Nectarine and peach get yellow leaves

Courageous hobby gardeners always dare to grow a peach or nectarine in our latitudes. If the project is successful, you will be rewarded with aromatic fruits that clearly outperform supermarket goods in terms of taste. Unfortunately, the cultivation of these warmth-loving fruit trees also presents some unpleasant challenges. Yellow leaves well before autumn indicate that the nectarine is not "happy". Its owner must find both the cause and a solution to it.

Diseased trees

The peach tree, which goes by the beautiful botanical name Prunus persica, is grown in our areas of many diseases haunted. This also applies to the smooth-skinned nectarine, bot. Prunus persica var. nucipersica, which is closely related to it. Most of these diseases indicate their presence with leaf changes.

However, these are rarely accompanied by a simple color change from green to yellow. Rather, there are patterns, bumps or other shades of color. The dreaded curl disease can be recognized, among other things, by the curled leaves. Therefore, take a closer look when the leaves of your tree lose their familiar appearance in order to really fight the right disease. Otherwise any help for the tree may come too late.

Symptom yellow leaves

If peach or nectarine only shows yellow leaves without any other changes, there are two possible reasons. The harmless cause is provided by nature, which turns the leaves of this tree yellow in autumn for good reason. The tree pulls the green chlorophyll out of the leaves, since it would be useless to leave the leaves on the tree in the dark winter anyway.

Even if the leaf dress turns yellow in summer, the lack of chlorophyll is responsible. In this case, however, this is not a matter of nature, but rather a sign of illness. This disease is known as chlorosis, also popularly known as bleaching or jaundice. Since chlorophyll is indispensable for photosynthesis, which is essential for life, the cause of the disease must be tracked down and a solution found as soon as possible.

Cause of chlorosis

The formation of chlorophyll comes to a standstill if the nectarine or the peach lack important nutrients. This can be iron, nitrogen or, more rarely, magnesium. Without these elements, Prunus persica cannot produce leaf green. The possible reason why the fruit tree is missing these elements can be found in the following listing. There may even be several causes for the deficiency:

• wrong pH of the soil
• the absorption of nutrients is disturbed
• the soil is poor in nutrients
• there is insufficient fertilization
• the fertilizer does not contain these substances or hardly at all

All of these points must be clarified so that the solution can be approached in a targeted manner. However, it remains questionable whether the harvest of the year can still be saved.

Countermeasures

There are several options to choose from to cope with a nutrient deficiency.

Check and optimize the pH value

Neither peach nor nectarine can develop ideally in a calcareous soil. The soil should be slightly acidic to neutral so that nutrient absorption works smoothly. This problem is less common in the garden. With a peach or nectarine tree in the bucket, on the other hand, the soil can be more often in the alkaline range. Test the pH with a quick test from the garden center. Ideally, it should be in the range of 6.5 to 7. If the pH is higher, you need to lower it. For example, special compost or coniferous soil can be used for this. The use of peat, on the other hand, is not recommended for environmental reasons.

Tip: If possible, water these two fruit trees exclusively with rainwater, which, in contrast to tap water, is slightly acidic and contains little lime.

Fix disturbed nutrient absorption

A damaged root system can also be responsible for the lack of nutrients in the nectarine and thus for the yellow leaves. It is damaged by prolonged waterlogging. But so-called drought stress can also be present. This tree species has a so-called. Heart root system, which is a combination of deep and shallow roots. However, the deep roots hardly ever reach the groundwater and cannot completely supply the tree with water if the shallow roots cannot find water in hot summers. However, the tree can only absorb nutrients dissolved in the water through its roots.

• water the tree on hot days
• Mulch the root area
• loosen heavy soils with compost
• Pot copies need a drainage layer
• must not stand in water

Tip: Strongly compacted soil in the root area also makes it difficult to absorb nutrients. So loosen them up regularly. Be careful not to damage any roots.

Test the soil for nutrient content

You cannot tell that a soil is poor in nutrients. That is why it is advisable to test the composition of the soil every few years in a home garden. Nectarines need plenty of nutrients and need to be supplied with them on a regular basis. The leaner the soil, the more it has to be fertilized. If this aspect of care is neglected or not adequately satisfied due to lack of knowledge, there will be nutrient deficiency. If you have chlorosis, you should have a soil test carried out as soon as possible so that you know the missing element and can supply it in a targeted manner. After that, the tree has a good chance of recovering soon.

Check the fertilizer used

Compost and manure usually contain all the necessary nutrients in sufficient quantities. In addition, horn shavings and some fruit tree fertilizers are suitable for a good supply. However, there are also fertilizers available on the market that lack iron and magnesium or are too low in doses. Check if this is the case with the fertilizer you are using, which consequently could have led to chlorosis. The solution: Immediately replace such a fertilizer with a more suitable one.

Question nutrient dosage

The dosage or the number of fertilizations per year is another point that affects the concentration of nutrients in the soil. Check your previous fertilization, it should be as follows:

• fertilize throughout the growing season
• first supply with compost or manure at the end of February
• Fertilize monthly from May
• Do not stop fertilizing until after September
• Follow the recommendations for commercially available fertilizers

Tip: If you exceptionally use a chemical fertilizer for a nectarine or peach, you should combine it with extensive watering. Otherwise, the fertilizer can cause burns to the roots.