🍄Fungal diseasesSevere
Peach Leaf Curl
Risk near you, next 48h
See whether your local forecast favours this disease right now.
When it strikes
Temperature
7–19°C
Humidity
≥85%
Leaf wetness
Required
Season
Spring, Winter
About
Peach leaf curl (Taphrina deformans) infects peach and nectarine trees during cool, wet spring weather as buds swell, distorting new growth and weakening trees over years.
Symptoms
Thickened, puckered, red-to-purple curled new leaves that later turn powdery white and drop; reduced fruit set and twig dieback.
Organic Treatment
Apply copper or lime sulfur as a dormant spray in late winter before buds swell — the single most effective measure. Remove distorted leaves.
Chemical Treatment
Chlorothalonil or copper applied at leaf fall and again before bud swell.
Prevention
Spray during dormancy every year, plant resistant varieties, and keep trees vigorous. Timing is critical — once leaves emerge it is too late.