Q.
Hi, this year was the first time my dwarf peaches and nectarines have fruited. Each day I went out waiting for them to ripen, only to find a mouldy one or two. I have been spraying throughout the year. Please help. Thanks, Shelley.
A.
This is devastating and a common problem called Brown Rot. On dwarf trees the fruit does take longer to ripen and it needs plenty of access to sunlight to ripen. Next season thin out your fruit to one per spur and even prune back a little of the foliage to allow more sunlight into the head of the plant. Keep trees well-fed for optimum health and increase airflow around the trees.
Over winter do keep up with your fungal and disease sprays, this will help kill any over wintering spores. When the plant is in blossom, spray with a registered fungicide to prevent against brown rot.
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Why are my peaches and nectarines mouldy when I pick them? Comments
For the first time in all my years of keeping feijoa trees I have caterpillars in every fruit. The trees are very healthy, mulched, fertilized, watered & pruned after fruiting. As I like to go organic (we often eat the skins), I am wondering what I can do from now on so I don't have to use any 'nasty' sprays. How effective are traps. I put moth traps in the neighboring apple tree for the first time in November & have had a good haul of moths stuck although many of the apples were still worm eaten. Will these same traps work with the feijoa moths? Where do these moths go in winter & where do the caterpillars go to pupate?
Peggy
Hi Peggy, oh dear this is terrible. Traps are the only major way to deal with them now, to prevent them from coming back try using neem granules or an organic remedy. A chilli, garlic and pyrethrum spray will kill them but taint the fruit taste. Thanks, Jenna - Tui Team
jenna