Are these aphids?

[NewGarden82]

Hello. Recently I planted a peach tree. I noticed a massive amount of ants on it, and the tree leaves began to wilt. Some are yellowing, some are red and spiky, others have white blotches. I took a picture of the leaves with extreme zoom, and saw green things attached to the leaves. Are these aphids or something else?

 

[Chuck]

No, they are not insects. I believe that what you have going on is called edema. It is a disorder caused when the roots of plants uptake more water than the leaves can transpire. Many different types of plants do this and it shows a little differently on each species of plant. On some plants such as yours it also causes water lesions on the leaf which turn into those dead brown papery areas of the leaf. This disorder usually is caused by limited light intensity and too much water.

 

[NewGarden82]

No, they are not insects. I believe that what you have going on is called edema. It is a disorder caused when the roots of plants uptake more water than the leaves can transpire. Many different types of plants do this and it shows a little differently on each species of plant. On some plants such as yours it also causes water lesions on the leaf which turn into those dead brown papery areas of the leaf. This disorder usually is caused by limited light intensity and too much water.

So should I reduce watering to 1-2 times a week? I began watering more because I thought it was sickly.

 

[NewGarden82]

No, they are not insects. I believe that what you have going on is called edema. It is a disorder caused when the roots of plants uptake more water than the leaves can transpire. Many different types of plants do this and it shows a little differently on each species of plant. On some plants such as yours it also causes water lesions on the leaf which turn into those dead brown papery areas of the leaf. This disorder usually is caused by limited light intensity and too much water.

Also, if they are not insects then what are the greenish yellow bulbs?

 

[Chuck]

So should I reduce watering to 1-2 times a week? I began watering more because I thought it was sickly.

There is NO SET SCHEDULE for watering. Water when the top 2 or 3 inches of soil is DRY.

 

[Chuck]

Also, if they are not insects then what are the greenish yellow bulbs?

Those are the effects of edema. Little pustules of moisture. The roots are intaking more water than the leaves can transpire. Plants must do something with the water it uptakes through the roots. In every leaf there are millions of cells that form openings in the leaf surface and are called stomata. These cells regulate how much moisture is released through transpiration. When there is too much water for the stomata to handle these little bumps form and are comprised mostly of water. Insects have legs. See any?
This is an aphid

a kind of insects named aphid on the green plant

a kind of insects named aphid on the green plant

www.istockphoto.com

 

[NewGarden82]

Those are the effects of edema. Little pustules of moisture. The roots are intaking more water than the leaves can transpire. Plants must do something with the water it uptakes through the roots. In every leaf there are millions of cells that form openings in the leaf surface and are called stomata. These cells regulate how much moisture is released through transpiration. When there is too much water for the stomata to handle these little bumps form and are comprised mostly of water. Insects have legs. See any?
This is an aphid

a kind of insects named aphid on the green plant

a kind of insects named aphid on the green plant

www.istockphoto.com

Ive seen an aphid before. Its just that this is my first tree so I had no idea what it was. So i just jumped to "aphids."

On a side note, should I trim the tree now, or wait until next year?

 

[Chuck]

Ive seen an aphid before. Its just that this is my first tree so I had no idea what it was. So i just jumped to "aphids."

On a side note, should I trim the tree now, or wait until next year?

It would be best to plant the tree now in the ground and wait until the tree goes dormant this winter to prune it.

 

[NewGarden82]

It would be best to plant the tree now in the ground and wait until the tree goes dormant this winter to prune it.

Okay. Thank you!

 

[Chuck]

Okay. Thank you!

I forgot something. Wait to prune until you see bud swell.

 

[NewGarden82]

I forgot something. Wait to prune until you see bud swell.

So in January - March then? Im in zone 6, so I have long winters.

 

[Chuck]

So in January - March then? Im in zone 6, so I have long winters.

Yes, during that time. The reason for waiting for bud swell is so you can tell if a limb or limb tip is dead and to have a good guesstimate as to the percentage of buds to remove. A peach tree will always produce many more buds that will turn into fruit than it can support. If you don't remove enough of the buds the fruit will be small. Usually peach growers remove about 50% of the buds each year.

 

[NewGarden82]

Which buds should I remove then? How do I know if it is viable?

 

[Chuck]

Which buds should I remove then? How do I know if it is viable?

The buds grow on the limbs and you can see them. When you prune you remove limbs and/or portions of limbs with the buds on them. If the limb has buds it is alive and so are the buds. The buds turn into blooms which become peaches if pollinated so you have to assume that all buds are viable.
There are two methods of removing excess numbers of peaches from a tree. The first is by pruning limbs. The second is by thinning. Thinning involves letting the buds open, bloom and set fruit. Then manually removing every other fruit on a limb or every 2 fruits or sometimes 3 fruits on a limb. It all depends on how heavy a bloom you have. Pruning is much easier