Peach Leaf Curl on Fruit Salad Tree: Diagnosis and Prevention

Curling, Dropping Leaves on Your Multi-Graft Fruit Tree

A Fruit Salad tree (peach, apricot, plum) showed classic peach leaf curl: thickened, curled, reddish leaves that drop prematurely. The disease is caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans.

Why It Returns Year After Year

Spores overwinter in bark cracks and bud scales. Infection occurs as new leaves emerge in cool, wet spring weather. Once symptoms appear, it's too late to stop that season's damage.

Effective Control

• Apply a single dormant spray of chlorothalonil (Bravo) or copper fungicide just before bud break
• Cover the entire tree thoroughly
• Repeat annually in late winter

Current Season Care

Keep the tree well-watered and fertilized to support new growth. The tree will likely produce a second flush of healthy leaves.