Leaf Roll in Apricot

'Katy' apricot with leaf roll.

Q. I planted apple and apricot bare root trees in February of last year. My apricot seems to have leaf roll last year. My apple leaves had some red on the upper surfaces of the leaves. I am deep watering these trees and they both have bark mulch. The trees look healthy otherwise and were planted as specified when they were picked up. Both trees were painted with the 50/50 mix of white paint as specified.”

A. Some leaf abnormalities always exist. Plants aren’t perfect! Whenever planting “bareroot” it is always best to keep the roots wet. It only takes about 20 to 30 seconds for those very small roots, called “feeder roots”, to die from a lack of water. It is a mistake to let any roots, die. Whenever there is root death of a plant, there can also be “transplant shock” or failure to grow at first. It just sits there. Make sure the roots are kept wet after planting. This does not mean watering every day!

A citrus with rolling leaves.

            Secondly, its okay to buy plants with branches that are too low. It is easier to remove branches than put them back! Our desert sun can be intense, particularly when its shining in full glory on the West and South sides of a tree. Painting the trunk with white latex paint, mixed half and half with water so it goes farther, gives you only about 5 or 6 degrees of cooling below the trunks surface temperature. When the sun is full bore for ten or fifteen minutes on the trunk of a fruit tree, that can be devastating with or without tree paint! It is important to keep the direct sunlight shaded on the trunk or limbs of a tree until it can provide its own shade.

Peach with scaffold limbs too high off the ground. This limits the fruit production from the tree. Limbs don't move up once they grow. It is easier to remove limbs than "glue" them back on once they are lost.

            Fruit trees will be much better off when they get bigger and provide their own shade.