Dying pear tree.

[Greenewing]

Hello there! So I have a small pear tree that started producing last year. This year I pruned it for the first time and have been having trouble ever since. I got a touch of sunburn, so I painted the top and base trunk. Because of the paint I noticed spider mites which we had last year and I didn’t know they over wintered. The spider mites seem gone, I treated them and we had a ton of lady bugs around. Now patches of leaves, especially the area around the blossoms, have gone black and are dead. Right before this happened I saw that a few leaves had a peach fuzz over them and were curling. Now my peach tree has a few fuzzy leaves and a few dead blossoms. Does anyone have a clue what it could be? Thank you very much.

[JONA]

There is a chance Greenwing that you’ve got an attack of Fireblight.
I hope not..but it doesn’t sound too good.
There are several reasons for browning of leaves. Scab being the most common. But that nearly always starts with just brown spots that gradually get bigger.
Mildew will cause a furry down like appearance on leaves around the cluster but they crumple up without complete desiccation.
Is there any local gardening club who could confirm?
Fireblight is not good..as it means certain removal of affected trees.

[PaulF]

Jona knows better than I, but the latest information is to refrain from painting any part of the tree. To help fight fire blight you can prune the affected branches at a point at least nine inches down from the dead parts. Be sure to disinfect your pruners with bleach water between each cut. Your tree may be so young and small that this pruning may be too much for the tree and you may have to start over.

[imafan26]

It does sound like the tree is too far gone. I don't live in a cold climate but I do have fruit trees. Pruning should always be done at the right time. Pruners need to be sharp and clean. Clean tools by wiping the sap off the blade and spraying the blade with alcohol . Let it air dry 90 seconds before making the next cut. Always cut just above a node to reduce die back.

I do paint the cut ends of my roses because if I make cuts bigger than 1/4 inch, I do get die back on the canes. I only using pruning sealer on the cut ends only. Trees and shrubs that are prone to fungal and bacterial diseases need extra care to prevent entry of pathogens into wounds.

If fruit is on new wood, don't prune too much of the new wood off or you will be giving up your fruit. Most trees and shrubs should not be pruned by more than 1/3. Citrus trees don't like to be pruned so they should only be pruned to remove broken branches and to control height. Lateral branches should be spared as much as possible to preserve fruit. Severe pruning can make trees stop production for years.

[Greenewing]

Unfortunately it does look like fire blight, I just looked it up. I think I’m going to cry, it has been almost six years I’ve been waiting for fruit and this year it looked like I was about to get some.
I did wash my pruners with soap and water between trees, but no alcohol. What can I do to save my apple tree, it is about thirty feet away from the other two sick trees and is in between them.
These are my first trees, so I’m still finding my feet on how to care for them.

[JONA]

If there’s still healthy timber on your trees then it’s a case of getting all infected material off the tree.....and it’s companions... and burning the pruning.
As has been said , clean pruning equipment between cuts by dipping in disinfectant.
It really is a devil to control once established I’m afraid.