Now one problem with some peach and nectarine trees is that they can be affected (or infected) with leaf curl. However, some of these tree varieties can be resistant to leaf curl. Unfortunately, the Reliance peach tree that I have is not resistant! The first two years my peach tree got leaf curl in the Spring. Leaf curl grows best in the Spring when it is cool and damp. I bought the tree in 2012 and suffered through it in 2013 and 2014. I would get lovely pink blossoms in the Spring but then the leaves would be attacked. What happens is ugly – first the leaves turn red in some areas and then the spots pucker. Next the leaves curl and turn yellow and brown.  Also, it can affect the growth of the peaches.  Not only does it sound ugly, it is ugly! See the picture that I found on www.bing.com.  I take tons of pictures but I forgot to take a pic of the leaf curl so I had to borrow one – oops!
This year I mastered the peach leaf problem with the use of Neem Oil. This oil is pressed from fruit and seeds from a Neem tree so it is organic and effective. I bought a concentrate form of the Neem Oil and followed the directions to make a gallon of it and sprayed it on the leaves. I then sprayed the tree every 7 days for 3 weeks when it wasn’t raining which was a difficult task this year!
Since my peach tree is rather tall, I bought a lawn and garden sprayer (a foliar sprayer) for $19.99 to reach the top. Neem Oil is organic and safe for bugs that don’t chew on leaves. While it is said that it is safe for good bugs such as bees, butterflies and ladybugs, I would be careful to not spray it on them and to not spray the peach or nectarine blossoms.   Also, I typically spray it at night so I don’t burn the leaves.
