Xtremehorticulture

Independence Nectarine Fruit Damaged

Q. I have a Independence Nectarine tree which I have been nurturing for two years now. This is the first year I have had fruit!  Of the nectarines I kept I am seeing something on them that looks like dried droplets of sap. It is not sticky to the touch but I have 2 nectarines that do not have it.  Are you able to determine if I have some sort of blight with the fruit? Will I just need to take this plant out? A. This type of sap, with all the scarring you see on the fruit as well, is caused by small puncture wounds to the skin of the fruit. When the skin is punctured on immature fruit, the sap oozes out of the hole and dries. Sometimes this dried sap looks like little squigglies coming from the skin.             The holes in the skin are caused by insects called thrips. These insects feed on the sap by pushing their long skinny mouth part, called a stylet, through the skin and rupturing it.             In wetter climates these punctures wounds can cause the fruit to rot due to infections. Here in our hot, dry climate the rotting doesn’t occur as often.             To keep your nectarine fruit tree from blemishes and scarring, you must apply protective sprays to the fruit early in the season. The most effective organic spray contains Spinosad. You don’t want to spray Spinosad or any chemical over and over again or you can end up with some problems.             You want to use two or three different sprays in rotation with Spinosad. Other organic sprays you could use in rotation with Spinosad include Neem oil, pyrethrum and insecticidal soap.             Remember that organic sprays do not last very long and may not cure a really bad problem that is underway. These chemicals are more effective when they are used to protect fruits when you see small numbers of pests.

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Nectarine Fruit Scarring Spray for Thrips Control

If you have a nectarine fruit tree or a relative of nectarine like Nectaplum, expect your fruit to be scarred unless you spray. Fruit scarring due to the Western flower thrips can be a big problem with its production in the Las Vegas valley and elsewhere. Nectarines and relatives of nectarines like this Nectaplum (nectarine x plum hybrid) show severe scarring of the fruit if  not on a spray schedule. The fruit was scarred early (base) but showed signs of some protection (unblemished away from the tip) with repeated organic sprays like spinosad in rotation with other sprays like oils and soaps.  Nectarines are fuzzless peaches. The fuzz on peach fruit offer natural protection from some small insects that attack the fruit like the flower thrips. Flower thrips are out very early attacking anything soft and fleshy they can get their ripping and shredding mouthparts on. Those mouthparts slash away at soft tissue like flowers, emerging leaves and the like as soon as they emerge. I have seen flower thrip damage on the ovary of a nectarine flower while the flower was still open and not yet pollinated. They are nasty. Pictures of thrips I have had reports from people this year already about rose flowers not opening or the petals looking “water-soaked” and damaged before the flower opens. That’s what flower thrips will do. That is natural for them. There are conventional insect sprays that can be used against flower thrips with some success but the sprays must be repeated. Check for sprays labeled for fruits. Botanical and organic sprays will include soap sprays, Spinosad, pyrethrins and oils. Use them in a sequential rotation (one followed by a different one, followed by a different one) when spraying, use a spreader sticker and focus the spray to cover the fruit. This is one reason why you should not skip winter applications of dormant oils on plants that get hit by flower thrips.

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