Fruit trees are essential for every garden. Like all plants, fruit trees are subject to some diseases. Fruit tree leaves curl because of a fungal disease called Taphrina deformans. This is one of the most common fruit tree diseases affecting stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines. It is also called frizz disease. It causes wrinkling and deformation of the leaves, and the leaves turn pink. There are others tooCauses of curled leavesin fruit trees and here we explain everything you need to know.
When does fruit tree leaf disease occur?
Leaf roll disease appears in the spring, does the damage, and then disappears. The fungus survives the winter as sleeping spores on the branches. In the spring, as soon as new growth begins, the leaves become infected.
What symptoms can occur?
If your fruit tree leaves have curled due to curl disease, then the trees will have wrinkled, thickened and distorted, often red-colored leaves. You will also see a white bloom of fungal spores on theaffected leavesdiscover. What happens to the leaves? Infected leaves fall off quickly, causing defoliation and loss of vitality. Occasionally shoots and fruits can also be affected.
Can the curl disease be cured?
Once the leaves of your fruit trees become infected, there are no control methods. You need to inspect your trees early so you can prevent the disease. You can apply a barrier spray before the buds develop.
How to prevent curled leaves?
It would seem logical to you to remove infected leaves from the tree in the spring. However, this has not proven to be an effective solution. There are other preventive measures you can take toKeeping your fruit trees healthy. The most important protection against leaf curl is to spray the leaves with an organic product at the right time. Only use biological sprays. This prevents damage to the trees and the environment.
For trees growing against a fence or wall, you can use a plastic sheet rainscreen to prevent infection. It should cover the top of the tree and the front to within 30cm of the ground, with the ends open to allow access for pollinating insects. Put up such a rain shelter after the leaves fall in November and leave it until mid-May. This helps keep emerging shoots dry so that infections can be prevented.
As mentioned earlier, there are other reasons why the leaves of your fruit trees curl. The good news is that once you figure out the cause, it's much easier to find an antidote. Here we explain the main reasons for such problems and their solutions so that you can ensure that your fruit trees develop well.
Planting on a hot, sunny day or late in the season can cause fruit tree leaves to curl. If you use too much fertilizer, salts will accumulate, which can deprive the roots of water and “burn” the leaves. Avoid fertilizer in the first season. Planting too shallow or too deep can also be problematic for the leaves. When planting trees, the holes should be wide but not too deep.
An aphid infestation can result in curled leaves
The most likely cause of curly leaves on fruit trees is aphids. It is worth noting that both black and green aphids can attack peach and nectarine trees. What to do? If you have curly leaves on your fruit trees, the first thing you should do is carefully examine the inside of the leaves. Even if you don't have onecan see insects, take a close look at some of the rolled leaves. You can spot aphids there.
Problems with tree nutrition
Fruit tree leaves also curl because of nutritional problems when the tree cannot absorb needed nutrients from the soil. For young trees, this may be because the tree's roots were damaged or dried out during planting. If your tree isn't getting enough nutrients, you'll need to improve your soil. If you grow citrus trees, keep in mind that they are heavy feeders and require more nutrients than many other fruit trees. This may mean you need to use more compost or aged fertilizer than on your other trees.
Fruit tree leaves curl due to over and under watering
Yes, as with most plants, water plays a very important role in fruit trees. Underwatering (also known as water stress) is often evidenced by curled leaves. Fruit tree leaves curl up, often lengthways. This is different from the outward curling in the center of the leaf that is typical of nutritional problems. Water stress can be easily resolved by simply watering the tree more! Overwatering can also cause some leaf problems, with the leaves turning brown and crispy. Monitor soil moisture and make sure the site has good drainage so you don't have problems with your trees' water needs! If you spot signs of waterlogging, you have a more difficult problem. Not only overwatering, but possibly water from a drain pipe can also be causing the problem.
