Apricot tree curl leaves

Hi everyone!

I am new in gardening and I have inherited a few plants in my garden from the previous landlord. Amongst them, there is an apricot tree. This year the leaves were great, until few days ago when they started to curl.
Maybe it's just leaves growing but I'm afraid there is a problem with it.
Additionally, there are few leaves with holes inside.
I live in Germany and it has been very sunny past 3 weeks with temp between 15-20C. I do water it every evening, normal amount, like previous years.
I think the tree is about 4 years old or more (the highest branches reach about 3m, bit more maybe).

Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
Ana-Marija

 

Normal cause is 'coz the leaves got wet in the winter. A temporary "roof" to prevent that in the winter (November to mid May) would help.

Bit late now, sorry.

 

hi Kristen!
thanks for your answer!
However, I am not sure I understood it. there were no leaves most of the winter, they started to grow perhaps 4-5 weeks ago.. and then it was all good and there was no rain at all lately so only water they were getting was from me watering it.

 

Yeah, sorry, its the wet over the winter period which encourages the fungus which then causes the leaf curl.

You may be able to treat the fungus, but I don't think there are suitable chemicals available to amateurs - I keep my Peaches and Nectarines etc. under cover in order to avoid the problem

 

Looks like aphids to me, open up one of the curled leaves and look inside.

It doesn't look like peach leaf curl to me.

 

This is common in Apricot, peach and nectarine trees, its a fungal infection called peach leaf curl, its due to the wet ground we had a few months ago, a copper mixture application or other fungal drench will combat it, there used to be a brand called PY, that was safe to use on edible crops, but you will have to search on the web for it.

 

That's good to hear I jumped to that conclusion ...

personally I would have said less common in Apricot than the others, so I am hopeful that @pete is right

 

I've only seen peach leaf curl in peaches, but I assume apricots might be susceptible as well.

In peaches the leaves get a pink and red colouring and thicken.

Peaches also suffer from leaf rolling aphid early in the year, so I'm guessing it is that rather than peach leaf curl.

 

thank you all for the replies!
I have checked inside of one of the curled leaves and found some kind of miniature worm, is this the aphid thing? Do you have advice what is the best product/way to fight them?
thanks so much once again!!

 

Miniature worm?
Could we be thinking of some kind of caterpillar maybe?

A general insecticide should kill most, but the leaves will not improve its only when new growth looks better that you will know that you have solved the problem.

 

Ok, I will try with a insecticide then, thanks!
But in general, if not treated, would this be a problem later on when the fruits are supposed to start to grow/would it reduce the production of fruits?

 

If it goes away on it's own, then no.
But if it continues and gets worse it probably will have an adverse effect on the crop.