[nafex] Re: Brown-rot resistant peaches

["Kieran or Donna" <redherring@tnaccess.com>]

Before you rip out the trees you already have, consider what you can do to
make them more resistant.  For example, silica is supposedly part of the
cell walls, and accroding to biodynamics, their silica prep will make plants
more resistant to funguses.  You may have deficiencies in your soil that
make the plants more susceptible.  A CEC type soil test,  could tell you
this.   A&L labs have a website, they do this kind of test.  It's $13 for a
much better test than your co agent offers.  You will need one of their
booklets to interpret it, or HANDS ON AGRONOMY, by Neal Kinsey.  In
California a peach orchard used compost at 5 tons to the acre, which
practically eliminated brown rot.  I would take that last with a bit of
salt, if they were clients of a soil consultant who does CEC testing, they
already had gotten their soil in balance.  So you may have to do both, and
it may take a year or two.  But well balanced soils makes crops that are
superior in many ways, and eliminates other headaches, some of whcih may yet
be lying in wait for you.  If you do the whole 9 yards, you'd better hone up
on your peach canning and drying skills, you'll need them.  I cussed for a
couple of months over all the tomatoes I had to can this summer.  My hubby
said it was because I'd planted too many, but I always plant that many.  Of
course I beam with pride when I open them.  I just would rather have dried
them, but the weather didn't cooperate.  Donna