Copper Oxychloride can be sprayed over the trees between when the buds start to swell, and one week before the buds open. Timing is critical! This is your final window to prevent leaf curl disease, so keep an eye on your buds and get the sprayer out.
Both products are broad spectrum fungicides that also prevent the disease ‘shot hole’ from infecting stonefruit, so you’ll be multi-tasking your fruit tree protection in a single spray.
To help refresh your stonefruit trees and get them ready for spring, cut back any dead or damaged stems or branches and remove any stems or suckers growing from below the graft union (the bumpy bit at the base of the trunk).
Many dwarf varieties don’t require any pruning beyond this. Older or larger varieties will benefit from removing some of the branches that are growing in towards the centre of the tree. This opens up the canopy, creating a 'vase' shape and allowing more light and air into the middle of the tree. This helps to reduce disease and improve fruit yield.
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