What is this rot on base of peach trunk?

Noticed this today on the base of a loring peach that is a couple years old. What kind of rot is this and is there anything I can do about it?

Some more pics

Pic of tree, has some PLC that I need to spray for in fall/winter too

Perhaps peach tree borer or vole damage. Was there frass around the base that’s been removed? Frass indicates borer. Voles just eat the bark off.

I think you’re right about the borer. I was just doing some googling and the many examples online of borer damage look like this. There was frass I’m pretty sure. I started to pull away the rot and should’ve taken a picture before I did so. What can I spray for the borers?

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Peachtree Borer - 5.566 - Extension (colostate.edu)

Or search here for threads about peach tree borer.

You can’t control the borer right now with sprays. They’re protected in tunnels. Some say kill with a wire poked into their tunnels. That sounds like it might do more harm than good.

Spray something like permethrin in summer on the lower parts of the tree when moths are laying eggs.

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Thanks, was reading up on them and seems like they are hidden good and even stay under the soil. Sounds like I have an enemy I really need to figure out now. My precious peaches :pensive:

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Yup that’s definitely borers. If you push a coat hangar into the holes you can squish ā€˜em. White goo on the end when you pull out the wire means you struck pay dirt. I have years of experience digging them out, you get a little better each time. Sprays at the base of the tree can control them, June-August is the best time to spray.

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Thanks so much!! I was just reading all your amazing info on when and what to spray. I actually stumbled onto your posts last night looking for good things to spray for PLC. I did a one spray of the Bonide copper spray but it didn’t seem to work that effectively. Didn’t know you could mix in that Nufilm stuff to help it stick. But then reading about your use of lime sulfur sounds like it may be a better option instead of keep putting copper into the tree and soil.

Figures I go out to my mini orchard this evening and see this peach borer issue. I think I’m going to do what you do for yours with spraying at right time and the pure neem on base trunk at right time.

Can’t thank you enough for your spray schedule wiki. It’s going to be a lifesaver for my trees.

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If you spray copper in late fall when the leaves fall you can often get good control of PLC. If it’s really bad add another spray in winter. Nufilm helps but its not required. Sulfur unfortunately doesn’t work so just use copper. Spraying in spring doesn’t help, the leaves are already infected and it’s too late. On smaller trees it can help if you pick all the infected leaves off so there is nothing to pass it on to the next year.

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My extension recommends a drench 12ā€ up the trunk and into the soil, once a month starting in July for my area. I use permethrin once a month.

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1651&context=extension_curall

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That info sheet was great!!

I ended up ordering some traps and phermone lures to see if that would help too. I also bought some Hi-Yield 38-Plus and will be applying once a month.

I’m hoping to see how many I can catch in the traps and see how big of an issue these little bastards are. My one Loring is most likely a goner and potentially one more. Guess I learned my lesson big time about these borers.

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I think my mistake with the copper was only spraying once and I did a light amount because I was new at this and didn’t want to put too much copper on the trees. I’m now going to spray twice and do the recommended amount. I’ve heard orchards in my area do thanksgiving and valentines day to spray copper. I think I’m going to stick to something like that.

The PLC has been my biggest problem to date before these nasty borers showed up. I have around 15 peach trees and 7 have been attacked by the borers. 1 is girdled bad and is most likely going to die. The others I think might be able to make it but if they don’t, I learned my lesson big time.

Started planting fruit trees in 2021 and am up to around 40 now. We are just starting to get good fruits off our trees and now these nasty peach tree borers are trying to take my precious trees. Pretty dumb species to girdle the very tree that gives them life.

Thanks again for everything, this forum has been a tree saver! :slightly_smiling_face:

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This is the trap I got. Hoping to disrupt mating and trap some to see how prevalent these things are

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Update on the traps. Not even 24hrs and both traps are full of them. Also dug around the worst tree and found and killed one of their larvae munching away inside the trunk. Safe to say I’m in for a battle. Going to be spraying the hi yield permethrin when it comes in.


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