My 4yo haven variety tree has had a couple small clumps of yellow leaves (one clump at a time) over the last couple weeks. In general the tree looks fine. The yellow clumps are a minority Of the tree but they go from yellow to dead. The tree is in a lawn and im in denver. Ive let the lawn suffer to give the tree more of the schedule it wants for water. The last week has been super hot with a hot dry wind. Any ideas?
I’m going to guess some kind of digging went on under the tree recently and there is some root damage. Does it even work that way? I don’t know. But I do suspect some kind of mechanical damage keeping those leaves from getting as much water as the rest of the tree.
Im going to go opposite and say it could be a borer in the stem of that tree or a bacterial or fungal issue if you were to cut the wood i would think if its bacterial you would see the infection inside? I found a borer that took advantage of some hail damage and did similar damage to my tree last year, i was going to post a photo of it but killed it and whacked off the branch (in case of bacterial or fungal disease) as i do renewal pruning on my peaches anyways.
My lawns always brown where there is no clover and perrenial rye, however the buffalo grass is the usual victor when i let it go wild.
Should i lop that branch off?
If it were me i would cut the branch out probably, At least a foot down from that damage if not more. It depends on if you need it for structure but it does not seem like you do and peaches are so vigorous.
Peach trees almost never “grow out of” underlying disease or structural issues. I would also cut off that branch and get to the root of the problem so to speak.
That actually makes more sense to me than root damage. I’ve never had to deal with borers and the thought never crossed even my mind.
Here are shots that show better. It looks like other branches are headed that way.
If a borer, how do i diagnose and treat? If infection, same question how to diagnose and treat?
Further info- on the impacted tree there is one smaller than my pinky nail amber saP glob (doesnt look oozing) with no sawdust in it. It is on an emtirely different main branch. The other two trees show no signs of an issue
I think if you were to follow the goo you might find a borer, I got one with the tip of a knife he did not make it that far in maybe less than a inch, and maybe it entered through damage from last years hail like mine?
I would just lop that branch off and as long as you do not have discolored wood at the cut call it good. Maybe water a bit more right now for the cut since its 100 freakin degrees. I did a spinosad followed by a nematode treatment in the fall after my first borers showed up a few years ago and that was the first one i have seen since although probably not the first to land on my trees, check the trunks and make sure you are all good down there also and like mark was saying make sure you don’t have something going on with the roots in any areas.