Curling Up with Peach Leaf Curl

Advice for Home Gardeners from the Help Desk of theUC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa CountyPeach Leaf CurlClient's Request: Howdy! Can you please help me with my nectarine tree? How should I treat this disease and what is it? Help Desk Response: Thanks for contacting the UC Master Gardener Help Desk about the problem you are observing on your nectarine tree.Your nectarine tree is showing the classic symptoms of a fungaldisease commonly called "peach leaf curl". It is a common problem for both peaches and nectarines, particularly in years when we have abundant rains as has now occurred this year. The fungal spores that spread the disease can be spread through splashing water and rain. As you may already have noticed, typically the affected leaves turn yellow or brown and can remain on the tree or may fall off; they are replaced by a second set of leaves that develop more normally unless wet weather continues. Most often the disease will not show up on the developing fruit, but...