Young Pluot Tree: is it diseased?

Hello,

In Feb I received a bareroot Pluot tree that I ordered. It is the dwarf Dapple Dandy variety. I planed it in my backyard where it gets partial shade (no afternoon sun). I think I followed the grower's instructions very carefully when planting.

I saw new leaves coming out within just a couple of weeks. They initially looked healthy. But over the last several days, I'm seeing that the leaves are curling backward. I inspected the back side of the sick leaves. No signs of insects. The soil is not dry, and it's not wet. Temperature has been hovering around low 40s at night and mid 60s during the day.

I called the nursery and was told not to worry. But when I asked what's causing this, I did not get a clear answer.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that after about two weeks after I planted the tree, I realized that I had planted it too close to the fence and so I carefully lifted it and planted it in a nearby location. Not sure if that caused a lot of stress. It being a very young tree, I was not too concerned doing it.

I attached a picture of a branch with some infected leaves. Sorry, it's not very good. I will also attach a picture of the site to give you a general idea of where the tree is planted. The lawn gets watered by sprinkler (once in three days at this time of year). I do not water the Pluot separately.

Thank you for your help!

Picture of the site.

That poor baby is starting out with four strikes against it: 1) Not enough sunlight, 2) Planted in a hole that looks too small for the roots to have been spread out from the trunk, 3) Competition from the surrounding grass and 4) Improperly watered. Fruit trees need to receive sunlight all day long. The grass should be no closer than 3 - 4 feet from the trunk to reduce competition. The tree's formative years should be the best you can provide. This is when the tree forms its basic shape. As the tree grows make the grass-free area larger. Water as needed, but make sure that the tree gets a deep soak. This encourages the roots to grow downward. Frequent shallow watering encourages the roots to remain near the surface where they dry out sooner.

The problem with the leaves could be root damage. Bareroot trees don't come with a lot of feeder roots. So any more losses prevents the tree from picking up enough water.

Thanks bettydee for your comments.

You're right, the spot does NOT get full sun all day. However, this is an old house and there're mature trees in the backyard that when young would have received similar light/sun. So, I had figured that the Pluot would do all right.

The hole is pretty big (the photo does not want to show the hole, it is too wide angled for that). It's 2'x2' and about 3' deep.

I'll take out some grass right away.

Any idea how I can water the tree and the lawn separately? Having trees in lawns is not uncommon and there must be a way to do it right.

Thanks again, and I'll do all I can to get the baby smiling again :)

Remove enough grass from around the tree so when the lawn is watered, the soil around the tree remains fairly dry. Water the tree separately. If you know what type of soil the tree is planted in, you should be able to find information on how much water it takes to get to a depth of 2-1/2 to 3 feet.

One thing you might want to consider if you plan to put in more trees. Consider planting potted trees in the fall. For the Bay Area, October is the month to do so. Trees planted in the fall get a head start by developing a good root system before growth starts in the spring.

Prabal, that is perfectly normal pluot leaf growth - it is how the leaves start out. Don't worry about it, they will start looking normal as they get bigger.

If your tree is getting 6 hours of sun per day that will be enough. it looks like once it is above the fence height it will be getting more sun as well. I would also not worry about the hole size - if the roots fit its a fine size. I would remove the grass for a 3" diameter, and mulch it. Your watering regimen sounds fine to me, but I don't know how dry it gets there. In CA it is common to set up drip irrigation lines for trees, ask your friends and neighbors what they do.

Scott

Prabal, UC Davis has excellent resources for the home orchardist either through their website or the local Extension Cooperative Service located on Berger Drive off of the Old Oakland Road north of 101. I got most of my information from them and from having lived and gardened in the San Jose foothills for 22 years.
http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/
http://cesantaclara.ucdavis.edu/

Thank you Scott! I feel way better now. At this time of the year, it is not dry here at all and I can find moist soil by digging only about 2 inches or so.

You're right, once it goes above the fence height (6ft), it will get almost full sun for 8-10 hrs.

I've removed grass yesterday per bettydee's suggestion. I'll mulch it this weekend.

Thanks bettydee! I didn't know about this resource.

- Prabal.