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Fruit & Orchards

Peach Tree Trunk Disease?

8 years ago

I have both a peach and apple tree on my property. I have only lived at this location about 1 year. I am not sure how long either tree has been on the property or the variety. Both are at least 20-25ft tall, which makes me feel the are quite old. The are established right up against the wall of the house, almost as if someone was attempting to espalier and gave up. They get about 6 hours of sun a day. Both produced a small crop, peaches edible, apples were not. The apple tree seems quite diseased. Back to the peach tree. Where the trunk meets the ground it appears to be rotting. What could be the cause of this and can it be cured. Maybe I should do nothing, the tree has been here much longer than me. I am familiar with fig trees, but that is about it on the fruit front. Please see pic below. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

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Comments (6)

rphcfb14
8 years ago
Where are you located? Location is helpful. Anyway, I suspect peach tree borers boring holes into the base of your tree, very common and can be deadly issue.

If I were you,. I would take out the weed around the tree first. Then, look for holes at the base of the tree. Dig down a bit. If you find holes, you have borers. I cut wire from a coat hanger and poke around the holes,making sure I stab dead the worms/borers inside.

They may be back. Keep the base of tree clear of weed and check often.
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
8 years ago
Could be peach tree borer. But I really can't tell from the picture. If there is "sawdust" mixed in with gelatin like goo then it's borers.
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It would be good to ask how the fruit is first. I agree that the trunks look like suckers gone wild, but they may also be 2 peaches planted in one hole. When they start to bloom this year you could get a good idea if they are the same peach or not. If you do intend to graft to it, it might be a good idea to prune heavily this year to encourage new growth that you can graft to at the end of this summer or next spring, depending on you grafting skill level.
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I hate to see that. I lost an apple and peach tree last years due to it being girdled by disease. Take a knife and cut the damaged bark back to see if it has borer holes in it. If not it could be Cytospora canker. This is what got my trees. The one thing I do not see that a peach has with this disease is oozing amber jelly like goo. It may be to early though for it to start as it does it during the growth period. It will also ooze in areas on other parts of the tree as well. Oh and be sure to clean the knife with bleach or rubbing alcohol after using it on the tree to prevent spreading it. Unfortunately by the amount of damage it looks like it will be hard to save the tree.
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Peach tree borers, most likely. Pull away sap and look for tunnels and try to kill with a stiff wire. Moth balls against the bark and covered with dirt may work also.
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm guessing your peach got damaged from the combination of cold sunny days. The sap starts flowing up the trunk when the sun shine on the trunk then freezes when the sun disappears, causing the trunk to crack. If the crack is on the south side of the tree, we've found the cause of the problem. I agree with others who recommend leaving it alone. As long as the tree puts on wood faster than it rots, trunks can be hollow and still structurally sound. But preventing more cracks should be a priority. Paint the trunk white and it will help reflect the sun's rays. It looks a little trashy, but it helps.
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Trinacria
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank You. I am located in Middle Tennessee. I will have to check it out once the rain passes.
eastmeetwest
8 years ago
If it's borers, hope you kill them all. Also, some people spray the trunk and soil around it with a product by Spectracide called Triazicide One and Done.

Clean out the weed to at least 3-4 ft diameter and mulch the area around the tree, not up against the tree.

Grass/weed compete with your tree. You want your tree to be as healthy as it can to fight off canker, another common disease of peach trees.

Peach tree borers are known along east coast.
fireballsocal
8 years ago
You might try pulling any debris way back away from the trunk so it can dry out. Also, keep sprinklers from spraying the trunk and if you water, keep the water away from the trunk. Definitely look for borers at the base also.
Trinacria
Original Author
8 years ago
Well the situation seems to be much worse than I thought. Upon further inspection this evening, I noticed the back of the trunk, facing the house, at the ground had a rotted hole about 1.5 inch in diameter. Almost looked like some type of animal tried to make a home at some point in time. Honestly surprised the tree looks as good as it does.

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