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| Although not confirmed this is what fireblight disease can look like on pear. |
Ah, Yes the Memories
Do you remember the outbreak of fireblight disease about
10 years ago? Fireblight disease can be brutal to many of the landscape and
Orchard trees in the Apple family (pome fruit) in an orchard if it’s not caught
right away. The hardest hit trees were Asian pear (Hosui, Shinseki, 20th
Century and many others) then the next hardest hit were many of the European
pears (Bartlett in particular) and a few apples such as Mutsu and Pink Lady. This
disease is extremely virulent. Please check in the landscape Pyracantha,
loquat, cotoneaster, Photinia, flowering ornamental pear such as the Callery types.
.JPG) |
| Fireblight disease may not be this obvious to the casual onlooker. |
How Does It Spread?
This deadly bacterial disease to plants is spread from
plant to plant in the spring when the flowers are open or through open wounds after
late pruning. However, this disease is frequently not easily seen until April
or May.
.JPG) |
| This picture is the common description of fireblight disease; black like it was hit with fire and the prominent Shepard’s hook. |
How to Control It
Just because this disease seems to be in remission, don’t trust it. It will be back like gangbusters. Prune out the dead wood 12 inches below where the infection seems to be active. When you’re done making the cut, sanitize your pruning blades within 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol. Do this after every pruning cut. Then when you have all of your cuttings together, bag them, tie the bag shut and put it in the dumpster far away from the infected plants. Wash your hands, your tools and treat them with a isopropyl alcohol I last time before you put them away.
This disease was tweeted by me. So if you don’t subscribe to my twitter account, get it!
Robert Ll Morris @Extremehort
Update: Fireblight
disease is still popping up in May on fire blight pruned Asian pears and their hybrids, many European
pears like Bartlett, some apples, quince, ornamental pear, pyracantha and
cotoneaster; not on citrus, just the rose family. Where did it come from?
Anybody’s guess but it could be your neighbor or at least from the
neighborhood. The most effective treatment is pruning it out. But just like
removing any systemic disease you have to make deep cuts to get all of it. Cut
or prune out 8 to 12 inches below where you see it. Sanitize your
pruning blades with alcohol.