ginko and pear trees died right away after being planted!
jjjjade H
8 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (9)
Select Landscapes of Iowa
8 years agojjjjade H
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Pear Tree - will it survive? (kinda long)
Comments (10)ladykitsu: I very much doubt that fireblight had anything to do with the problems of your newly planted pear trees. Fireblight attacks actively growing trees, and yours, as you describe them, have never begun to grow. Something else is causing your problems; perhaps bad nursery stock, but more likely something you are doing at planting time, perhaps allowing the roots to dry out, overwatering after planting, or God knows what. If you decide to try again, order in bareroot nursery stock from a good nursery, and plant very early; as soon as you can work in the soil without your fingers freezing. A May-planted tree that has not leafed out by August is dead for practical purposes. When putting in little trees, loosen the soil around the planting hole well, but do not add any fertilizers or other soil amendments in the planting hole. Do not overwater. And please do not try any more 4-in-1 or 3-in-1 trees until you have mastered planting the 1-in-1. You would be better off with two trees of complementary varieties than any of the multi-grafted trees. Spraying your little trees will have no effect at all on fireblight. You don't say what spray material you are using (which you should helpfully specify), but there is no spray chemical in this world that will stop an active fireblight infection once it is underway. I mention this not because I think you have fireblight, but for your future reference. If you have been spraying the trees with such frequency using a dormant spray such as oil or copper, you may have killed the trees with the spraying itself. For lurquizo: While I respect (in a way) your aversion to the use of "poisons" on your fruit trees, I ask you this question: If you had a bad case of strep throat and the doctor prescribed an antibiotic, would you take it? Fruit trees occasionally need the interventions of modern science and technology to maintain their health and productivity, and if you consistently decline to take advantage of them you will end up with dead trees. Fireblight is a bacterial disease, easy to spot on pear trees by the blackened leaves and the shepherd's crook bend at the ends of dead shoots. It starts early, and, while heat and rainfall may favor its spread, you can have both heat and rain and still largely eliminate fireblight by using two sprays of agricultural streptomycin; one at full bloom, and another about a week later. Streptomycin is an antibiotic, not your usual chemical, that stops fireblight before it gets started. Like so many other fruit trees diseases, prevention is the key, since once a disease like this gets going it is impossible to cure. I don't know where you are located (you should say), but here in Northern Virginia we have more than a month of temperatures in the mid-90's and occasional thunderstorms. But I have no fireblight in my orchard of over 65 trees because I applied streptomycin twice; in late April and early May. Streptomycin has no effect whatsoever on honeybees (which I keep here) or other beneficial insects. General "trimming" of the trees in the hope of eliminating fireblight will not work. If fireblight does appear during the growing season, pruning must be prompt and targeted at the infected branches. When you cut through a branch, inspect the interior to see if the wood is completely healthy with no signs of interior blackening. Keep pruning down until you see no more suspicious color within the branches or twigs. Gardening is not so tough once you figure out and cooperate with nature's cycles, and are willing to use carefully targeted chemical interventions when that becomes neccessary. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA...See MoreEuropean pear tree, favorite for canning?
