The grubs I have seen in the past in my peaches were leg less. ( good info on pest id olpea, thanks) . They did cause some fruit drop but usually only in fruit that appeared to have multiple entry wounds on them. The peaches that remained on the tree had none or one when I would cut them up. I can see where a bad infestation could cause all the fruit to drop.
Thank you for that insight, Olpea. It seems the only ones I had heard about were the curculios, which Iām almost completely losing the battle against this year on both my Asian plums. Other than the combination of natureās pressures of late freeze and early arrival of brown rot and other fungal attacks here, Iām chalking the loss up to having spent too many years expecting nature to find its own balance and thus avoiding sprays other than dormant oil. The lesson that Iāve taken from that at this point is that nature really doesnāt consider the fact that Iād like at least some edible fruit from my trees. No predators are coming to keep the egg inserting pests in check. The problem just gets worse as the years go by.
Since plum curculio (PC) have been the ones Iāve read about, and the entry wounds on the plums match the pics Ive seen of curculio damage, thatās what Iāve assumed has been the attacker. I have peaches on one tree that have that drop of sap at entry wounds, too. I havenāt examined the shape of those wounds, though. Plus, some of the plums (not a lot in comparison to other damage) have what looks like little nibbles taken from the skin into a tiny portion of the developing fruit. Earwigs, caterpillars, some other type of insect? I donāt know.
I sprayed copper twice over the winter to help combat the fungi that attack, and from Alanās spray schedule thread started spraying with Triazicide on a schedule, and then added the Immunox once I found it. However, Iām very cautious about protecting pollinators. So, I donāt spray until the trees have completed petal fall and all grass has been cut to eliminate flowering weeds in the area. The combination of a heavy local infestation and weather conditions not proper for spray application until about a week after petal fall meant that a good percentage of plums became larval incubators.
All this is just a description of how my own many years of resistance to use any form of unnatural protection appears to me to have created an environment where it will take considerable time to turn things around so that I have a chance to once again enjoy the fruits I waited so long for the trees to mature enough to carry. For me, ānaturalā was increasingly unsuccessful, and it appears that getting things in check is not a one season cure.
Muddymess,
It sure sounds like you have a lot of pest pressure on your fruits. I was surprised your spray wasnāt working for Curc. In my area, I donāt have to start spraying stone fruits until they are out of the shuck. Thatās when PC really like to start egg laying.
At one time we had a discussion about Triazicide on the GW forum. It wasnāt working for a few people (although for most it seemed to be working). One possibility discussed was that the Triazicide could have been old and lost itās potency. Since there is no expiration date on the bottle, itās possible big box stores could sometimes sell old stock.
Iām a little unsure how your spraying. You mention,
I assume you meant you donāt spray until the trees have completed petal fall? If so, you may need to tighten up your spray interval a bit closer than every 2 weeks and/or increase the number of sprays. Iām assuming you are doing two or perhaps three sprays with Alanās stone fruit spray schedule?
Thanks, Olpea. I corrected my typo. There should have been a ādonātā in there. I have a tendency to leave out the words ānotā and ānoā when I type, and wind up saying the opposite of what I mean to. 
Yes, the southeast does have relatively intense insect. weed, and fungal pressures. It goes along with our fall through spring rainfall, high humidity, ground that doesnāt freeze and reduce them, flowering vegetation throughout the year, and hot, humid, frequently drought summers that weaken even older established trees. But mainly, I take the blame for these problems because it took me far too many years to realize that Nature is a recycler and not something that cares whether I get a usable crop of anything. Iāve been providing opportunity and fodder for a whole range of problems. Everything from lack of pruning because I thought trees would seek their naturally best shape, down to refusal to use pesticides/fungicides/bacteriacides simply created a an environment that was increasingly conducive to problem bugs and fungi than to getting edible fruit.
The Triazicide was fresh off the shelf. But as you say, that doesnāt necessarily mean itās fresh. However, the plums blossomed slightly later than usual and we had plenty of days up to the 80ās before that. Also, many (not all) of the tiny fruitlets already had the telltale quarter moon entry point when petal fall was complete. The 2 plums are next to each other and one completes bloom slightly later than the other. I waited for both to be done. The blooms were late, but the bugs were early and heavy on full sized standard trees.
Iāve been spraying every two weeks on the dot. with the pump sprayer that I lug around. Drenching them from bottom to as high as I can get. The very tops are not covered as thoroughly on the plums. Between the insects, late freeze, and very early fungal pressures, I may wind up with enough plums to count on my fingers. Iām continuing to spray those trees, even though I donāt expect produce - just in case they are still harboring nasties.
