Ok, please do not try this without checking it out first. Here is my story. I had this problem more then once. The first time I got these crawly threadlike things in my soil (ie. Last summer), I ended up throwing out my Thanksgiving Cactus. So last November, I purchased a few more Thanksgiving Cactus from the supermarket. I noticed those pesky tiny fruit flies/knats flying around my plants. ( they usually lay their eggs in the soil ) Well that was it! I mixed a combo of rubbing alcohol and water and sprayed the surface of the dirt on my newly purchased plants really well. I have knat/fruit fly traps all over...ie.. Near each plant. For the first time since the Fall, I recently saw the first little bugger and put out my traps. I may do my alcohol/ water spray again. But this is risky. It did not kill my plants, but it can kill them if you overdo this. Proceed at your own risk. Best to try to control this problem. I do not think you can completely avoid it if you have live plants in the home. They LOVE organic soil and there may be unhatched eggs in the organic soil you buy at the garden center to transplant your thanksgiving cactus into a new pot in the Spring. So far I have NOT transplanted anything. Nor have I fertilized anything. These tiny fruit flies/knats come in through screens or with your groceries/fruit that you buy at your local supermarket. They can even come up out of the drain in your sink! I have added photos of these traps. They work well so far for me. You can purchase them at Home Depot or True Value Hardware.

I just wanted to inform people that I had my pear tree problem resolved by sending an inquiry including the photos I had attached above. From the report back it looks like Mark was correct. You can read what the center emailed me and below that see the form I had to fill out to get their opinion. They also sent a link for me to read. I did inform Mark that it looks like what he stated above was correct. Lou Hi Lou, Bad news. It really looks like your tree had fire blight. It's not good. See http://fpath.cas.psu.edu/Fruit_facts/Apple/FBAP.html for more info and management. I think your tree variety is one of the Clapp's. It's listed as suseptible to Fire Blight. There are pears that are less suseptable but none are immune (that I know of). FYI, the easiest tree fruit to grow is probably a disease resistant apple (Liberty is one variety, there are several others). You will still have to spray to control insects but as least disease/fungus should not be a problem. Thanks for the photos, they help a lot. Good luck with your tree. Jean -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: pezzuti@verizon.net [mailto:pezzuti@verizon.net] Sent: Fri 6/19/2009 7:55 PM To: Lehigh MG Subject: Plant Problem Form Submission Plant Problem Submitted: 6/19/2009 7:55:13 PM Contact Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Lou Pezzuti Address: 139 Todd Lane PA 18235 County: Carbon Phone: E-Mail: pezzuti@verizon.net Plant Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Plant: young grafted pear tree Variety: Clapps Problem: Mewlwy formed leaves are discoloring. Tips ofa few of the leaves turn black and some curl. trunk does not seem to be effected. Tree is very small yet. Symptoms appeared: After leaves appeared on the tree Occured before?: No Plant part affected: Leaves Symptoms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Yellowing: Browning: Interveinal Wilting Other: I can provide a photo taken just a few days ago. Lots of rain this spring Type of Planting ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Yard Problem Area ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunny Soil Type ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Clay Soil Moisture ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Terrain ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sloped Drainage ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Good Size of Planting ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Acres: Sq Ft: # of Plants: 1 Extent of Problem ----------------------------------------------------------------------- % of plants affected: # of plants affected: 1 Trees/Shrubs ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Approximate Age: 3 feet Height: How long in present location?: 2nd season Chemicals Applied This Season & Previous Season ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Fertilizer: Early spring table spoon 5/10/10 sprinkled around drip line. Fungicide: Told to use copper dusting-did so. Insecticide: 3 in 1 garden control Herbicide: Nematicide: Disturbances ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Turf-grass ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional Comments ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I added these things mentiond above and also sprayed with Sevin and also added Epson Salts-1 tblspoon to gallon of water. I have a photo stored on photobucket.com. I am going to see if I can paste the address here to see if you can see the two photos of same tree. Thank you for your time Lou Pezzuti. http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k215/pezzuti9/?action=view&current=Sicktree2.jpg http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k215/pezzuti9/?action=view&current=Sicktree3.jpg

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.

There was no insect damage. No any other blemish on the surface. Today I tossed another big tomato of the same variety (Mashenka) with the same symptoms. Did not even cut and looked inside. This type of fruit damage usually happens to me in autumn, when the days become cooler and we have morning dew. And it happens more often on certain varieties, with thin skin and soft flesh, such as Malachite box from the last year. I never had BER on my tomatoes. The leaves by now started to show the moderate signs of septoria and I started to spray them regularly. I was thinking that it might be Gray mold, but was not sure enough because it did not look exactly as on the pictures. And it never had any gray fuzz on the surface. It seems that the decay starts inside and it works its way outside appearing as rotten wet spots, which leak liquid excessively and probably spread the infection. So right now I think that it is some kind of fungus and I will spray accordingly. Maria.