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Fruit & Orchards

Asian Pear with black spots on leaves, small worm

9 years ago

I have a Drippin Honey Asian Pear tree planted two years ago. It has not yet bloomed (not sure if that is normal) and last year leaves began to turn black and dropped even though I sprayed with a home-made spray (forget the mixture I got off gardening forum). This year, it was looking great and added a foot or two of top growth and then today I noticed black spots starting again. Like last year, the tip of the tree seems to be taking the worst of it, and it moves down the tree, with the bottom branches not yet affected. Many leaves seem to display black near the base of the leaf at the stem and then speckles on the leaf. Seems to me like there is some significance to the damage at the leaf/stem junction. I picked a leaf to come inside and google for possible causes and after examining with a magnifying glass, I finally spotted a small green worm about .5" long or smaller and very slender. Bright green like some cabbage worms but smaller. Any ideas what I am dealing with? I had already decided from my google searches to spray with copper sulfate for fungus and did that late today. I am not sure if it is a single problem or if the small worm eating the leaf is unrelated to the black spots on other parts of the leaf.

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Comments (3)

Scott F Smith
9 years ago
Thats hard to say without a picture. Google for images of fireblight and pear psylla and see if either of those looks like a match.

Scott
cudesinew
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks scottfsmith! It seemed like spraying helped (and I found aphids on the tip leaves of both my pears). I am loathe to squish anything between my fingers but became so frustrated I finally did press the leaves together and rub in an effort to smash aphids without destroying the top growth. My top leaves on the Asian Pear died anyway but they seemed worse than my Turnbull Pear when I discovered the aphids. It is probably too early to tell if the problem is really resolving, but if not, I will take a pic and post it. I did definitely have a worm issue and aphid problems. I noticed a small scar on the Asian Pear trunk bark today about 18-24 inches above ground and hope its not fireblight. I have several animals in the back yard from time to time and they like to rub and get up against the trees also so I sort of thought they may have been the problem. The trunk is only about 1" diameter and animals could have damaged it although that seems a little high for my cats and small dog. Pics of fireblight have me worried. The sites recommend pruning 12 inches below any damage for fireblight, and since it's a young 6-8 ft tree, it seems crazy to cut it down nearly to the ground. I sure hope that is not what caused the bark damage I saw.
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Sharppa, From what I've gathered from several experts here, for peach, each problem is treated with different chemicals at different time. Peach leaf Curl and backterial leaf spot, I use copper during dormant season. I use copper hydroxide (Kocide 3000) in late fall and early spring. For brown rot, some use Monterey Fungi Fighter about a month before harvest. Otheres use Captan (which also helps with peach scab). I have not used any. So far, brown rot is not too severe for me (yet). Peach scab, some use Captan, I use wettable sulfur (not as effective but, to me, it's less harmful than Captan). You should add sticker such as Bonide Turbo or NuFilm 17 so the chemicals stay on trees longer. As for insects, I also use Triazicide but some here don't think it works for them. I work for me. I don't use immunox on peach. It does not help. Immunox is famous for preventing Cedar Apple Rust on apples in the spring. I'll see if I could answer your Asian pears on another post. I have 4 Asian pear varieties and more than 4 pear problems!!! By the way, what part of the country you live. It can make a difference.
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Keepitlow: I am also guessing, without seeing the spots, but pear psylla is also a possibility. Psylla is a complex insect cycle, beginning with a small fly, and ending up depositing honeydew on the leaves and fruit that eventually becomes covered with black mildew. A couple of heavy applications of oil spray in the dormant season, with very complete coverage, especially in the crotches of branches, will usually eliminate overwintering psylla. I have seen it in the past on my trees, but dormant sprays have eliminated it completely. You can Google "pear psylla" and read about the life cycle of this insect problem that eventually becomes a fungal problem. Do you ever spray your pear tree with anything, either a fungicide or insecticide control, and if so, what and when do your spray? If you don't spray pears at all, one or another problem is going to get you eventually. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
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pomonaflower
9 years ago
We have an Asian Pear, and it produces fruit every other year despite blooming every year. Last year we had about a half bushel of pears, the year before - one! It's first year in our yard (three years ago) it produced about a dozen fruits. All of the fruit it produces, however, has surface pits with a very hard, stony growth underneath. Doesn't seem to affect the taste but could potentially break a tooth!!!!

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