Neglected Peach Tree on Purchased Property – What to Do?

Q. We bought a property in Redding, California, and it has a pretty sad looking peach tree on the property. Many of the limbs are dead and the live ones are dripping sap. Do we need to get rid of this tree? Is there any way to prevent this from happening again?

Not the peach tree in the question but this peach had borers in the trunk and tried to heal the damage. Note the "rolling" of growth over the damaged area.

A. Peach trees are magnets for wood boring insects, a.k.a. borers, in our climate. This is the main reason most peach trees are not as long-lived as other fruit trees. This insect never enters the soil, so the soil is usually not a problem. Only the tree. If the damage to the tree is severe, remove and replace it.

This is borer damage on a young Bramley Apple tree. Frequently the first 2 to 3 years are critical times for tree establishment and prevention of borers. Damage like this is usually on the West or South sides of the tree because of intense sunlight from those directions. Painting the tree trunk with dilute white latex paint is one option for decreasing borer problems during the first few years. It keeps the trunk a little bit cooler.

The Death Spiral

            Once trees are attacked by these types of borers, the tree frequently enter a death spiral and there is not much you can do without using insecticides. Even applying an insecticide is not a guarantee the tree will be cured. Applying a systemic insecticide containing Imidacloprid as a soil drench soon after flowering may kill borers still inside the tree and give the tree some protection for a few months.

Another indicator of borers in fruit trees is the death of a limb or limbs beginning in about July. Death of a limb due to borers opens the tree for more sun damage followed by borers and can lead to the death spiral I mentioned earlier.

Limbs Die during Summer Months

            Limbs dying because of this insect are normally seen during the summer but the damage they cause inside the tree starts in the spring. These insects are attracted to trees damaged by intense sunlight, but sometimes they infest trees that appear not to be damaged at all. As added protection, make sure the tree is pruned, watered and fertilized so that it has a full canopy which protects its limbs and trunk from intense sunlight. It also helps to shade the trunk or paint it with diluted white latex paint.

Sometimes this damage can be scraped or cut away with a sharp, sanitized knife and the area allowed to heal. It's worth a shot.

Irrigation

            Make sure the tree is getting enough water by irrigating it with at least four drip emitters spaced under the canopy. With newly planted trees, these emitters should be about 12 inches from the trunk in a square pattern and more emitters added as the tree gets larger.