Expert: nick mccann - 5/19/2008

Question
QUESTION: We have a peach tree in a pot on the patio. We have followed the leaflet which came with the tree, but the is the second year where we have had no fruit but have had very bad brown leaf curl. Winter last year I sprayed with copper spray. But it is very ill can you help

ANSWER: Hi Ron, well I can try, but I need more info, I need to know how it was planted, the type of container, soil and variety of peach tree for starts....Nick

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QUESTION: Hi Nick
Thanks for being so quick to answer my help. To answer your questions-- the container was baught from B@Q a blue glazed clay pot. The soil again baught from B@Q the all purpose compost, and the variety is a dwarf peach terrace diamond ...  Ron

ANSWER: Ron, Your clay pot has drainage holes I am assuming, that is fine, but you need to line the bottom with some sort of drainage material, ie: pea stone or grave. What bothers me is what you described for your planting medium, "all purpose compost", that is meant as a supplement to soil, for enrichment, not as the main medium; you need to change this out and put your tree in a quality "potting soil" with no additives. I think this is your problem, the compost retains too much moisture by itself and the symptoms you describe are those of root problems. When you irrigate your tree, it should be done less frequently but more thoroughly; water it until the water drips out the drainage holes, then back off until its dry a third of the way down before you water again. Mulch the top to keep the container evenly moist without drying out too fast (which clay pots do), but ensure that the mulch doesn't contact the main stem (keep it back about 3 inches). The tree is 2 years old, have you fertilized it? It is way overdue if not, any granular, devised specifically for fruit trees will be fine, at about a 1 lb. per inch of trunk, spread evenly around (but again not contacting the trunk). Do this before one of your waterings, and spread it under the mulch covering on the top. This feeding needs to be done twice a year, now and again in the early fall. Nick

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QUESTION: Hi Nick
Can you tell me what is mulch?
What fetilizer do you suggest?
What pot do you suggest?
What do mean by granular?
Sorry to sound so dull, but I am just a learner. I have never tried to grow such a beautiful tree.
Thanks Ron

Answer
Hi Ron, no problem, thats what I am here for, Mulch is usually derived from Cypress, Pine, Eucalyptis or any other material that will form a moisture retaining substance; it comes in bags of usually 4 cubic feet and costs about $3.00. The container for a Peach tree should be as large as feasible for your area, as it will eventually have a sizable root system. Granular fertilizer is like in small pellet form, and is spread like chicken feed; a good fertilizer for your Peach is any you can find for "fruit trees", there really isn't a Peach tree fertilizer, I would use a Citrus fertilizer, that would suffice. You haven't mentioned where you are located, this is important also; Peaches are real nice, the only problem once you do achieve fruit is the pest Mediterranean Fruit Fly, in which there is no protection. I am plagued with them on mine, but I am in Florida, I don't think they are much of a problem in other areas of the U.S....Nick