# A sick pear tree?



## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

I've got a two year old bartlett pear tree that has never thrived. The leaf stems curl up tightly, while the leaves are fading, with some dieing. The leaves show very little insect damage. I sprayed the tree with some rose bush fungi and insect spray this spring, with no response.

I talked to a local nursery fella, he suggested not enough water, or possibly an iron deficiency, since our soil contains very little. However it receives plenty of water, and if it's not from irrigation water, it's from a deep well that is very high in iron. The other nearby fruit trees are doing well? (Apples and plum). I toss down a couple of fertilizer spikes every spring around all of them, which are for evergreens. Is there much differrence?

Any ideas?


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## lisa's garden (Apr 1, 2010)

Is there any chance that an herbicide could have drifted onto the leaves? 2-4D causes leaves to curl up. If the curling foliage is turning black, it could be fire blight. You might want to check with your local master gardener hotline through the County Extension service. Maybe search online for images of herbicide damage and fire blight.


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