Pear (European) in Zone 9 -- plant

Bloom timing & cross-pollination

Pear (European)s need a partner

A lone pear (european) tree sets little or no fruit. Pear (European) flowers need pollen from a different variety, carried by bees, and the two trees have to bloom at the same time to trade it. Plant a second variety whose bloom window overlaps, within about 50 feet.

Comice blooms mid season. 4 varieties overlap and can pollinate it: Ayers, Warren, Bartlett, Bosc.Best pick: Bartlett, the strongest bloom overlap of the group.

Bar length shows how long each variety blooms, roughly 8 to 14 days. Bars that overlap can cross-pollinate.

▲ Tap a variety to see its pollination partners

Very early Early Mid Late Very late

Hood✓ partner

Kieffer✓ partner

Orient✓ partner

Seckel✓ partner

Moonglow✓ partner

Ayers✓ partner

Warren✓ partner

Bartlett✓ partner

Comice✓ partner

Bosc✓ partner

Anjou✓ partner

Magness✓ partner

The pollination rule

This is the most important thing about growing pears: one pear tree alone usually will not make fruit. Pear flowers need pollen from a DIFFERENT pear variety, carried by bees. So plan to plant two different kinds of European pear, not two of the same, within about 50 to 100 ft of each other, and make sure they bloom at the same time. A couple of varieties (Bartlett, Anjou) can set a small crop on their own in mild areas, but even they do much better with a partner. Watch out for one famous mismatch: Bartlett and Seckel cannot pollinate each other, so give each of them a different partner like Bosc or Comice. And a few varieties (like Magness) cannot pollinate anything and need two partners themselves, so ask the nursery before you rely on one as your second tree.European pear is largely self-unfruitful: a lone tree, or two trees of the same cultivar, sets little or no fruit. Plant a second, genetically different European pear whose bloom overlaps, within about 50 to 100 ft, with bees to move pollen between them (pear flowers are low in nectar, so strong bee activity matters more than for apples). A few cultivars (Bartlett, Anjou) are PARTIALLY self-fruitful and will set a light crop alone in mild climates, but all of them yield heavier, more regular crops with a pollinizer. Bloom groups must overlap to cross. Mind the known incompatibilities: Bartlett and Seckel will not pollinate each other, so pair each with a third variety (Bosc, Comice, or Moonglow). One caution: a few cultivars (Magness) produce sterile pollen, cannot serve as a pollinizer, and themselves need two other compatible varieties nearby. European and Asian pears can cross only when their bloom genuinely overlaps, which is often unreliable.

In a pot

Yes, on a dwarf rootstock, 20 gallons and up

Only the smallest pear trees do well in pots, the ones grown on a dwarfing quince or OHxF 333 rootstock (ask the nursery). A normal-size pear tree quickly gets too big for any pot. Every 2 to 3 years, trim some roots and replace the top few inches of mix. And remember the pollination rule still applies: even a potted pear needs a second, different pear variety blooming nearby to make fruit.Containers suit pear only on a genuinely size-controlling rootstock (a quince stock, or OHxF 333); a semi-vigorous or standard tree will outgrow any practical pot. Expect to root-prune and refresh the top few inches of mix every 2 to 3 years to keep the tree productive, and remember a potted tree still needs a bloom-overlapping pollinizer nearby. Containers are the realistic route to pears on a patio without space for two full trees, paired with a second potted variety.

