Help with Nectarine tree

Aaron1100us

We bought a nectarine tree a year ago from Lowes. Its growing but the leaves this year are dis-formed. Looks to be some sort of disease. Any idea what is causing this and what I can do? Thanks

treefeller

Hi Aaron welcome to treeworld Looks as though your nectarine has leaf curl. Leaf curlis bad for the tree as the leaves become infected and fall off. this will put the tree under stress and could kill it. often the tree partially recovers and new leaves will grow back again in a month or so, not as good as before but they will grow back. The new leaves will not become infected this season no matter how infected the tree so dont remove them as the provide energy for the stressed tree.

Remove the fruit from the tree as they will not fully develope after an attack of leaf curl, and removeing them will prevent the tree wasing energy on trying to produce them. Make sure the tree is watered well but not over watered and apply a nitrogen rich fertilizer around the base of the tree.

Aaron1100us

Ok, thanks. So it will cure itself? Is there a cause for this?

treefeller

Hopefully yes, but i would monitor closely though.

Taphrina deformans leaf curl occurs in peach trees when rain splashed the fungal spores from the bark onto the buds. This then allows the fungus to spread into the leaves. As the season progresses, the infected leaves begin to develop a grayish white covering. On peach and nectarine trees, this grayish white material is made up of fungal taphrina deformans spores. The spores are blown by wind onto other regions of the peach and nectarine trees or are splashed by rain or watering. Such conditions can quickly infect and entire peach or nectarine tree in no time. Infected peach and nectarine trees become increasingly weakened and will often suffer defoliation in early to late summer. However, the worst time for leaf curl is during cool, wet spring weather.