I started the Immunox late because it took me awhile to find it. Like I said, I did two copper sprays over winter, and trusted that would help with fungal control. Last week we had a week of days that were rainy, overcast, windy, and cooled down from the 80ās and low 90ās. I also walk and observe everything every day. The first day it was clear, I sprayed. It was very deflating to see that brown rot had, seemingly overnight, appeared on peaches, plums, and every one of my just ripe strawberries (the first ones of the year). This is very, very, early for that to show up for me.
I sprayed and removed every fruit that I could find that appeared infected, and continue to remove them. Then followed up with Captan a couple of days later. The Captan on the strawberries halted the outbreak. I hope the combo does as well on the peaches.
Simply as an aside, brown rot was not the only fungal infection that slammed vegetation last week. Powdery mildew on the base of almost every rosebud, and rust on all sorts of ornamental vegetation and weeds. Iāve been ripping out the rusty leaves/plants, but havenāt had the opportunity to spray the ornamentals this week. It was windy yesterday and rainy todayā¦
So, thatās it. Plums and cherries are a wash for this year. Most peaches still have a fighting chance, largely thanks to following yours and Alanās advice from other threads. Blueberries are as carefree easy as ever. Knock on wood, they always do well. Strawberries have shown me that they will need constant vigilance.
Thanks, Olpea. Any success I get with my fruit I owe to you, Alan, Scott, Fruitnut, and others who have freely shared their knowledge, experience, and expertise. My failures are due to me not looking at things realistically for too long.
1 Like
Iām spraying each type with the maximum dose and allowable sprays as per labels because I have concerns about under-treating and thus contributing to resistance in what Iām attempting to eliminate. Though, not being in a closed environment, they can always be expected to return.
Wow Muddymess,
That sounds like some incredible pest pressure. We get lots of rain here, but at least we get some cold winters to thin pests out (sometimes too cold).
My only thought would be to try some permethrin for your stone fruits. I generally donāt recommend it because it really canāt be used on apples (the label says it canāt be used after petal fall on apples, which nullifies any real use in apples) but can be used throughout the season on stone fruits and is effective. Itās a common inexpensive insecticide. Iām not aware of any shelf-life issues with it.
The only other thing I could offer would be to tighten up your spray schedule early in the season when PC is very active. For commercial growers, itās not uncommon to spray once a week for the first couple sprays because of rain (The Midwest Fruit Tree spray guide -for commercial growers- pretty much recommends it.) For the most part all insecticide residue is gone after 1" of rain (although a sticker will help) unless you are using something powerful like Imidan, or a systemic like a neonic). For contact insecticides like Triazicide and permethrin which are highly susc. to wash off, once the residue is gone the fruit is susceptible to egg laying.
I apologize for giving advice without you asking for it, but as anyone else who is passionate about growing fruit, I can empathize with your crop loss (and your journey) and want to help. I know you will be able to grow stone fruits, especially peaches, since SC is second only to CA in peach production. I have to think there are just a few things to tweak to start getting loads of fruit from your orchard.
I completely agree with your comments about Nature btw.
Olpea, no need to apologize to me for giving advice. You can advise me any day. Iāve been around long enough to be able to consider the source, and know that you speak from experience and a much broader knowledge base on the subject that I will ever obtain.
I read the permethrin page, and will wind up trying some with the intention of using it on surrounding landscape bushes as well. It lists mosquitoes and Palmetto bugs (which are really just giant flying roaches). If it aids in mosquito control, all the better. They are also out in force early this year. The apple trees are well removed from the stone fruits and only one young one is carrying fruit.
The insect and fungi pressures are, indeed, great here. However, I havenāt had deer or bear problems, and the rabbits seem to have many things they prefer over my fruit trees, and get to enjoy the many tree frogs, skinks, and Carolina chameleons that feed on them. And so far, the stink bugs are staying North.
Yes, peaches are important to the state. I think the only reason that California produces more is because itās a much larger state. The commercial peach orchards are productive in our Upstate (piedmont) where it is cooler and in the sandy soiled areas. Iām right between the two in the area with the hottest summer temperatures, but in a summer rain shadow, and have brick red clay as the natural soil. About a mile away, the soil is sand based. There are negatives to my location, but a positive is that I can try to grow a broader range of plants than in most places - and have at least limited success.
Georgia claims itself to be the peach state, but SC is the the REAL peach state. 
On to the actual topic of the thread. Curculios hit my peach trees slightly. They greatly prefer the earlier blooming, smooth skinned plums and hit those very hard. Maybe growing a sacrificial plum and destroying all young fruit after they laid their eggs would preserve the peaches from infestation. That would be impractical in a small yard, but might be doable with enough space.