Pot size: 20 gallons and up
Watering: A tree in a pot dries out much faster than one in the ground, so check it every day when it is warm. Stick a finger an inch into the mix; if it feels dry, water until it runs out the holes in the bottom. Empty the saucer so the pot is not sitting in water. The goal is moist mix, never dust-dry and never swampy.Container roots dry out far faster than ground roots, so check moisture daily in warm weather; a 20-gallon pot in summer sun can need water every day or two. Water until it runs from the drainage holes, then let the top inch begin to dry before the next watering. Never let the pot go bone-dry (it drops fruit) and never leave it standing in a full saucer.
Depth and shape: At least 18 inches deep.
Self-watering pot: No. Self-watering (sub-irrigated) containers are not the first choice for pear. They keep the lower rootball continuously moist, and while pear tolerates damp ground better than apple, a permanently wet pot still risks crown rot. Use a free-draining pot with open drainage holes and water from the top.
Mix: Use a high-quality bagged potting mix (a soilless peat- or coir-based medium), not native garden soil or topsoil, which compacts and drains poorly in a container. The mix must be free-draining and stay open over several seasons in the same pot. Blend in roughly 20 to 30 percent compost for nutrition and moisture buffering, and a handful of coarse material such as perlite or fine bark to keep drainage open. Avoid water-holding gels; a potted pear is far more often lost to wet roots than to drought.
Feeding: Frequent watering flushes nutrients from a pot, so a container pear needs feeding somewhat more often than one in the ground, but keep nitrogen modest because of fire blight. Use a balanced slow-release fertilizer at the start of the season and stop by midsummer so the tree hardens off and does not push tender growth into fall.

One to plant on

Quince (with interstem)20 gal pot. Quince makes the smallest pear tree, about 8 to 12 ft, and gives fruit soonest. Two catches: several popular varieties (Bartlett, Bosc, Seckel) will not graft directly onto quince and need a middle 'bridge' piece, and quince roots are not very cold-hardy, so it suits mild climates or pots best.20 gal pot. Quince (e.g., Provence/Quince A or C) is the dwarfing pear rootstock, about 8 to 12 ft, precocious and container-suitable, and induces early, heavy bearing. Two real cautions: it is graft-incompatible with several major cultivars (Bartlett, Bosc, Seckel) unless an Old Home interstem is used, and it is poorly cold-hardy, so it is a mild-climate or container choice, not for the cold North.

1 more rootstock

OHxF 33320 gal pot. OHxF 333 makes a medium-small tree, about 10 to 14 ft, and resists fire blight and pear decline. It fruits a bit lighter than OHxF 87 but is a great disease-tolerant pick for a smaller yard or a big pot.20 gal pot. OHxF 333 is a semi-dwarfing Old Home x Farmingdale stock, about half to two-thirds standard size, with strong resistance to fire blight, collar rot, woolly pear aphid, and pear decline. Productivity and fruit size run a touch lower than OHxF 87, but it is the best size-controlled, disease-tolerant choice and works in a large container.

Winter

Winter is the hard part for a potted pear. In a pot, the roots sit above ground and get cold from every side, so they freeze much more easily than roots in the ground. After the leaves drop and the tree is dormant (resting for winter), move the pot somewhere cold but protected, like an unheated garage or shed, or up against the north side of the house. It still needs the cold to rest, but the shelter keeps the roots from freezing solid. Give it a little water now and then so the soil never dries out completely.A potted pear is the winter-vulnerable case: roots in an above-ground pot are exposed to cold from all sides and run several zones less hardy than the same tree in the ground. Once dormant, move the pot to an unheated but sheltered spot (an unheated garage, shed, or against a north wall) where it stays cold enough to hold dormancy but is buffered from the deep-freeze and freeze-thaw swings that kill container roots. Water occasionally so the rootball never fully dries.

Plan winter protection in from the start in cold zones: a pear hardy to zone 4 in the ground may only survive zone 6 or 7 winters in an exposed pot, because the root zone has no insulating soil mass. In order of protection, sink the pot to its rim in the ground for winter, cluster and wrap pots, or move to an unheated sheltered structure. Do not bring a dormant pear into a heated room, warmth breaks dormancy and the tree misses its winter chill.

Hardy to zone 4 in the ground; roots in a pot sit colder than that.

Pot safety

Ask what your balcony or roof can carry

A balcony or roof can only hold so much weight. Before you set heavy pots there, ask a building architect what it can safely carry.Illinois Extension's guidance is to consult a building architect about weight limits before placing heavy pots on a balcony or rooftop garden. It gives no weight figure.

