# whats wrong with my pear trees?



## Buffy in Dallas (May 10, 2002)

We have a small orchard that we planted last spring. Pears, peaches and plums.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed that about half of one of the pears leaves turned brown and some fell off. The other was just fine and had 2 baby pears on it. This weekend I went out to water and every leaf on the second pear tree was brown. It went from fine to completely brown in one week! :sob:
The first pear is about the same, only 1/2 brown. All the peaches and plums are great.
I saw no sign of bugs. I looked at Pictures online of Pear diseases but it didn't look exactly like any of them. Any Idea what could do this?


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## EDDIE BUCK (Jul 17, 2005)

Well it sounds like the one with all the leaves brown is dead.It could be many things,but to die that fast,if no herbicide was sprayed on it,my first thought would be voles.At ground level or just below,they will gnaw the bark and girdle the tree.

Also borers will kill fruit trees,but you should see the holes with saw dust around them.Fire blight will also kill fruit trees, but it normally takes a while.My guess is voles.If it is voles,you can protect the remaining trees and any new ones you plant,using hardware cloth make a small cage around each tree and bury the ground end 3 or four inches in the ground.

Sorry to hear about your trees.Borers killed six of my peach trees,three years after they had started making peaches:awh:Also one apple tree, them blasted voles took out.I have pretty much given up trying to have fruit trees,to many critters like them other than me.Good luck with yours from here on out. 

*VOLES *http://landscaping.about.com/cs/pests/a/vole_control.htm FIRE BLIGHT http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/treefruit/diseases/fb/fb.asp


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Fire blight? Pears are susceptible.


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## Randy Rooster (Dec 14, 2004)

fire blight.

One of my two new pear trees has it- I had been wondering why it was doing so poorly and this year the leaves started the browning and curling.


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

are they getting enough water..try cutting off the ends of the branches that look dead but leave the stubs and any buds that might resprout..mulch heavily after soaking well with water..

i had a cherry tree that was declining fast and a pear tree that the leaves wilted and turned brown on and they were just drought stressed, i watered them really well and mulched and one that was on a slope i built a swale around the trunk to capture water..and both two weeks later are growing new fresh leaves


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## GoatsRus (Jan 19, 2003)

I agree with fire blight. I had the same thing happen to my pears that's why I no longer have pear trees. I'm finding that it's happening to my apple trees now and they are the next to be pulled up.


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

I'd say fireblight too. Pears and apples are very, very susceptible to it. It's a terrible disease with devastating impact on orchards as it stays dormant in the environment for a long, long time. 
Typical fireblight hits fast and causes the leaves to look scorched or burned, almost as if someone had lit a fire too close to the tree and the leaves were too close to the fire.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I spoke with a professional horticulturist about my asian pear tree. Its leaves had turned yellow with a couple of burned places on the ends of a couple; then some leaves were curling; and some leaves were streaked (green & yellow). I was told it had probably received "too much water" and the minerals had been leached from the ground. She told me to add "20 Mule Team Borax" to crushed egg shells & an iron capsule and place around the drip line; that I would probably lose the leaves already affected; but that the tree would not die.

I have done that and am keeping a close eye on that tree. (Our soil is sandy loam and that tree was planted near the garden where we "spray" water for hours most nights.)


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## Buffy in Dallas (May 10, 2002)

I know its had plenty of water, I mulched and fertilized. I'm leaning towards fire blight. So what can I do about it. Does this mean I can never grow apples or Pears again? Do I have to rip these out? What about my peaches and plums. Will they be OK? I read the article about fire blight but I need the "for dummies" version.


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## Randy Rooster (Dec 14, 2004)

I dont know how old your trees are but mine that is sick is a second year seedling. I intend to remove it and replant this year with a tree from another nursery. Id make sure you gett the root if you go back in the same spot. Youd probably be better off to plant somewhere else.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Some varieties are much more resistant. We have an old Keiffer pear that is probably 40 years old. Asian and sand pears are more resistant than Bartlett.


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2010)

In the winter, when you prune cut back below the affected areas on the limbs, There will be burnt looking spots, make sure you cut below those areas. Haul away or discard far away from your fruit trees. You can get some agricultural streptomycin to spray with in the spring. Fire blight is a bacterial infection.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

This thread is very interesting and timely.
My Braeburn Apple isn't looking too healthy...leaves looking a bit 'burnt'...apple about 20 ft away looks good and healthy.
Cherry trees are dropping brown leaves and fruit...it was to be the best harvest yet. Property owner sprayed all the fruit trees in the early Spring...hmmm, I've noticed one of his Apples isn't looking too good either.
The Wild Cherries all look good...gonna be a good harvest if I can beat the birds to 'em.

I'm wondering if it is an infection OR it's possible the trees didn't like the 4 1/2 inches of rain June 1st to the 15th..

If it's not one thing it's another...that's what makes farm life so exciting and I wouldn't swap this life for anything.


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