janedoe (08-20-2017)
My peaches are a nice size but they have black spots on them. Does anyone know what the black spots are and what we should do about them?
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Sam and Frank
janedoe (08-20-2017)
It is either bacteria or fungus with fungus being the most common. The brown spots are scabs, yep like humans, the fruit has been injured by disease. Not much you can do now. You have 2 choices when this happens, treat it or wait till next year and prune properly. Basically what is happening is there is not enough air flow and wind going through the tree, much like Jane Doe problem the tree is just too overgrown. You need to really thin it out in the spring to allow sunlight and wind and air to flow through the tree. So that's the solution for next year. This year you may still be able to save the fruit but your going to need to determine if it is being caused by fungus or bacteria and then spray the tree accordingly with chemicals to kill what is affecting it.
One thing to look for as well is if the tree is stunted and has black spots on the trunk or around the base. If so that is called crown rot and in that case, well, you can look around and see if your watering too much. If not the area has very poor drainage and the tree just is not going to survive well where it is planted. Your best to take the tree out, if it is small enough yet you can move it to a better spot or you could replant it in a raised bed. This would allow better drainage. Growing good fruit trees if you want the fruit takes some preplanning and some work. Fruit trees need heavy pruning and thinning every single year. The location of the tree is a big factor as well. Large open areas with plenty of air movement and air flow is another. Like I mentioned our family farm as a kid, while we didn't have a lot of fruit trees all were planted on edges of corn fields, the strong air flow and wind across open fields are great for them. The more air flow you have the less you need to thin out. The less airflow the more you need to prune to open it up.
They're OK! My peaches are starting to ripen and they're a little small and not quite so sweet as last time. The skins are thick. But they are OK. I can certainly put them in smoothies or freeze them. So everything turned out all right.
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