Never grow food in a container with anything toxic in it

Many kinds of containers can be used. Whatever you choose, keep anything toxic out of it, especially if you are growing food.Colorado State accepts nearly any container material but warns against using a container that holds toxic materials, especially for edible plants. Illinois adds that a vegetable container should be free of chemicals toxic to plants or people, and urges caution with treated lumber when growing food. If you cannot account for what a repurposed container once held, that alone is a reason to keep food out of it.

Secure hanging containers well

Fasten hanging baskets and window or rail boxes securely. Think about what is below them too, since they can drip on people or things underneath.Illinois Extension asks growers to secure hanging containers well and to think through the safety issues of hanging them. Placement matters too, since a hanging container can drip onto people or belongings below.

Soil chemistry

Soil pH for pear (european)

Preferred

6 to 7

Tolerated

5.5 to 7.5

Pear trees like soil that runs from slightly acidic to neutral, a pH around 6.0 to 7.0 (pH just measures how acidic or alkaline soil is, where 7.0 is neutral). Pears are a bit more tolerant of alkaline soil than apples. Test your soil before planting, since it is much easier to adjust the pH now than after the tree is in the ground. Garden lime raises a low pH; garden sulfur lowers a high one. Your local extension office can test a sample for you.Pear does best at a pH of about 6.0 to 7.0 and tolerates roughly 5.5 to 7.5, a slightly wider and more alkaline-tolerant band than apple. Test the soil before planting and adjust the whole root zone, not just the hole, because correcting pH around an established tree is slow. Lime raises a low pH; elemental sulfur lowers a high one. Well outside this band, iron and manganese availability falls and new growth yellows between the veins.

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Steady hand on the hose

Watering

When & how much

Frequency

Water deeply but not too often, aim for about 1 inch a week while the tree is growing and making fruit. Water more in hot, dry spells and less once the leaves drop in fall.Deep, infrequent irrigation: about 1 inch of water per week through the growing season, more in heat and during fruit sizing, tapering off as the tree goes dormant.

Amount

About 1 inch a week. The easiest way is one long, slow soak that gets the water down deep, rather than a quick daily sprinkle.Roughly 1 inch per week as a baseline (a deep soak that wets the full root zone), increasing during fruit sizing in mid to late summer; pears drop fruit when droughted at sizing.

Method

Use a soaker hose or drip line, or let a hose trickle slowly at the edge of the branches. Keep water off the trunk itself, and mulch around the tree (not touching the trunk) to hold moisture in.Drip or a slow soak at the dripline; keep water off the trunk and crown to avoid collar rot, and mulch to hold moisture (pulled back a few inches from the trunk).

Signs of trouble

Too much water

If the leaves yellow and the ground stays soggy, the tree is getting too much water or the soil drains poorly. Rot at the base of the trunk is a warning sign.Yellowing leaves, persistently soggy soil, and root or collar rot at the trunk base signal too much water or poor drainage; pear tolerates wet ground better than most fruit trees but not standing water.

Too little water

Wilting or dry, brown leaf edges, and small fruit that drops early, mean the tree is too dry, especially in mid to late summer when the pears are filling out.Wilting or scorched leaf margins and premature fruit drop in summer indicate drought stress, especially during fruit sizing.

Feeding rhythm

Feeding

Frequency

annual

Type

balanced

When to start

early spring before bud break

Feed pear trees once a year, in early spring before the buds open, with a balanced fertilizer, and go light. Too much feeding is the number-one pear mistake: it makes lots of soft new growth that the disease fire blight loves, and it pushes the tree to grow leaves instead of fruit. If the tree is growing well and putting out healthy new branches each year, it may need no feeding at all. When in doubt, use less.Feed lightly in early spring before bud break, guided by shoot growth: a healthy young pear makes about 12 to 18 inches of new shoot growth a year, so feed to reach that and no more. Excess nitrogen is the classic pear mistake, it drives soft, succulent growth that fire blight runs straight through, and it delays fruiting. Mature trees on fertile soil often need no nitrogen at all. If anything, err on the side of underfeeding a pear.

