DIY Fungicide Spray To Prevent Peach Leaf Curl

One of the most common diseases of peach and nectarine cultivars is peach leaf curl. This is a fungal disease that will affect the aspect of these fruit trees, starting from blossoms and fruit going further to leaves. Thus, it is very important to treat it right away, to get the most nutritious peaches. So, keep on reading and check out the information on symptoms and treatment with a DIY fungicide spray.

How and when do peach leaf curl symptoms show up?

If you are looking for signs of peach leaf curl, you need to know they usually appear within two weeks. Thus, you need to be following leaf emergence to notice it right away. Some of the symptoms of peach leaf curl include discoloration and leaf curling, so you need to be careful watching. When it comes to color, the leaves may display a range of yellow or orange, and even red or purple. Furthermore, the leaves may also display some deformed reddish-colored warts. Even more, some of the leaves may turn gray or powdery looking if left untreated.

Now, these symptoms are very important to watch because fruits may become infected, developing raised wart-like growths. And you don’t want that, especially because infected fruits drop prematurely. Thus, if you want to save your peaches, keep reading for the treatment of peach leaf curl.

DIY Treatment with A Fungicide Spray

As we all know, preventing is always the first step. Thus, applying a fungicide spray in autumn following leaf fall is the perfect time to treat the peach leaf curl. While this treatment in fall is usually sufficient, you may need to apply an additional treatment in spring if you consider it necessary. Infections are greater following rain, so this is the reason for another application.

However, you need to learn how to make your own fungicide. This will give you control of the ingredients, many of which you already have in your home. Thus, this will basically be a Bordeaux mixture to control the fungal and bacterial diseases.

Your own Bordeaux mix consists of ground limestone and powdered copper sulfate. Thus, mix four parts of each with 50 gallons of water. If you need less, like for a gallon, reduce the recipe for this homemade plant fungicide to 6 1/2 to 8 teaspoons of the copper sulfate and 3 tablespoons limestone to 1 pint of water.

That’s it. You just learned how to make your own fungicide. However, you also need to be aware of using it responsibly. Thus, make sure to test it out on small surfaces of the plant so you won’t harm it excessively. In addition, it is important to not apply this mixture on a hot or brightly sunny day, because it will quickly lead to burning of the plant and its ultimate demise.