What Is Wrong With My Nectarine Tree Leaves?

Are the leaves covered with white powder?

Are the young twigs and leaves wilted, brown, or dying back?

Are the leaves puckered and reddish?

Are there any small translucent spots on leaves, spots later turn black?

Do the leaves have small purple spots with some spots with missing centers?

Are the leaves stippled yellow?

Are the leaves unusually small, yellow, or oddly shaped?

White, powdery patches on the leaves are caused by a fungal disease Powdery mildew. Powdery mildew usually appears in damp places. Encourage good air circulation around the affected plants by thining them and any surrounding plants. Water plants from below to keep foliage dry. Any affected leaves should be cut off and removed. The appropriate fungicidal spray will protect your plant from further infections.

These symptoms are caused by fungal disease - Brown rot (Monilinia fructicola). Other symptoms of brown rot may be withered blossoms, mummified fruits, and brown leaves. Remove and destroy both mummified fruits and twigs or branches with gummy lesions. For more control, spray sulfur early to protect blooms, then again later to protect the fruit.

Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease that attacks nectarines. Later in the season, infected leaves may yellow, shrivel, and drop. New growth is stunted and swollen and often dies. Fruit often drops prematurely and may have a reddish, irregular, rough surface. You can’t cure this fungal disease during the current season, but copper sprays or lime-sulfur sprays help control it.

Bacterial leaf spot causes circular translucent spots scattered over the leaf surface. These spots turn brownish-black and may spread to form large patches of dead tissue. To prevent the spread of this disease, avoid working around wet plants. Remove and destroy affected parts. Spray Bordeaux mix on remaining plants.

Purple spots on the leaves are caused by fungal disease - Shothole disease. This disease is common in the west of the USA and spreads fast across the wet foliage. It can also affect fruits. You can't cure this disease during the current season, but copper spray before vegetation starts keep the fungus in check. Also, keep irrigation water away from the foliage.

European red mites are extremely tiny spider mites that suck juices from leaves, causing yellow speckles on foliage. For light infestations, knock mites off leaves with a strong spray of water. For heavy infestations, spray with insecticidal soap. Lime-sulfur spray-applied early in the growing season also aids control. Or, to kill overwintering mite eggs, apply superior oil in the spring. Mites are controlled by natural enemies, including predatory mites. If simple controls don’t work, purchase predatory mites (Metaseiulus occidentalis) from insectaries or organic farm and garden supply catalogs.

A few viral diseases cause leaf anomalies in nectarine trees. One particular virus, known as a peach rosette, causes trees to produce shoots that have abnormally short distances between the leaf nodes. Avoid viruses by starting with clean stock. Avoid planting near possible virus carriers, such as old peach trees or wild chokecherries (Primus virginiana). Remove and destroy infected trees.

Valsa canker causes branches to wilt and fail to produce leaves. Prune off wilted or dying branches below the infected area. You should sterilize pruning tools in isopropyl alcohol beforehand. Copper sprays help in the control of the disease.