masssive attack of fireblight

10 years ago

Just as the pears and apples in my new orchard were really beginning to come into their own, I've been hit badly w/fireblight. Every pear is infected, and a couple apples are showing sign. I suspect the challenging weather the last several years, but there could be too much nitrogen as well as I mulch heavily w/grass clippings. The orchard is kept immaculate, so I can rule out hygiene. Really the cause is irrelevent at this point. There is absolutely no way for me to prune it all out due to several reasons--sheer number of damaged limbs alone is daunting. Is it worth getting streptomycin or even doing a copper spray now???? I'm at a point I don't think I want to replant. Any help appreciated.

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Comments (6)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
10 years ago
I'm sorry you've taken such a massive hit. I'll bet the trees were looking great before the attack.

Unfortunately The only option now is pruning. Those sprays won't phase anything at this point.

Do I remember correctly that your orchard has no competing vegetation? If you do decide to replant, skip the mulch, plant grass to compete with the trees, and don't fertilize unless the trees show N deficiency. Slowing down the trees and planting resistant varieties are your best bet. Slowing the trees growth will help.

I've got about 80 dead and half dead trees from a freeze. We can replant together.
northernmn
10 years ago
Fruitnut.... I have a couple of apple trees (Honey Crisp and Zestar) that appear to be battling with fire blight. I have 3 or 4" of inches of wood chips around the trees to keep the weeds down. I haven't fertilized and the chips were pretty raw to have added any nitrogen. Growth rate has been slow (average to below average) Would the wood chips still contribute to a higher risk of fire blight?
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The tree came from Johnson's Nursery in Georgia. I planted it along with four other apples, gala, golden delicious, gold rush and red delicious. Nothing was added to the planting site except orchard starter tablets, and to the other trees. This year I planted a watermelon patch around this tree, but not the others. The area was amended with aged horse manure,and covered in permeable black plastic, as a weed control. All of the melons have a drip emitter at the base of each plant, but not at the tree. I sprayed all of the trees with a fungicide twice during the spring and they all were fed 10-10-10 twice this season. The other trees look great. This is the only tree that had signs of fireblight, and I've had to prune out those areas a number of times, during a wet spring, but afterwards the tree seemed to recover. The present problem just started about 2 weeks ago. All of the trees get very little hand watering. They rely almost solely on rain. There is at least five feet of separation between this tree and the melons. If it isn't fireblight, then what is it, and what do I do about it?
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" I am also finding fireblight on my green leaf honeysuckle shrub, a mock orange, and a hydrangea. This is strange because what I read about the disease is it is not supposed to attack certain plants." You are correct........whatever is going on with these plants, it is NOT fire blight! That only affects certain plants in the Rose family and none of those are. Unless you are very skilled at it, self-diagnosing plant problems is pretty risky. You can wind up applying the wrong thing for the wrong reason and just making things worse. Take samples of the other affected plants into your extension office for an accurate diagnosis as well possible control remedies. btw, fire blight is treatable as well. Fixed copper sprays or streptomycin can be applied in spring when conditions are conducive to infection, immediately pruning out affected stems and winter pruning to control any stem or branch cankers and following good garden sanitation in fall and winter will help a lot. 'Dolgo' has strong FB resistance so a good candidate for rehabilitation!!
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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
10 years ago
northernmn:

If growth is moderate or lower that's about all you can do in that regard. Some people throw on hands full of fertilizer and it does make the trees look good. But it adds to FB risk.
rayrose
10 years ago
Agrimycin will definitely help you get things under control. It did for me last year, when I had the same problem. But it will take a daily inspection and pruning for the rest of the season. Mine was caused by too much nitrogen fertilizer combined with constant rainy weather.
This year, I've seen only a couple of minor strikes that are easily pruned out. Pay special attention to disease prone varieties. I was amazed at how some varieties seemed to be totally immune to the fire blight, while others were fire blight magnets. I had it only my apples.
The pears were not affected, mainly because i chose FB resistant varieties.
fireduck
10 years ago
Fireblight is one of those things you really want to catch early. If not, you get too far behind the power curve. It is not easily treated. Pruning well behind the infection is the best/most effective method. FB is highly contagious...and pruners can spread FB...and make things worse. Radical pruning is tough...but it may be B's only hope. We feel your pain....
Scott F Smith
10 years ago
In my ten years of battling fireblight it was Ray's suggestion to pay attention to the trees where its the worst that finally solved my problem. When I got serious about that and removed all the worst offenders my fireblight dropped to near-zero.

Meanwhile read up on one of the models like Cougarblight and spray agrimycin based on the timing. Fireblight is all about timing, occasionally those "perfect storm" conditions will arise and fry your trees. If you get the agrimycin welcome mat down before those conditions hit you will do OK.

Scott

masssive attack of fireblight

Comments (6)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

northernmn

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