- Fire blight is a bacterial disease of fruit trees, such as pears and apples. This disease causes many pear trees to delay fruit bearing and die. Certain types of pear trees are resistant to fire blight. Many areas grow only disease resistant varieties.
- Fire blight produces symptoms such as black or brown leaves, scorched leaves, blighting of shoots, limb loss, delayed fruit bearing and cankers that eventually girdle the tree, killing it. Symptoms of fire blight most commonly occur during the spring months. Fruit may also be blighted and rotted areas on pears turn black.
- Planting disease resistant cultivars is one way to avoid fire blight in your pear trees. If your tree shows symptoms of fire blight, prune out branches with cankers. Pruning should be performed during the dormant season to prevent the spread of disease. Avoid fertilizers with excessive amounts of nitrogen and fertilize during the early spring or late fall, once growth has stopped. Control insects, as they wound trees giving fire blight bacteria easy access.
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