I'm having the same problem with my peach
trees. I have some ideas about why it might be happening to my trees but I would like to know if there are any known solutions short of chopping them down. I've included a picture to help with my story. The trees were planted 8-9 years ago and they have grown very well in that time. This year I hard pruned the trees to get them down to a manageable size. Last year I used a sulfur spray to try to get control of the fungus that causes the brown rot but I couldn't effectively spray the whole tree that is why I hard pruned this year. Peaches are one of the worse fruits to buy from a commercial grower due to how much spraying is done to get a good crop. I really don't want to be spraying for everything under the sun but I want peaches. Anyway
enough drivel, the reasons that I can come up with that might be contributing to my problem with brown rot are
1. Location - The photo was taken looking north, immediately to the right or east is some large oaks which shade the peach trees until about 11am.
I think the shade keeps dew on the leaves for too long.
2. Location - The trees are flanking my
chicken coop.
There's probably way too much nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium available for the trees to take up, I read somewhere that it can also contribute to the growth of fungus.
3. Growth - I didn't prune them for a open crown because of space. I wanted trees that were taller.
The commercial growers all prune for open centers to improve airflow and light which helps prevent fungus.
These are the things that I can think of and the reasons why but I'm sure that I've missed something. I really don't want to chop down my peach trees but they can't stay if I can't get the fungus under control. If I must get rid of them to get rid of the fungus what
should I plant in their place to provide some shade for the coop and food for me?