How to Treat Diseases that Affect Ornamental Pear Trees

Pyrus calleryana, popularly known as the ornamental pear tree, is a different tree to the one that produces edible pears. It is a deciduous tree species native to China which can grow to more than 60 feet tall. It sports thick foliage and has a rounded crown and white, sticky, sweet smelling flowers.

While their value to landscape designers is undeniable, the long list of diseases affecting ornamental pear trees means you need to keep a close eye on them.

Ornamental pear trees have many flowering pear tree varieties and there as many diseases affecting ornamental pear trees as there are types of the tree. Having said that, the diseases affecting ornamental pear trees are not that different to the ones which blight the ordinary pear tree.

So what are the main diseases affecting ornamental pear trees?

Fire Blight Disease is the most destructive of the diseases affecting ornamental pear trees and can cause extensive damage to your trees if not treated in time. It is a bacterial disease that mainly affects smaller, younger leaves during the spring. It manifests itself as sticky deposits on the plant stems. You can get rid of it by spraying it with a bacteria resistant fertilizer.

Another of the diseases affecting ornamental pear trees is Leaf Scorch Disease
This normally occurs in dry and hot weather when the roots cannot supply enough water to the leaves so it is important to make sure that there’s plenty of moisture in the soil around the tree. Mulching around the tree and wetting the soil will help your tree stay healthy as will making sure the roots aren’t damaged by lawn movers or strimmers.

Leaf Spot Disease is one of the most common diseases affecting ornamental pear trees. It is a fungal disease that causes greyish white leaf spots and defoliation. Once you spot it, treat it quickly by spraying it with any regular fungicide.

Apart from these common diseases affecting ornamental pear trees, there are several other flowering pear tree diseases that can cause problems. These include crown gall disease, blisters, late leaf rot, sooty mould and powdery mildew.


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