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[Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

Peach leaf curl does hurt peach trees just as any defoliation at the start of growing season would hurt any tree.  It often renders the crop useless (small and tasteless) and weakens the tree.  One spray of Bravo a couple weeks before bud break is a practical solution in my opinion.

 

The cultural way of reducing chance of infection is keep trees openly pruned with plenty of space between trees and keep any turf within a few feet of trees closely mowed at least until summer.  In my nursery I only see peach leaf curl in closely spaced trees.  The longer dew remains on the leaves after daybreak, the greater chances of infection it appears, at least in the northeast.   This is also apparently true of brown rot.

 

On the subject of gooseberries, I personally prefer Invicta to Poorman although they are of similar eating quality in my experience.  Invicta is prettier (I like striped gooseberries) and less susceptible to mildew.