When do peach trees bear fruit?
Question:I just moved to a new house with many fruit trees. They said that there are peach trees, and they look like peaches on the tree, but some trees have only a few peaches on the tree and the ones that are there are covered in a sticky substance and looks like there are bugs all over the fruit. Is the tree diseased? When do peach trees normally bear fruit?
Answers:
I live in Orange County in Southern California. My peach tree looks like the fruit will be ready to pick in 3-4 weeks. Usually we have about a two week window, after which the fruit starts dropping to the ground. In general, though, the time when peach trees bear fruit depends on the weather profile for that locality. Since it is unlikely that two widely separated communities will have had the same weather, peaches are often available all summer long in the supermarket. So I can't really answer your first question without knowing where you live.
However, you probably have an insect infestation, similar to the whiteflies I get every year on my hibiscus. The whitefly larva turn the sap in the leaves into sticky strands that blow in the wind. The leaves themselves turn brown from the loss of nutrients. Periodically I spray the leaves with malathion or some other insecticide, but the only thing that works reliably is to prune the bush of the infected areas.
You probably have insect larva in what few fruit are on your trees. This problem may be of concern to your local agricultural or vector control district. They can help by identifying your bugs, and possibly they would treat your peach trees to keep the infestation from spreading. In the meantime, look carefully before eating.
When your peach tree bears fruit is dependent on its variety and your local climate. From what you've described, it sounds like your peach tree has been neglected and that sticky substance you see on the fruit is most likely caused from sucking insects such as scale, stinkbug, mites or aphids.
There's not much you can do now except apply your fertilizer and a product called "SUNSPRAY ULTRAFINE OIL". Sunspray is a good general purpose spray that will control most of your insects throughout the year. I would wait till fall before spraying to avoid any damage caused by oil sprays applied during hot days.
Here's a good website that provides some great information about growing peaches and what you need to do throughout the year to obtain healthy trees;
http://www.aces.edu/dept/extcomm/special...
IF you need further information, please feel free to contact me directly. GOOD LUCK!
-Certified Professional Crop Consultant with over 30 years of experience and a Degree in Plant Science
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