Is This Fire Blight

[Scouse Lee]

Hi guys, just had a call to go round & look at this Pear Tree that is reputedly over 100 years old (this pics from last February)

 

 

Apparently about 12 days ago some of the leaves started looking like this

 

 

At the moment there's only about 15 or so clusters of leaves that are like this, all on the tips of branches & fairly well spread out over the tree, the owner said they started turning black from the edge in plus she also said that the blossom was very short lived this year.

I suspect it's Fire Blight, would you agree.

I am going to go round tomorrow & cut all the affected twigs off,(I'll burn them), then at the end of the season I'll spray as much of the tree as I can with Bordeaux fungicide.

Do I need to inform DEFRA btw.

Oh yes, you see that black part of the trunk just below the first branches, well that does indeed look like it's been set on fire at one time or another and the owner says it's been like that for years but doesn't remember it burning or anything, I don't think fire blight does this to the wood does it but can it be another problem?

Cheers

[alliaria]

Looks like it, usually has a characteristic hooked terminal shoot.

I dont think it is notifiable anymore.

[Pommie]

Looks like it, usually has a characteristic hooked terminal shoot.

I dont think it is notifiable anymore.

 

And a cambium stain and dead flowers usually too

[Scouse Lee]

Cheers guys, can't say the terminals look that hooked tbh & haven't noticed any staining although I will have a proper look this week. Went round on Wednesday & removed all affected leaves/twigs plus I picked every old leaf I could find up off the ground & burned it all, had another look on Friday & it didn't look to bad,(although I knew I wouldn't have managed to get it all), just been round again & sure enough there are more areas with it, again spread out over the tree. Fire Blight is the only thing I can think of it being but has anyone got any other suggestions?, what do you recommend I do now, carry on pruning on a weekly basis & hope I can control it or go for broke & prune right back,(bad time to do it I know). Also I reckon I should feed some nutrients to the tree, what's the best stuff for a quick hit, sulphate of ammonia?

While I'm here has anyone got any recommendations for a sterilising solution to spray on my pruning tools while I'm working, I've used isopropyl alcohol in the past but am having trouble finding it here in the outback lol.

[Scouse Lee]

wow 206 views & just 2 replies!!! ok then does anyone know of another site where I might be able to get this & other questions answered by knowledgeable people

[Goaty]

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fera.defra.gov.uk%2Fplants%2Fpublications%2Fdocuments%2Ffactsheets%2Ffireblight.pdf&ei=fpb9T4mhCqeU0QWf5d3CBw&usg=AFQjCNFNULjkQWCtYD7Lo_bUnF7QDQMjkQ

 

It is notifiable if on commercial nurseries, I think what you have there could be wind/frost chill on tender new growth. It happens when the winter is mild then a cold snap comes suddenly. Check samples using the diagnosis in the above link.

[agg221]

An opinion - this doesn't look like fireblight to me - I tend to think of fireblight as affecting more of a 'patch' than scattered shoots. It looks to me more like local damage as Goaty has suggested and I think he's probably right. The other things that can do this are pear scab, or girdling canker at the base of the shoot, which is a particular problem in damp weather. Alternatively brown rot can do this if it gets into the spurs.

 

I wouldn't prune back anything other than dead/dying at this stage - if it is fireblight you won't get enough to control it and the tree is of an age and style where it will be hard to get it back. Also, pretty much all the causes except for chilling off are fungal. I would therefore write off any crop for this year and spray with a fungicide. Writing off the crop by deliberately removing it will also help if it's brown rot, as it will break the cycle.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Alec

[Scouse Lee]

Cheers Goaty much appreciated, yes I looked at that defra info when I was 1st called round to see the tree, as I said in one of my posts I couldn't see any staining or 'shepherd's crook' but most other things pointed to fire blight although I have been telling the client that I had a little doubt about it, the wind/frost chill would make sense as we had that really nice week back in March followed by a couple of frosts then almost constant wind & rain, (lovely place Devon lol), all this after I'd pruned the tree in February so the wounds were still pretty fresh. I've also got a thread on here regarding a couple of Daimyo Oaks that have had problems, that too seems to be down to frost damage. I will continue to remove any blackened leaves/twigs & hope that the tree improves, (I gave it a feed of Growmore the other day to hopefully give it a little boost), but I have to say that I'm a bit more hopeful for it now, it would be a shame to lose such an old tree.

[Scouse Lee]

Cheers Alec, again much appreciated m8. Yep the Pears aren't going to amount to much this year but the clients ok with that as she likes the tree for itself rather than the fruit. I plan to spray with Bordeaux mixture at the end of the season,(been stocking up seeing as it's being taken off the shelves next February), so fingers crossed.