N · P · K = 10-10-10

The three numbers on a fertilizer bag are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. A balanced one like 10-10-10 is fine for pears, used sparingly. The first number (nitrogen) is the one to keep low, because too much makes soft growth that catches fire blight.A balanced N-P-K ratio (the three numbers on the bag, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) such as 10-10-10 at a modest rate, leaning toward the low end on any vigorous tree to limit fire-blight-prone growth. On fertile ground a pear often wants none.

Who grows well together

Companion planting

Pears do not pair with other plants the way vegetables do. For a pear, the neighbor that counts is a second, different pear variety that blooms at the same time, within about 50 to 100 ft, because most pears need another pear nearby to make fruit. Right around the trunk, do the opposite of planting companions: keep grass and other plants away from the base out to the edge of the branches, because they steal water and food from the young tree. Use mulch there instead, and never plant a pear near a black walnut tree, which poisons the soil for it. Pear does not companion-plant in the vegetable sense; the interactions that matter are pollination and root competition. The single most important neighbor is a second, bloom-overlapping pear variety (the pollinizer) within about 50 to 100 ft, since most pears are self-unfruitful. At the trunk, the rule reverses: keep turf and aggressive perennials out of the root zone, where grass competes hard with a young tree for water and nitrogen. Maintain a mulched, vegetation-free circle to the dripline, and avoid siting near black walnut, whose juglone is toxic to pear.

Pest deterrent

spring bulbs (daffodil)

Plant a ring of daffodils around your pear tree, out where the branches reach. They come up early in spring, help keep grass from creeping toward the trunk, and because they are poisonous to nibble, they discourage mice and deer. They die back in summer, so they stay out of the tree's way.A ring of daffodils at the drip line is a traditional fruit-tree-guild move with two intended jobs: the early foliage forms a band that helps hold back creeping grass, the tree's main competitor, and daffodils are toxic enough that voles and deer tend to avoid grazing through them to the trunk. They emerge and feed before the canopy leafs out, then go dormant, so they do not compete in summer. Treat this as a useful cultural barrier rather than a measured yield booster. Traditional

Nutrient

comfrey

Comfrey is a leafy plant that grows well around fruit trees. Its roots reach deep down, so it does not steal water from the tree, and it crowds out grass. A few times each summer you can cut the big leaves and lay them on the soil under the tree, where they rot down into natural food for it. Its flowers also bring in helpful bees.Comfrey is a workhorse of the fruit-tree guild. Its deep taproot pulls from well below the tree's surface feeder roots, so it does not compete for the same water and nutrients, and it shades out grass along the row. Chopped two or three times a season and dropped under the tree, its lush leaves break down into a mineral-rich mulch, and the flowers feed pollinators. The dynamic-accumulator framing is more tradition than proven chemistry, but the practical value as non-competing mulch and grass suppression is real. Traditional

Ground cover

clover (living mulch)

White clover is a low, soft plant you can grow as a living carpet under your pear tree. It pulls nitrogen from the air and feeds it slowly into the soil, while covering the ground to keep weeds down and hold in moisture. It is tough enough to walk on at picking time. Just keep it from growing right against the trunk.Dutch white clover makes a strong living mulch under pears. As a legume it fixes atmospheric nitrogen through its root symbiosis, feeding the tree slowly while staying low and tolerating harvest foot traffic. It covers the ground to suppress weeds and hold moisture without the aggressive grass competition bare turf brings. Keep it back from the immediate trunk zone, and note it does draw some moisture, so manage it on dry sites. Because pears want lean nitrogen, treat the clover's slow trickle as a feature, not a reason to also fertilize. Well-grounded

