Yea, copper can tend to cause leaf drop. Still the tree looks like it may make it. Let it go to an early dormancy and mulch the area around it (but no mulch next to the trunk) and see if it breaks dormancy next spring (I expect it will).

Thanks for the input olpea. Do you think the brown spots on the branches are something to worry about? I have no doubt the tree is still alive and would leaf out next year. But I'm wondering if so much damage has been done to its trunk and branches that it will never be able to be healthy?

I wouldn't use copper spray until the tree is dormant. I would have sprayed with Immunox by Spectracide. Follow directions on the bottle, probably spray every 2 weeks.

Then copper spray in the fall when it is fully dormant.

Red spots on peach leaves is usually Peach Leaf Curl, but that doesn't look like curl to me.

Poor little thing. They can recover from some disastrous looking injuries, so don't give up on it.

Sun worshiper,

The real issue is not about your tree recovering (I think it will) rather the shot-hole will be a reoccurring problem.

Shot-hole can either be caused by bacteria or fungus. Quite frankly, I don't know how to tell them apart. Bacterial shot-hole (bac. spot) seems to be more prevalent, at least that's the focus of most of the literature, so I'm guessing that's what you're seeing. I have some trees that get it pretty bad here.

Copper is a treatment for bac. spot but there is a very fine line between using copper to get control vs. causing too much leaf drop. I've recently read even the recommended rate of Kocide 3000 (0.5 lbs/acre) has caused some leaf drop.

Below is a good (although somewhat older) write-up in the Southeastern Peach Newsletter about bac. spot. In the article they infer copper is not the best alternative. However, in a later issue, they state newer research shows copper is one of the best solutions.

I think the spots on the shoots are also a manifestation of bac. spot. It takes it longer to show up on the shoots.

In short, you'll probably have to start spraying to get control, or get a bac. spot resistant cultivar. The other option is just to try to live with it. I've got one cultivar that loses half it's leaves every year, and the fruit gets bac. spot so bad, some of it cracks. However, I do plan to start treating some of the trees for it next year.

Here is a link that might be useful: March 2003 Southeastern Peach Newsletter

Thanks for all the helpful input. I specifically chose a Flordabelle because it is supposed to have good bacterial leaf spot resistance: Cultivar Comparison. Anybody have experience with this cultivar? How does it compare in practice to other low chill varieties?

As this disease was appearing I looked over all sorts of info. This was the most useful site I found for identification of diseases Peach Diseases. Based one these pictures the diseased leaves looked a lot more like Tranzschelia discolor, or rust, than like bacterial leaf spot.

It is worrying that the brown spots on the branches may be diseased areas. Will they ever heal? Or will they be a continual source of disease that weakens the tree?

I haven't invested that much time in this tree yet, so I want to determine if I should stick with it, or buy a new tree and be sure to start a spraying program right away and try to prevent so much damage from occurring in the first place. The longer I have this tree the more attached I will get to it and the harder it will be to give up on it if it doesn't improve...

My understanding is that it is good to do a copper spray in the fall after leaf drop and again in the spring before the tree leafs out. So I will certainly do that in future.

While the peach has leaves, spray with a non copper based fungicide? When do you start the Immunox sprays? Are they done as a preventative measure or as a treatment for symptoms?

It could be rust, but I wouldn't rule out bac. spot. I've had some rust on one highly susc. cultivar a couple times, but it's only on the fruit, and I never see it affect the leaves. Nevertheless, I'm not in Florida.

If you truly have a Flordabelle, then it's probably not bac. spot. But your tree may not be a Flordabelle (regardless of how it was labeled). I notice there are some Florida cultivars that are highly susc. to bac. spot, which could be one of the cultivars you have.

Don't get attached to any peach tree. They grow and bear quickly, so if any one doesn't please you, cut it down and replace it.

The dormant copper sprays are mainly for leaf curl (although they can help a little with bac. spot).

Leaf curl shows very obvious symptoms. Florida may not have much of a problem with it. It likes wet cool Springs. I don't know if that fits Orlando's climate or not.

Most disease sprays are done as a preventative. Generally, if you see the symptoms, it's too late to do anything about it.

If you do have peach rust, Myclobutanil (Immunox) is ineffective against it. It will also have no affect on bac. spot. There is a product called Montery Fungi Fighter (propiconazole) that has good activity against rust. But it also has no activity against bac. spot.

I am as certain as I can be that I have a Flordabelle. I sought out a reputable source once I decided what I want. I bought it from Larry Shatzer owner of a tropical fruit nursery in my area called Our Kids Tropicals and one of the founders of the Orlando Tropical Fruit Club. He is definitely one of the experts in my area. In fact, I plan to take these pictures to the next Tropical Fruit Club meeting to seek his advice as well.

Thanks so much for the information on Myclobutanil vs propiconazole. That is very helpful. There seems to be a bewildering number of sprays for peaches. I am generally a pretty experienced gardener, but seek out plants that don't require spraying. I love peaches so much though that I will make an exception=)

Leaf curl may not be an issue here. We go from a dry, warm spring to rainy, humid, hot summers here. I lived most of my life in the northwest and the switch to Florida has certainly been challenging garden wise. It is very different from anywhere else I've ever lived.

And good advice on not getting too attached=)