Comments (22)I also find that it is easy to wait too long to pick Harrow Delight and that it's probably because of being a summer ripening pear (same deal but more so with Tyson). Of course if I was more concerned about them I'd probably be more attentive- I think they start to change color here before they get over ripe. Harrow Delight has grown well for me once it recovers from the transplant. OHXF strains seem to be a bit sluggish in plugging in. Cut back the spurs and favor the most vegetative wood and it should get going. No pear I've grown is necessarily spray-free- at least here in the northeast. Pests can show up after many seasons and this has happened to me at many sites with pears. At my own site E. pears now require more effort than any other fruit I grow, although I haven't tried to sort out which might require less effort. My Harrow Sweet with an Aurora graft gets no special treatment (inconvenient location for spray) and so far does well, but has only been bearing for two years. The Warren pear has me intrigued although I've never grown it. I wonder why it isn't grown more. Does it take forever to come into bearing?...See MorePlanting fruit trees in heavy clay in MD and apple/pear rootstock
Comments (20)Lind, I'm pretty sensitive to drainage because I've lost so many trees to it. A few years ago I got tired of pulling out dead trees, so I installed a field tile in most of the orchard area. It drains a lot of sub-surface water into a neighbor's pond. The tile stopped trees from dying but many trees still weren't thriving, so I've been slowly converting more trees to mounds. It's just what I have to do here. When I pull one out, I build a mound if I plan to go back w/ a peach. In my area, which may be different from MD, the soil stays wet from about Nov. thru June of the following year. It's the months of April, May, and June that the soggy soil does the trees in. In the past I've made my mounds out of regular native soil because it's free. This has worked very well for me. Below is an old photo I took this Spring. The tree directly to the left of my son was just starting it's second leaf/year. The tree in the mound on the right was also starting it's second leaf. However, the one on the right was not in a mound the first year and suffered stunting. So last fall, I dug it out, built a mound, and replanted. This picture was taken before either tree had put on any appreciable second leaf shoot growth. Both trees were the same size at purchase (bout 3/4"). My other trees in mounds perform similarly. Lately, I'm running out of places to dig, so I've been experimenting using wood chips as a base and putting soil on top as the growing medium. By the textbooks, this is a no no. But like I say, this is an experiment. This week I just got through building 10 more mounds for more trees. Rented a Dingo to build the mounds. Have 18 peach trees coming for next season, and have a mound for every one....See MorePlants dying right after mulch laid... nitrogen robbing or?
Comments (24)Thank you for your interest. We are in the Chicago area. The plants most affected are Lady's Mantle and Salvia. After investigating further, we determined that the problem was that the mulch had been lying on the leaves for a few days and discolored those areas. Especially the Lady's Mantle with its large leaves. We were our of town when the work was done. Yesterday we were able to get out and work in the garden and figured it out. It was a sloppy effort by the crew that put down the mulch. We've had the garden mulched several times over the past few years and had never experienced this. Hoepfully the plants will recover quickly and there is no permanent damage. Thanks again....See Morewaynedanielson
8 years agoToronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
8 years agojjjjade H
8 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years agolongtee81 (Zone 5a)
8 years agojjjjade H
8 years ago
Related Stories
EDIBLE GARDENSHow to Grow Your Own European and Asian Pears
Try these trees for their good looks, delicious fruit and wide range of sizes — plus you can espalier them
Full StoryARBOR DAY8 Reasons to Plant a Great Tree
Beauty is its own reward, but the benefits of planting the right tree in the right place go way beyond looks
Full StoryPETSGarden Alert: 22 Plants to Keep Away From Pets
Avoid potential danger by keeping dogs and cats away from these landscaping and houseplant favorites
Full StoryHOLIDAYS10 Ways Your Christmas Tree Can Live On After the Holidays
Learn how to recycle your Christmas tree and reap benefits for the environment
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESWhen and How to Plant a Tree, and Why You Should
Trees add beauty while benefiting the environment. Learn the right way to plant one
Full StoryCHRISTMASReal vs. Fake: How to Choose the Right Christmas Tree
Pitting flexibility and ease against cost and the environment can leave anyone flummoxed. This Christmas tree breakdown can help
Full StoryMOVINGMaking a Home Away From Home
Feeling like a stranger in a strange land? These tips can help ease the transition after a big move
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESPlant Black Cherry Trees for the Birds and Bees
Plant Prunus serotina in the Central and Eastern U.S. for spring flowers, interesting bark and beautiful fall color
Full StoryNATIVE PLANTSWhy Aggressive Plants Might Actually Be Your Friends
Sometimes a garden thug is exactly what’s called for
Full StoryTREES7 Deer-Resistant Flowering Trees to Plant this Fall
If you live in a neighborhood with roaming deer, consider these beautiful trees that won't tempt hungry guests
Full StoryColumbus Design-Build, Kitchen & Bath Remodeling, Historic Renovations
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5