Keep apart from

black walnut Keep pear trees far away from black walnut trees. Black walnuts release a natural chemical called juglone from their roots and leaves that is poisonous to pears and can make them sicken and die. The chemical spreads through the soil well past the walnut's branches, so give them a very wide berth, at least 50 feet from a big walnut.Black walnut is a definitive bad neighbor for pear. Its roots, hulls, and leaf litter release juglone, an allelopathic compound toxic to many sensitive plants, and pear (like apple) is among those affected, showing decline and dieback within the walnut's root zone. The effect extends well beyond the visible canopy, roughly to the full root spread (commonly cited at fifty-plus feet from a mature tree), so siting matters more than spacing tweaks: keep pears entirely out of a black walnut's root zone. Well-grounded

turfgrass to the trunk Do not let lawn grass grow right up against your pear tree's trunk. The grass competes with the young tree for water and food, so it grows slower and fruits later. Grass at the trunk also hides mice that can chew the bark in winter. Keep a clear or mulched circle about two feet around the trunk, with the mulch pulled back slightly so it does not touch the bark.Letting turfgrass grow right up to a pear trunk is a quiet but real drag on the tree, especially when young. Grass competes directly for water and nitrogen in the surface zone where the feeder roots sit, slowing growth and delaying bearing, and dense grass and mulch against the trunk harbor voles that girdle bark over winter. Maintain a vegetation-free or mulched strip about two feet out from the trunk (mulch pulled back a few inches off the bark itself). Research-backed

Provenance tagged inline · see methodology for the labeling system Key

Harvest signals

When to pick

A pear is ready to PICK, not eat, when it has reached full size, its green has started to lighten, and it snaps off the branch easily when you lift it and twist it up to horizontal. It will still be hard, and that is correct. Do not wait for it to soften on the tree, a tree-ripened pear rots from the inside out and turns gritty and brown at the core. Bring the firm pears indoors, give them a week or two somewhere cool, then let them finish on the counter until the neck gives slightly to a gentle press. Do not expect a real crop until about the fourth to sixth year after planting.European pears are picked MATURE BUT FIRM, not tree-ripe: full varietal size with the ground color shifting from grass-green toward a lighter yellow-green, lenticels turning corky and tan, and the fruit detaching when lifted and twisted upward to horizontal. Tree-ripening ruins them, the flesh browns and breaks down at the core (stone-cell grittiness) while the skin still looks sound. After picking, most varieties need a cool rest (near 30 to 40°F) before they will ripen evenly at room temperature. First meaningful crop typically comes around year 4 to 6, rootstock-dependent.

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Yield

What to expect

How many pears you get depends mostly on tree size. A small tree gives roughly 1 to 2 bushels a year (a bushel is about 40 lb of pears), while a full-size tree can give several times that once mature. Established pears often crop heavily.Mature yield is rootstock-driven: a size-controlled tree (quince or OHxF 333) carries roughly 1 to 2 bushels (about 40 to 80 lb) per year, a semi-vigorous OHxF 87/97 more, and a standard seedling-rooted tree can exceed 4 to 8 bushels at full maturity. Pears tend to bear heavily once established.

A pear does not hit full production right away, it builds up over several years after its first crop, a bit slower than an apple. Some varieties naturally swing between a big year and a small year; thinning the young fruit helps keep crops steadier.Trees reach full bearing several years after first crop: roughly years 6 to 10, later than apple and later still on standard rootstocks. Many cultivars tend toward biennial bearing (a heavy year then a light one); consistent fruit thinning evens it out. Expect zero pears the first year, that is normal and intended. Your first real handful of fruit usually comes around year 4 to 6, a bit later than an apple.No crop in the planting year (blossoms are removed). First meaningful fruit around year 4 to 6, rootstock-dependent and later than apple.

