What Is Fire Blight?
Fire blight (sometimes spelled as one word) is a bacterial disease. The type of bacterium that causes it has the Latin name of Erwinia amylovora. The disease attacks trees and bushes in the rose family. If you have not been introduced to the rose family, please note that this designation does not refer simply to the fragrant rose bushes with which you have probably been familiar since childhood. For example, both apple trees and pear trees belong to this plant family. Not only do the pear trees grown for their edible fruit succumb to fire blight, but also ornamental types such as ‘Aristocrat’ pear trees. While Bradford pear trees are relatively resistant to fire blight, that does not mean that they are totally immune to it (especially in warmer climates). Blackened flowers are an indication of fire blight. Fire blight bacteria can move down a branch and form a canker; it can eventually kill the branch or even the entire specimen. Remember that, since bacteria is at the root of the problem, treatment with a fungicide will have no effect on fire blight.
Treating Fire Blight
Taking care of fire blight DIY-style is somewhat problematic, according to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. They write, “Copper products are the only materials available to homeowners for fire blight control, and they often don’t provide adequate control even with multiple applications.” They suggest that some good can be done by a weak “Bordeaux mixture or other copper product applied several times as blossoms open,” but they go on to say that this will not solve your fire blight problem entirely. Have an arborist look at your Bradford pear tree if it is infested with fire blight. The disease can be treated if it is caught in time. An arborist will locate, prune off and dispose of the affected branches to stop the spread of the bacteria. As professionals, arborists also have access to sprays to which the average homeowner would not have access. An arborist may elect to use a bactericide (with streptomycin sulfate) on your Bradford pear tree to control fire blight.
