Stone Fruit and Brown Rot Solutions

 PLANT DOCTOR

Brown Rot of Stone fruit

There’s plenty of cultivars of stone fruit trees that can fit into any size garden.

Trixie and Pixie dwarf nectarine and peach trees have been around for years.

“There’s even a nectarine tree classed as Super Dwarf called ‘ Peach Sunset” that is grafted onto super dwarfing rootstock to produce a more compact tree growing to around 1.5 m tall.
This Nectarine is self fertile so only one tree is needed.

• But before we get too carried away, what are the cons for growing stone fruit?

1. Is deciduous a con? Possibly, because stone fruit tree are deciduous so if you don't like the bare look in winter, stone fruit trees are not for you.
2. Do you need two trees for fruit set? Not always so do your homework.
3. Preventative spraying for peach leaf curl and  brown root of stone fruit may be needed.

Perhaps I'm preaching to the converted and you already grow stone fruit.

Also perhaps, like me, you've never had a delectable harvest stolen from under your nose due to a fungal disease.

Imagine this, ripe luscious fruit that you pick and place in your fruit bowl. A day later, the same fruit has inexplicably in part turned a mushy brown, soon to be consumed completely by the fungus.

Or you have bunches of fruit on your tree and some of the start dropping off or look like in the image, with a brown sunken fungal growth.

• The bad news is, it's too late to do something about it now.

If you don’t want a repeat of those nasty surprise in your stone fruit, you have to be pro-active with preventative spraying in winter when the tree is leafless and dormant.

Spraying with sulphur at that time is a good go to all round spray.

You may even have to open the centre of established trees a bit more than usual to increase air flow.

Still, the fruit I ate off my trees this year were super delicious and well worth growing your own stone fruit trees.

For more tips listen to the podcast.

I'm talking with Steve Falcioni of www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au   
Let’s find out

If you have any questions you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.