Hi all,

I know this is like asking a chicken group when my hens are going to start laying, but bear with me...

I've got an Oregon Curl Free Peach that's about three or four years old. It almost certainly is suffering from bacterial canker (oozing goo, dead buds, sunken lesions on the wood). On the other hand, each year thus far, it has leafed out very nicely and produced a fair amount of fruit this year and last.

My question is this: What is the prognosis for such a situation-- short and long-term. I assume that long-term, it's doomed, but does that mean it needs to come out now? I'd been spraying with sulfur in the winter when I thought it was fungal, but I've accepted that it's bacterial finally... and so I'm planning on pruning off what I can, spraying with bordeaux this winter, and possibly cauterizing the larger cankers ala new zealand.

My plum and cherries seem free of it for the last couple of years. Of course, the conservative thing to do would be to pull it out, burn the house down, move overseas, and never eat fruit again, but I'm wondering about your opinions as to implementing a control program to keep it alive as long as its still so vigorous and productive.

Also, if that's advisable, any other ideas for keeping it as healthy as possible? Prune severely in dry weather? Streptomycin? Does anything actually, reliably help in your experience?

Thanks!

Rian