Planted the tree last April, grew a lot last spring and summer
and a few weeks ago I even noticed some peaches growing.
But this weekend I notices a lot of these bugs all over the leaves and
branches of the tree, I have never sseen them in my yard or garden before
and I have no idea what they are or how to get rid of them!!
I hope someone can help, I fear them killing the tree.
Thanks
Lou
It looks like Lady Bug Larvae which are beneficial. They are predators of aphids, mealy bugs, mites Etc. If you see yellow/orange egg clusters on the underside of the leaves those are Lady Bug egg masses.
Cyclops101,
Thank you so much for your reply!
After reading your reply and googling "lady bug larvae", that is what they were!
Unfortunately, I contacted the nursery where I got the tree and they didn't know
what kind of bug it was from the photo and suggested a bug spray, that I used last
week. I just hope I didn't screw anything up!
I think I might have the "leaf tree curl", I thought it was because of the "bugs"! now I
know a little better. I'll upload a few photos after the weekend and let me know
what everyone thinks.
Thanks again to everyone for helping me,
Lou
The cardinal rule before using any pesticide is to identify your target. Unfortunately there are way too many chemicals available to the homeowner that are used improperly. I find it inconceivable that a nurseryman would not be able to identify this common insect. As for the leaf curl problem, IF,IF,IF it is being caused by a fungus it is probably too late to do anything with regards to spraying. Spray for this fungus is applied early in the growing season. In all likelihood the spores were wintering over on your tree when you purchased it and were waiting for ideal conditions ( a cool wet spring). The best way to treat for leaf curl is to spray with a Copper based fungicide late in the fall after most of the tree has defoliated. You might want to reapply in the spring before the buds start swelling. If your tree does defoliate it will probably produce new leaves but this tends to stress the tree so you should apply a fertilizer that has a high nitrogen content ( the first number on the fertilizer package ie. 20-05-10) and pick off any fruit so the tree will put all its energy into preparing for winter. Good luck and if you get any fruit you owe me a peach.
I bought a peach tree from WalMart, that had peaches on it. I planted it & ate the peaches. Now, a year later, the leaves are dark green & nice, but it had only 3 blooms & the baby peaches fell off. What could be the problem? Not enough water maybe?
There are many issues that can cause the problem you have described. If the tree is just too young it will not produce large numbers of flowers. I see you live in zone 9 but I do not know what your weather is like in the winter. If you have a late frost or cold temps at the time of flowering this will kill the flower bud. Peach trees are very demanding in regard to their care. There are a host of diseases and insects that cause problems and a preventative spray program should be adopted. You did not mention what variety peach you purchased but Wal-Mart is not usually concerned with weather the trees they sell are the correct variety for your area. I would suggest you obtain information on care for this tree by going on line. Now is the time you want to prune it correctly so it has an open form and there will be info on fruit thinning, fertilizing, spraying Ect Ect.
