This my second year at current property and second season of getting hit by Japanese Beetles. Once they hit the trees, the tree suddenly get sick and starts to show various symptoms including defoliation.
Is there any nutrional supplement that you’d recommend to help the tree ? I have SeaCrop, Neptune Harvest (and other stuff).
I’ve tried a few sprays to keep them away, but they just return in an hour. Its just been a week and two of my 7 trees are just doing aweful. THe tree in the picture, was full of leaves and a great healthy green color. There was a bit of OFM damage, but not alot. Look at it now. About half the leaves fell off during a rain. One tree is worse. A few more are way better. But once they’ll basically be just healing the rest of the season and recovering.
Your tree does not look sick to me but it does look like it needs help. Please get rid of grass around the tree, at least 3-4 ft in diameter and mulch that area. Peach trees do not like to compete with grass. Your tree will thank you and be happier.
I do not see clear sign of Japanese beetle damage from the pic. If your area get a lot of rain, a peach tree can drop a lot of its healthy green leaves.
See how lush it i on the bottom ? the leaves were that thick all the way up. I’ve been picking Japanese Beetles off if it for the past 4-5 days. I’ll send more pictures…but perfectly healthy looking leaves suddenly got brown spots on them
ADDED PIX. Four days ago, these leaves were picture perfect. No spots, holes, etc. There are leaves that show the classic holes in them eaten by the JB’s…My point is that what ever they’ve done to the tree has weakened it so there several symptoms beyond the eaten leaves.
Yes…again, these were healthy trees with no signs of these diseases 4 days ago. Clearly the stress of the JB’s has caused these to pop up. My thinking (some permaculture training) is that if I can boost them up nutritionally, then they can better fight these diseases that were not presenting. The theory is that healthy trees are more disease resistant.
A healthy tree is a tree that does not have to fight for nutrient.
Fungal and bacteria diseases are all around waiting for the right condition to show up. Some peach varieties are more resistant and others are more susceptible.
What did you spray for the JB? I use Sevin which has good result.
Be honest, your tree does not have full leaves. There are middle section that missing leaves. It looks like your tree keeping drop leaves over sometime. You can see yellow leaves on the ground and on the tree. I think your tree has been struggling before JB arrived.
I’ve been using Bonide fruit tree spray and Neem. I can give Sevin a shot…didn’t think about it. Leaves on the ground JUST fell due to a rain storm. Other leaves barely hanging on… This tree was a picture of health 5 days ago. Yes, really. The only thing I saw 5 days ago was some OFM on the shoots. No yellow leaves, they were green, no spots, tree full of leaves — the whole area that you circled was full of leaves 5 days ago – like the bottom of the tree. Once the infestation is over, I’ll hit them with some nitrogen. I did do a grub treatment on the surrounding acre. I’ll need to use somehting else next year and expand the area.
That’s the problem. I used that product in last couple of years on peach, every time leaves got damaged. Search this forum and there are several threads on this issue.
Also neem is known for burning leaves. You unfortunately had two bad things mixed together.
I have never used Bonide fruit tree spray on my peach trees. Not sure if the JB is a listed insect on its label.
It is already in mid July. It’s late to give tree N. I usually stop giving around late June to early July. But I am in zone 5. Your zone is different so hope someone in your zone can chimes in.