What changes yield

rootstock (sets tree size, bearing age, and fire-blight/decline tolerance)cross-pollination success (compatible, overlapping pollinizer within ~50 to 100 ft)fruit thinning (size and biennial-bearing control)late-frost damage to early bloomfire blight and pear psylla pressure

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Off the vine

Storing your harvest

Room temp

A ripe pear stays good only a few days on the counter, so ripen just a few at a time. A firm, unripe summer pear like Bartlett takes about 4 to 7 days to soften at room temperature.Once ripened, pears hold only a few days at room temperature; ripen them in small batches as needed. Unripened, firm summer pears (Bartlett) ripen in 4 to 7 days at room temperature, winter pears need a cold period first.

Fridge

In the fridge, firm unripe pears last a long time, about 2 to 3 months for summer Bartlett and up to 4 to 5 months for winter pears like Anjou and Bosc. The cold storage also does double duty: many pears need that chill before they will ripen properly on the counter. Take out a few at a time to ripen.Held firm and unripe near 30 to 35°F at high humidity, summer pears (Bartlett) keep 2 to 3 months and winter pears (Anjou, Bosc, Comice) keep 3 to 5 months. The cold also satisfies the post-harvest chilling many varieties need before they will ripen at room temperature. Pull a few out to ripen as wanted.

Freezer

Whole pears turn mushy if frozen. Instead, peel and slice them into a little light syrup, or cook them down first, then freeze. Frozen this way they keep about a year and are great for baking.Pears do not freeze well whole (texture turns mushy); freeze as slices in light syrup or as sauce for cooking use up to about a year.

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When something goes wrong

Common problems

Lots of flowers, but no pearsTree flowered but set no fruit

01 of 06

What happened Your tree had plenty of flowers but they fell off without making pears. Usually there was no second, compatible pear variety blooming nearby. Watch for two traps: Bartlett and Seckel cannot pollinate each other, and Magness cannot pollinate anything.Without a compatible pollinizer in overlapping bloom within about 50 to 100 ft, pear blossoms are not fertilized and drop. A common trap is an INCOMPATIBLE pair (Bartlett with Seckel) or a pollen-sterile variety (Magness) used as the lone partner. Next season Plant a second, different pear variety nearby that blooms at the same time and is a compatible match, then bees can do their job. Avoid the Bartlett-Seckel mismatch.Add a second, genetically different, COMPATIBLE pear whose bloom overlaps, within about 50 to 100 ft (check the compatibility chart). Strong bee activity helps, since pear nectar is low.

Branches turned black, as if burnedBranch tips blackened and scorched

02 of 06

What happened Branch tips suddenly turned black and bent into a hook, as if scorched. This is fire blight, the main pear disease, which spreads in warm, wet weather and loves the soft growth from too much fertilizer.Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) infected through blossoms or tender shoots in warm, wet weather, blackening shoots into shepherd's crooks and forming cankers. Pear is highly susceptible, and lush nitrogen-pushed growth made it worse. Next season Cut the blackened branches well below the damage in dry weather, wiping tools between cuts. Next time choose a resistant variety, go easy on fertilizer, and only prune when it is dry.Cut out infected wood 8 to 12 inches below symptoms in dry weather, disinfecting between cuts; going forward plant resistant cultivars (Kieffer, Orient, Moonglow) on a tolerant rootstock and keep nitrogen lean.

Pears mushy and brown insidePears brown and gritty at the core

03 of 06

What happened You cut open a pear and the middle was brown and gritty while the outside looked fine. That happens when pears ripen on the tree instead of being picked firm and ripened indoors.The fruit was left to ripen on the tree, or held too warm too long after picking. European pears ripen from the inside out and break down at the core (stone-cell grit, internal browning) if tree-ripened or over-held. Next season Next time pick the pears while still firm and green, give them a cold rest, then ripen them on the counter and eat them soon after they soften.Pick mature but FIRM (upward-twist detachment, lightening ground color), cool-store to satisfy post-harvest chilling, then ripen at room temperature and eat promptly once the neck softens.

