How to save a dying Peacherine tree?

[barbs01]

Peacherine Tree StrugglingPeacherine tree...only a few leavesPeach Tree growing well

Hi fellow gardeners, I planted 2 bare rooted fruit trees in large plastic planters back in June, a Peach tree and a Peacherine. The Peach tree is growing nicely, but for some reason the Peacherine tree did not flourish and has only barely managed to grow a few leaves, and is almost dead. I know we had a terribly long, cold and wet winter and spring and I'm wondering if this tree had poor roots to begin with and has developed root rot.

Does anyone know what I can do to resurrect the tree? I really want to save it if possible. Thanks a lot

[EricL]

Hello @barbs01

It's good to hear that your peach tree is growing well. In regards to your peacherine, can you please tell me a little bit more about its history? How often do you water it? Was it in full growth when you purchased the tree? Have you been using any fertilizers on it? The more information we have about your tree the better we'll be able to diagnose what's happening to it.

In the meantime, I suggest checking the soil condition of the tree, is it damp or dry beneath the soil? Are the roots a healthy colour and not black or dark? Are there any insects or critters in the soil digging around? Anything else you can tell us about the plant would be helpful.

Let me call on our experienced members @Noelle and @Adam_W for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[barbs01]

Hi Eric, thanks very much for the reply to my post. The Peacherine and Peach tree were both purchased as bare rooted trees in June, Im not sure how old they were, maybe 2 years old, they were grafted. The trees were both planted exactly the same, in large black plastic palnters, in quality organic potting soil with added composted cow manure and blood/bone. The soil never really got to drain properly because of the continuous rainfall the whole year, so root rot is very probable. I did remove the soil around the tree about a month ago and inspected the root ball, it didn't look very healthy and had no new root development, no white roots at all, it basically looked the same as when planted. I didn't notice any critters or other insects, but didn't really check for this, to be honest. Is this a possibility, insects or critters in the soil damaging the root growth? The odd thing is the Peach was planted exactly the same, same time, same soil and grew ok, so I am not sure! If it has root rot, can it be saved at all, is there any treatment or product that can be applied to the roots to stimulate growth?

[EricL]

Hi @barbs01

If that's the case and there are no other outside factors invading your plant the only other thing that comes to mind is the pH level of the soil. I suggest using a Manutec Garden Care Products Soil PH Test Kit to test the level in the soil of your peacherine. If it is not in the ideal level of 6 and 7 your plant will not be able to absorb the nutrients in the soil.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[barbs01]

Hi Eric, I have tested the soil pH with my pH meter and it is 6.2 at the moment. I have read that sometimes diluted Hydrogen peroxide is used to treat root rot and fungus on tree roots. Have you heard of that before?

[EricL]

Hello @barbs01

Yes, I've heard of this treatment before, if you're planning on using this recovery method, I suggest removing your plant from its pot and placing it in a shallow bowl with good drainage so that when you wash the root with the mixture it will drain away properly. Please make sure to throw away your infected soil and not mix it with your compost. Please make sure to wash your pot very well and disinfect both the pot and any tool you used with a water and bleach mixture.

if you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[barbs01]

Thanks very much for that information Eric, I think I am going to give this a try.