Problems With Nectarines

Skin Breaks

• Nectarine skin is prone to crack and split. Skin sometimes breaks when the fruit is handled, when the fruit falls from the tree or when the fruit is exposed to a lot of dew or rain that weakens the skin while the fruit is still expanding. Skin splitting can also occur as a result of russeting or damaged fruit. When the skin cracks, the surrounding fruit may begin to rot, depending on the size and depth of the crack.

Russeting

• Nectarine fruit is prone to russeting, which is caused when tiny insects, such as thrips, eat away at the fruit during the early weeks of blooming. Thrips scar the nectarines when they are still small, and as the fruit grows, the scarred tissue grows. The scarred, russeted tissue is still edible and presents no harm if consumed, but many people do not like the texture and so cut russeted parts off the fruit.

Pit Splitting

• Nectarine pits sometimes split at the beginning of growth seasons during May and June, when the earliest maturing varieties of nectarines are grown. Splitting occurs during this time because nectarines bloom so rapidly. To decrease instances of split pits, reduce watering of nectarine trees after the fruit grows to an inch in size.

Powdery Mildew

• Powdery mildew is a problem that can affect nectarines during various stages of growth. Powdery mildew may first be observed on the terminal leaves of shoots. When leaves are affected, they become misshapen and puckered. As the fruit matures and develops, white spots of powder and mildew appear on the surface. Sometimes, powdery mildew does not appear until the fruit has been picked and transported for sale.