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Fruit & Orchards

What is wrong with my Pear Trees

9 years ago

I have 3 pear trees, and the leaves are just ravaged and look like crap. They have pretty much been this way since early spring. I bought them from Stark Bros. and planted them in late February or early March. They initially put out new branches and leaves and looked great, as did my apples, peaches, plums and pecans. However, shortly thereafter all of the leaves did this, and have not really recovered. I tried spraying with Bonide Fruit Tree Spray, and Monterey Liqui-Cop a few times, and neither has seemed to help. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (9)

Scott F Smith
9 years ago
That looks like pear scab. You need to spray early in the season for it so next year will be when you can get rid of it. Below is a standard page on treatment for it.

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: UC Davis pear scab page
alan haigh
9 years ago
There are other scab resistant varieties- at least for my area in SE NY. Harrow Sweet (and Delight, as mentioned), Bartlett, Dutchess, Delicious and Magness seem pretty resistant. Bosc and Seckel, amongst others, are quite susceptible.

I have found pear scab more difficult to control than apple scab and Captan and myclobutanil are not affective against it.

Mancozeb is probably the best synthetic to use for it that's available to the home grower. Goddam UC Davis has swallowed the organic cool-aid. They no longer seem to provide well rounded information for home growers- whose decision is that? If synthetic pesticides are legal to use in CA it is their responsibility to supply information on their safe and affective use.

If it was my trees I'd cut them down and plant more resistant varieties, though. Pears should not be so much work.
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Glad to hear it's not that dreaded disease! Next stop then, I would suggest, is to go down the road of a possible fungal invection. Scab. Do the leaves not only look black mottled but also look blistered? If you've had any fruit on it do they appear blackish-brown and scabby? If so and it is scab, then keep tree open centred by pruning remove any scabby shoots and rake up fallen leaves and burn them. Spray tree with THIRAM,or TRIFORNE+BUPIRIMATE, BENOMYL,orCABENDAZIM.
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mmckey2
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the advice folks! I hate to cut them down so soon, I might let them go another year, and if I have problems like this again, I will cut them and try something else. I am in Louisiana, I probably should have followed LSU Ag's advice and planted kieffer and orient, but I wanted a decent fresh eating pear, so tried these from Starks. I will try to spray them to prevent the scab next year, thanks for the link!
curtis
9 years ago
If you give up on these it is better to cut this back and graft. You have a good existing root structure that will bring you to fruit faster then a new tree
rayrose
9 years ago
What varieties did you plant?
appleseed70
9 years ago
H'man...are you sure myclobutanil is not effective against pear scab. Everything I read about it last year recommended myclobutanil among other things. One study suggested Thiram was the most effective, although I'd have no idea where to get it.

Sulfur is also reportedly effective up to early fruit set. I spray sulfur only on pears and have never had any fungal issues of any kind on any sprayed pears. One pear that I did not spray because it was a disease resistant variety (Potomac) did have a touch of scab last year. Sulfur controlled it. This year I sprayed and it did not return.
mmckey2
Original Author
9 years ago
I planted Starking Delicious, Moonglow, and Stark Honeysweet.
joel77
9 years ago
Im finding these spots on my pear trees leafs. Anyone know what this is ?
Bradybb WA-Zone8
9 years ago
joel77,
That looks like Pear Tree Leaf Rust.Are there Junipers nearby?They share the same disease. Brady

Here is a link that might be useful: Pear Rust

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