How do I treat my pear tree for fireblight?
Fire blight is a bacterial disease that attacks some plants in the rose family. The causal bacteria is Erwinia amylovora. The term fire blight describes the blackened, burned appearance of damaged flowers, twigs, and foliage. Symptoms appear in early spring. Blossoms first become water-soaked, then wilt, and finally turn brown. These symptoms are often referred to as blossom blight. The blossom blight phase of fire blight affects different host plants to different degrees. Fruit may be infected by the bacterium directly through the skin or through the stem. Immature fruit are initially water-soaked, turning brownish-black and becoming mummified as the disease progresses. These mummies often cling to the trees for several months. Shortly after the blossoms die, leaves on the same spur or shoot turn brown on apple and most other hosts or black on pear. The stems and midribs of diseased leaves often turn black as well. As the twig and leaf blight phase progresses, leaves die, curl downwar
