Fire Blight Questions

[grizzlywon]

So, I bought a pyrocantha from a friend last Nov. It has been growing well since but I noticed in late spring this year that some of the leaves looked burned at the tips. Golden brown like a torch touched them.

I asked Al about it and he said it was probably Fire Blight. He suggested that it would be a loosing battle to save it. Being one that likes a challenge, I separated if from the rest of my trees and plucked every leave off that had even a hint of brown. I also cut off some branches. I then cleaned my tools as he suggested. I have lots of roses in my yard and suspect a bird crapped on it and infected it!

It looked great for the last month or so, but now the brown is coming back on some leaves.

I looked it up fire blight and found out a lot, including the recommendation that the trees can survive if you remove it all before it gets to the roots. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_blight and here: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7414.html

But here is my question, what do you guys suggest, and what do you do to prevent this devastating infection? Al and others have bragged about how good this species is for bonsai, and I have seen some great response from this tree to training and it grows very fast. I just don't feel real good about going out an buying anything in the family of trees that are threatened by this.

Wiki says "Sprays of the antibiotics streptomycin or terramycin can prevent new infections." What sprays deals with this?

Thanks

First pic when I bought it, next after major trim and then more restyling.

 

[grizzlywon]

Here it is today. I just picked off all the brown leaves a few weeks back and it is back.

 

[meushi]

The tree doesn't show the symptoms of fireblight, could it be something else? I would expect the leaves to be black-ish and wet looking, the twigs black, oozing and starting to curl with entire limbs dieing back.

Additionally, the antibiotics recommendation is for the blossom infection phase... they have to be applied shorty before or immediately after infection. They are useless for the shoot blight or if applied after the symptoms start to show.

 

[Smoke]

That doesn't look like fireblight to me either. Pyracantha are very susceptable to nemetode and they can really do some damage because they affect the roots and that can cause the damage like you see.

I suspect this is a root problem and nursing it untill winter may be the only thing you can do. They can be repotted in late August and that may be a treatment you can try. Cutting off the galls and treating with hexol might do the trick.

 

[head_cutter]

However, pyrocantha are the least affecetd by the disease and the most probable to survive it. Pretty much a 'weed' tree (no offence I love them) and it looks like it is otherwise in good health. What I have done in the past--with good results--is to remove all affected leaves then begin regular sprays of copper, weak solution, weeklyfor about a month. During that time, on a bi weekly basis I've used a deluted bleach solution as a soil drench, roughly one teaspoon to a gallon. I've used a few teaspoons (per gallon) of Ivory soap as a 'spreader' in both solutions. However, if you can find glycerine, it works better as a spreader-sticker for the foliage spray.

You should also keep removing any leaves that begin to show symtoms.

Bob

 

[grizzlywon]

I bought some copper spray yesterday and treated it today. It said on the bottle that it treats pyrocantha for fire blight and "scab." Is this scab, whatever that is?

 

[bonsainotwar]

Some pictures of fire blight

Pear

Apple

Hawthorn

 

[bonsainotwar]

I had fire blight on a pear a couple of months ago.The sprays didn't help.I think there may be resistant strains out there.The tree was healthy enough,that it did put out healthy new leaves.

 

[grizzlywon]

Wanted to update you on the pyrocantha that doesn't have fire blight but is doing very poorly now.

Like I said, I sprayed it with copper spray and here it is a few days later.

The majority of the leaves have turned brown and at the same time, there is some new growth.

My best guess would be that other than an issue of some unexplained fungus, bugs, etc, the soil seems to be draining slower than it should but it seems pretty dry at the end of the day so I have been watering it twice a day like most all of my trees in this 106 temp weather. It seems like the pot is very full of roots, almost like a sponge!

I have never repoted this tree, as I bought it last fall and didn't want to do it then. I was planning on doing it this spring.
It gets about 8-9 hours of sun, morning till about 4PM.

What should I do? Move it to the shade? Do a gentle repot into a better soil, and no root pruning?

Help!

 

[grizzlywon]

So what do you guys think would be best for this tree as of now?

 

[Klytus]

They say burning,i feel your pain as the black spot is appearing on some of my plants.

 

[Smoke]

Totally defoliate it. Water sparingly due to not having leaves, still probably daily just check this plant with a chop stick and be more attentive to it.

Put it in some shade and just let it go. You may be killing it with kindness. If it responds this will do it. If it doesn't there was probably nothing you could do anyway.

 

[bonhe]

Hi Grizzlywon, looks like your tree suffering from Blight (not Fire Blight). I don't think it can make it. Sorry for your loss. Bonhe

 

[grizzlywon]

I agree, I think its a goner. I pulled it out of the pot today just to look. I have just a couple white roots all others are black. It is in a pretty free draining soil, looks like lots of perilite. At least I only paid about $7 for it.

 

[bonhe]

I agree, I think its a goner. I pulled it out of the pot today just to look. I have just a couple white roots all others are black. It is in a pretty free draining soil, looks like lots of perilite. At least I only paid about $7 for it.

Did you overfeed it? Bonhe