Have you sprayed Roundup or another herbicide near that tree? It kinda looks like some pictures posted recently involving Roundup damage. The writeup linked below mentions narrow leaves like yours except your tree looks worse.

Here is a link that might be useful: Roundup on peach

This post was edited by fruitnut on Wed, Aug 21, 13 at 18:54

Nope no sprays. I was thinking maybe high phosphates? But yet none of the other trees show this. Low nitrogen?

This is also the 2nd year it has done this. Same time of year also. But this spring leafed out beautifully.

This post was edited by Puggylover75 on Wed, Aug 21, 13 at 18:58

Could be a nutrient deficiency. Also looks somewhat like iron chlorosis. But those don't usually cause the leaves to drop.

The spots look like nitrogen deficiency to me. Has it rained a lot? Sometimes nitrogen leeches out in wet soils. But root damage can cause nitrogen deficiency too, like something eating the roots, or too wet or too dry. Is the rootstock different from your other trees? Sandy soil, on Lovell, susceptible to nematodes. Possibly another root disease?
It happened last year too, hmm, probably not nematodes, else your tree would be dead. I would guess environmental in some way. Keep us updated.

It is a puzzle because if too wet or too dry, the other trees would be showing similar symptoms. Like this spring it was wet here, and my trees were looking light colored, but some fertilizer solved the problem. A couple showed those spots, which stopped once fertilized. The trees on Lovell showed worse symptoms. But nowhere near as bad as your tree. No leaf drop. I would say it's not getting nitrogen, but have no idea why?

Narrow leaves its Potassium the color and spots don't count when have potassium deficiency a fertilizer like 5-10-15 should bring new growth in line. Your zone says have time to recoup tree.

Drew-
My soil is clayish, and is heavy but I get good run off (when it does rain) from the trenches that I have dug on both sides of trees. Kind of a terrace style so water logging has not been an issue. I will pull mulch back from the trees in our little rainy season.

Here we have not gotten any rain in months. I have set up drip systems for all my trees but the older ones (like the tree in question) barely get watered. I have watered maybe 4 times this season (Since them breaking dormancy). They are covered in a 4-6" layer of horse manure and wood chips. Just dug down in the soil a couple of days ago to make sure there was still moisture and there was plenty.

Our land was horse property so that is why I was thinking maybe high phosphates maybe the cause but wouldn't the other trees show similar stress? I have also not fertilized except for the horse manure that I put around the trees in the spring but again wouldn't this also affect the others as well?

I would also figure that this tree would be on Nemaguard or Lovell rootstock coming from HD. I have many other trees on those rootstocks closely planted that received the same level of care.

I should also mention that I see no signs of pests, canker or wood disease on the tree. There is some discoloration on the branches shown in the pics (Yellowing and spots similar to the leaves).

I am stumped as to why this is happening again. I thought last years problem was over when it leafed out this year and looked great (I even had to summer prune). Could the pruning have anything to do with it? I didn't prune harshly just cleaned up the middle and cut back size by about 2 feet.

Would a soil test be worth it? Fertilize like Gator mentioned and see what happens?

This pic is a tree 15' from it on Nemaguard in its 2nd summer.

Yeah it is a mystery, the other tree looks awesome it is quite big! Maybe it has some kind of virus?

Puggylover Zone 9B Norco, CA

what is the latest with your peach tree?