Maybe they added too much top soil around the tree and it is suffocating the surface roots?
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Did they add topsoil?
Yes they did. They covered the log with topsoil.
Then that could be a problem, especially if the topsoil they added is finer that what is beneath it. Capillary pull is broken when finer soil tops coarser. It tends to remain excessively wet- but I don’t really think they added enough to smother most of the trees root system. It would probably have to go beyond the branch spread.
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Susu, I used copper octanoate on my nectarines for the past two years and it does cause some phytotoxicity and discoloration similar to what you see on your leaves. I think it does not cause as severe injury as other copper forms, and that’s why the label says it can be used on leaves.
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Just my input. As mentioned previously, the mucky soil and the damage to the trunk look bad to me.
I won’t tolerate mucky wet on peaches unless it’s continual rain, then I want them high so they can be up and out of it.
It’s not only my own trees I see this. I see these trees of others which flounder, unless excellent drainage.
Not to say all peach trees fail without excellent drainage, but more time than not (by far) that’s a common denominator.
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I’m willing to uproot this and plant it in a raised bed. No other location except here but i can make a raised bed. I don’t know if the tree can survive a shock like that.
Also I should mention that soil isn’t always like you see in the picture. We’ve had two days in a row with rain. I think 4 more to follow.
Susu,
Maybe, I am a mean one!! I think it is not worth it to try to uproot a 8 years old tree ( I assume you will do it next year. It is too late to do it this year, I think). Peach grows very fast. If It were my tree, I let it be and plant another one on a raised bed.
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It’s not just that the soil is wet it looks poorly drained. That gray color is indicative of poorly drained soil. A well drained soil usually has bright colors indicative of oxidized iron. Gray soils are usually poorly drained.
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I’m always suspicious of color in photos, but you are right, it looks almost like potters clay. In such soil raised beds are not always adequate. Best to take a sample to be analyzed- some clays are just too fine to be good for peaches in my experience. Then the raised bed should either be done with lots of sand (and I mean a half yard) painstakingly mixed with the clay or another topsoil brought in (same amount) that is a sandy loam to create the berm.
If wet soil can be rolled into slimy balls that harden into rocks when dry, you know you have some nasty clay you are dealing with.
No species I grow is less tolerant of wet feet than peaches- except blueberries.
Alan,
I respect you and your experience tremendously, which is why I wanted to ask you about your last sentence regarding the blueberries not liking wet feet.
I thought blueberries’ native environment was a peat bog, which is almost always a little moist. To that end, I made a blueberry bed with a mixture of peat, sand, and some compost.
It almost always stays moist in that bed and my blueberries seem to like it. I love it, because once they have gotten established, I have almost never watered them unless it was a severe drought. It always seems a little damp underneath the mulch. I wonder why my experience is different? Because while I wouldn’t say that blueberries like wet feet, mine certainly seem happy with moist feet. Or do you think my blueberries are destined to rot the next year or two?
@galinas posted about finding blueberries by the bank of a small island, practically next to water.
Blueberries like to be watered more often than not. If anything besides peaches which do not tolerate wet feet, I would say cherry trees, not, blueberries in my experienced.
I have yet to see any plant that likes to be underwater, none do. My yard is a mud pit, and is every spring, and ,my peaches are just fine thank you. The water won’t drain because the water table of the soil is saturated, it will drain, but may take 2-3 days to do so. When dry it takes 5 minutes, the soil is well drained, but when the glass is full and you add water it overflows. At my cottage is even worse, and the trees do not die. This is my cottage backyard, my cherry tree, dogwoods, and a beech tree are in this every spring, and any of them has yet to die.
The front yard is not any better, and I have raspberries, currants, etc, and they look great this year.
I have dealt with this for over 50 years now, as have many of my neighbors. There is no city water here, no drains, no pipes. Mother nature will dry this with time. I help with a sump pump, but this is in march and I don’t turn it on till April. A friend with a boat took these photos, i don’t launch my boat till April or later, it’s still in dry dock right now.
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That is one of their environments, and I recommend you investigate those berms they grow in closely. In my experience they are well drained and composed of very highly organic soil that drains wonderfully well. They may be capable of standing in water for longer than peaches and then do their serious growing when things have drained- that I haven’t had a chance to observe closely. I’m just about certain that all northern blueberries require well drained soil for most of the growing season but there may be strains more tolerant of wet feet (roots) than others.
I agree, they do. But I agree with Alan too, if too wet they will suffer. I didn’t think this was true, but most guides do warn about wet feet. Here after spring, I have to be more concerned about being too dry. It’s wet here in spring, but mine are in raised beds that drain really well. Just about perfect for them, moist but not soggy.
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Looks like many things wrong with your peach situation. Too wet, heavy excavation projects all around the tree, neem oil on blooms, possibly too early blooming variety for your area. Digging up a 7 year old peach in hopes of it living is not realistic, sure there’s a chance but slim . There are many universities who have researched peaches and have great guides for growing peaches successfully.
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Thank you, sir. Maybe mine prosper because it is moist but not wet? Maybe there is a fine line. The drainage is good with the sand, but the peat also retains water. So…I dunno.
These are also rabbiteye blueberries, which tend to be a little less picky.
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There are two commercial crops that guidelines frequently recommend growing on berms that I know of. Blueberries and peaches.
And I do recall reading that at least some varieties of rabbiteye are less finicky.
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Ok now everybody is going to think I’m quite the complainer. But I found another possible issue with this peach tree. I noticed tiny amounts of sawdust. First I thought it was dried up sulphur but then when I brushed the sawdust off I noticed a tiny pin size hole. I poked it with a straightened paper clip. But did not notice any worm gut. But the paper clip wire would go in about quarter inch in to the wood without any resistance. So there was definitely a deep hole there. I poked in every direction. I read all the peach borer threads and it looks like people use cloths hanger wire. But these holes are much smaller. Not towards the bottom of the trunk. It’s up about a foot above ground and on the underside of main scaffolds. I read about lesser peach tree borer. Can they have tiny holes?
I counted about 10 holes. Had to come back in because of a nasty thunderstorm rolling in. even if I couldn’t see any worm gut hopefully I killed the worms.