I need names of some of the herbcides and pesticides I can buy and look for to keep the diseases off my peaches. Please give me something to use. Thank you.
I personally like neem oil, as it is both a fungicide and a pesticide and is organic and safe for food. Here is more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/neem-oil-uses.htm
Some of the limbs are turning black and the trees are weeping sap.
The blackening could be from sooty mold, which is often brought about from pests. In this case, the pests could be peach borers or aphids. Neem oil can help with both the sooty mold and aphid or other pest problem. The article on peach borers will help if that is the problem. Here is more information:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/neem-oil-uses.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/how-to-get-rid-of-sooty-mold.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/peach-tree-borer.htm
The tree is several years old and seems to be otherwise healthy. I have fertilized it but not every year. It has good new growth each year but doesn't blossom out in the spring.
Being in zone 4, there is a possibility that frost is killing the blossoms early in the spring, before they have a chance to open. A light frost will kill the blossoms but leave the foliage undamaged.
Start checking the tree early to see if you can spot flower buds and, if possible, try to cover the tree with a sheet if any frost is expected to try and save the buds.
Also, double check that the peach tree you have is appropriate for zone 4. There are only a few that can grow and bloom in your zone.
I have several fruit trees in my backyard - cherry, Myers lemon and peach. The peach tree has produced lots of delicious fruit for two years. On the 3rd year, there were lots of peaches, but the fruit did not ripen. It stayed small, green and hard. Eventually it all fell off the tree. What are possible causes? If treatment is available, at what time of year should it occur?
It could be either lack of pollination or buttoning, which is insufficient chilling.
In regards to buttoning, the winter prior to the poor season, did you have an unusually warm winter? Without proper chilling, peaches cannot bring fruit to maturity. Different varieties need different amounts of chilling hours, so your may just not have gotten enough the year prior. The only fix for this is to hope that your winter was cold enough this year.
A lack of pollination will also cause this issue. When the flowers were on the tree, did you use a pesticide or was it very windy so that to keep the bees from getting to the tree? There may also have been a pollinator crisis in your area which greatly reduced the number of honey bees or other pollinators, which would have resulted in poor pollination. These articles will help with attracting and keeping pollinators in your garden:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/insect-pollination-process.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/creating-a-pollinator-garden.htm
When to plant a peach tree?
Plant in early spring. The following article should be of some help to you: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/peach-tree-care.htm
When do you fertilize peach trees and what kind of fertilizer?
This article should help with that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/fertilizing-peach-trees.htm
I want to know what kind of spray to use on my peach tree if I see insects on it. When is the correct time to spray a tree? Are insect sprays harmful to the peaches?
Dormant sprays should actually be started in winter. Use dormant sprays before green tissue shows in spring buds. Use on days when the air temperature is above freezing. Use a Superior Oil spray for the first dormant spray application in mid- to late winter. Three weeks later make a second application of Superior Oil or Liquid Lime Sulfur.
When spraying trees to control peach borer pests, choose those with lindane endosufan or chlorpyrifos. Sprays should be mixed according to label instructions. They should also be applied so that it runs down the trunk and soaks into the ground around the base. Try not to spray on foliage or any fruit that may still be on the tree. The best time to spray trees is within the first or second week of July and again in late August or September.
For most pest issues, I recommend neem oil. It is organic and very effective. It is often sold as fruit tree spray at stores. Check the label. Here is more information on neem oil: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/neem-oil-uses.htm