The tree is a KIngston Black apple which is supposedly highly susceptible to Fireblight. I am hoping water damage is the issue. Fireblight has never been present in our orchard in years past, But I had something a lot like fireblight cankers on a harrwow sweet pear this spring that got pruned out...so my "radar" for it has been turned up. I wish the OFM would leave the apples alone...I see no fruit damage from them, but we get 2 rounds of egg laying in the growing tips, the more significant in the late spring. All our apples get hit to varying extent, but I have not seen the damage in the pears. It's become a growing problem over the last 3-4 years. I have tried to keep up by just pruning out flagging tips, but it has clearly not been enough. I know Scott has had some success with mating disruption and I need to look into that. I think if I could get the timing just right on Bt or spinosad I could hopefully still get things reined in. Barring that my options are limited if continuing to go the organic route.

Just had a funeral for a bed of Bar Harbor junipers that have succumbed to phomopsis twig blight. Reasonably sure of the diagnosis. Just about to replant with new junipers (Blue Pacific) and need to know if the bed should be treated with fungicide before planting. Any wisdom on this out there?

Hi, I just bought a couple of these plants and they also have the dark blotches on the older leaves. I don't think it is anything to worry about since the younger leaves look just fine. I have had somthing similar on my lamium and goutweed. Both were severely stressed early in the season because of our drought. I cut them back to the ground and they are both regrowing beautifully. However, I would not recommend cutting back the kerria since it blooms on old wood. My guess is that the spots on the kerrias are related to some sort of stress.

Another way of training your pear trees would be to sink into the ground beside the trunk a 6 ft. tall length of 1/2" galv. steel electrical conduit and to loosely tie the trunk to the pipe. After a couple years of mulching/feeding/watering, the side branches below 3-1/2 ft could be clipped off so as to leave a straight, upright, branchless lower area for the placement of a galvanized slit pc. of metal duct to keep climbing rodents from harvesting pears in the future. As the upper branches develop, you are likely to have numerous sideways-growing branches growing out from the central leader/trunk. You want the pear trees to have at least one central, tall, thick, dominant trunk.......Congratulations on your fruit tree growing decision. It can be done.