Having peach trees on your property will be a lot of fun in different ways. You’re going to love how nice the peach trees look because they will truly add aesthetic appeal to your property.
Mostly, you’re going to love being able to harvest delicious peaches when the time is right. It takes two to four years for peach trees to start producing fruit, but once they do, you’re going to get a lot of it.
Peaches produce approximately sixty-six pounds of fruit each year, but the number will vary based on certain factors. Regardless, you’re going to have plenty of peaches once your tree starts bearing fruit.
If you’re lucky enough to have a fruiting peach tree right now, then you might be looking forward to enjoying some fresh peaches soon. You’ll be able to make some great desserts using fresh ingredients.
However, some peach tree owners have found out that worms are ruining their peaches. What can you do to keep worms out of peaches so that you can enjoy your peace trees to the fullest?
Spray Your Trees with Pesticides
Spraying your trees with pesticides will be the most logical thing to do when you’re worried about worms. The pesticides will help to control issues with worms.
It’s going to be wise to start spraying your peach trees when they’re young. If you allow the tree to absorb the pesticides into its roots in the first year before planting, then it’ll have increased protection against worms.
During the second year of the tree’s life, it’s recommended to apply pesticides directly to the bark of the tree. You’re also going to want to apply the pesticides around the trunk.
When you apply pesticides this way, it has the potential to take care of eggs before they can even hatch. It simply keeps worms at bay, and it’ll ensure that you’ll be able to harvest your peaches without encountering problems.
How many applications you’ll need to give the tree will depend on a few factors. If the infestation appears to be serious, then you’re going to need to apply more pesticides.
How much you’ll need to use might depend on what type of peach tree worm you’re dealing with as well. Some have to deal with two different types of borers at the same time.
Signs of Borer Infestation
It’ll be good to learn how to spot signs of a borer infestation. This will allow you to take action before things get too bad.
First, it’s important to know the two different types of borers that you might see. There’s the greater peach tree borer and the lesser peach tree borer.
Greater peach tree borers will often dig under the tree bark so that they can feed on the sapwood of your tree. They can weaken the tree and make it more susceptible to other pest issues.
If these pests are present, then you might notice damage to the tree. Sometimes masses of sap liquid and sawdust will appear on the outer bark as a sign of the presence of these borers.
Lesser peach tree borers stick to the upper sections of the tree’s trunk. They might also appear on the upper branches.
If you notice holes in the branches or trunk of the peach tree, then this will be a sign that you’re dealing with borers. It’s best to look for holes when you’re pruning the peach tree in the early days of spring.
Both types will lay larvae in the bark of the tree. During the spring, these larvae will hatch and become adults.
It’s important to look out for signs because female borers have the potential to lay hundreds of eggs in the tree bark. If you don’t take care of things, then your peach tree could really suffer.
Other Pest Issues
As mentioned earlier, peach tree borers can make peach trees more susceptible to other pests. This means that annoying insects such as aphids and mites could wind up causing more issues.
You could wind up having to deal with thrips, scale insects, and even stink bugs. Some of these pests will injure your peach tree, and this might cause it to have visible marks of damage.
For instance, peach trees that are being bothered by pests might have their leaves turn yellow. There have also been instances of leaf curling, premature leaf dropping, and moldy fruits.
This means that you have to worry about more than just worms. The borers are the main problem, but other pests can cause you to not be able to harvest fruit too.
Luckily, you can solve this problem with chemical sprays as well. You should be able to get pesticides that will take care of borers and other pests at the same time.
It also might be beneficial to use fungal management treatments to protect the fruit. This is especially true if you’ve noticed any mold issues on your peaches.
You Can Get Professional Help
Keep in mind that you don’t have to take care of issues such as this by yourself. It isn’t necessary to go out and buy pesticides yourself if you’re not comfortable doing that.
Many peach tree owners simply call local companies that can take care of issues such as this. There are going to be tree businesses in your area that go around and spray fruit trees.
You could set up an agreement with local professionals that will have them come out each year to spray your tree. This will protect the tree from borers so that you won’t even have to worry about them.
This is a painless process and getting your trees sprayed professionally shouldn’t cost you too much money overall. It will generally be more expensive than handling matters yourself, though.
For some people, it’ll be far more practical to have a business come out to do the spraying. If you have many sprays that you need to take care of, then this is an efficient way to go about doing it.
If you only have one peach tree, then you might be comfortable getting your own pesticide spray. It’d still be easier to call a company that can do the job, but it’s up to you to do what’s best for your budget.
Final Thoughts
Worms can certainly be a big problem for peach trees. You don’t want your peach trees to get devastated by borers because you didn’t pay attention.
It’s always going to be a good idea to keep an eye open for signs that the tree is infested. If you notice that anything is amiss, then you’ll want to use pesticides to kill the borers.
Many people choose to treat their trees with pesticides preemptively so that they won’t have to worry. There are even some benefits to exposing peach trees to pesticides when they’re very young so that they won’t be bothered by worms.
You can get professionals to come out and spray your trees at the same time each year. This is an efficient, convenient way to take care of the problem.
If you only have one peach tree, then you might prefer buying your own pesticides and spraying the tree yourself. It’s up to you to decide the best way to handle the situation.
Regular spraying will keep the tree from being bothered by worms and other pests. You’ll be able to enjoy scrumptious peaches in the near future.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys, and I’m so excited to start this adventure with them! In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.