Few flowers, or flowers very lateSparse, delayed, or straggly bloom

04 of 06

What happened The tree barely flowered, or flowered oddly late and patchy. This usually means the variety needs more winter cold than your area gives, and pears need more cold than apples.A high-chill variety grown in a warm-winter zone did not accumulate enough chill to break dormancy normally, giving delayed, uneven, weak bloom and poor set. European pears need more chill than apples, so the mismatch is easy to make. Next season Pick a low-chill pear variety suited to mild winters, like Hood, Kieffer, or Orient. The right variety for your climate flowers normally.Match variety chill to your winters: in warm zones choose low-chill cultivars (Hood, Kieffer, Orient).

Sticky, blackened leaves and shootsSticky leaves with black sooty mold

05 of 06

What happened The leaves and young pears got coated in sticky goo that turned black and grimy. That is pear psylla, a pear-specific insect; it gets worse if harsh sprays have killed the helpful bugs.Pear psylla nymphs fed heavily and exuded honeydew that grew black sooty mold, scorching leaves and russeting fruit. Outbreaks often follow broad-spectrum sprays that kill the psylla's natural enemies. Next season Spray dormant oil in late winter to smother the overwintering insects, use insecticidal soap during the season, and avoid harsh sprays that kill the good bugs.Apply dormant oil in late winter, use insecticidal soap or summer oil in season, and conserve natural enemies by avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides.

A huge year, then a bare yearHeavy crop one year, almost none the next

06 of 06

What happened One year the tree was loaded, the next it had almost none. Pears can get into this on-and-off rhythm when they over-crop.The tree fell into biennial bearing: a heavy crop suppressed next year's flower buds, giving an off year. Some pear varieties are naturally prone to it. Next season Thin the young pears every single year, even in a big year. Leaving fewer pears helps the tree make flower buds for next year and evens out the crops.Thin fruit consistently every year (about one per cluster) so the tree sets flower buds for the following season and crops more evenly.

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The usual suspects

Pests & diseases

Pests

Codling moth

P · 01

Symptoms This is the classic 'worm in the fruit.' You find a small hole with brown crumbly stuff (frass) around it, and a tunnel into the core when you cut it open. Pears lying on the ground can still have the caterpillar inside.Larvae tunnel to the fruit core, leaving a frass-filled entry hole and brown trails through the flesh; wormy pears are inedible, and fruit that drops can be carrying a larva. Cause A small moth lays eggs on the tiny pears in spring; the eggs hatch into caterpillars that crawl into the fruit. There can be two batches a summer, so the problem repeats.Cydia pomonella; female moths lay eggs on developing fruit and young leaves near bloom, and hatching larvae bore into the pear. Two or more generations per season in most regions. The same pest attacks apple. Organic treatment Pick up and throw away every pear that drops, do not leave them under the tree. You can slip paper bags over young pears to keep moths out, and scent traps help you know when to act. Sprays like spinosad work if timed right.Monitor with pheromone traps to time control; remove and destroy dropped and infested fruit; bag individual fruit; spinosad, or the codling moth granulosis virus sold to home gardeners, timed to egg hatch (the first stings on the fruit, or the heat-unit count UC IPM gives after the first sustained trap catch) and repeated. Mating disruption works only at orchard scale and can increase damage on a single tree. Prevention Keep the ground under the tree clean of fallen pears all season, and check the fruit on the tree every week or two from early summer. Skip the cardboard trunk bands you may read about; a pear's rough bark gives the caterpillars so many hiding spots that few ever reach the band. Nearby neglected pear, apple, or walnut trees make it worse.Orchard sanitation (clear dropped and infested fruit through the season, most critically in May and June) and keep nearby abandoned pear, apple, or walnut trees pruned or removed. Trunk banding is no longer recommended for home pears: the scaly bark gives larvae so many crevices that most pupate before they reach the band.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Garden sanitation

Start checking the little pears about six to eight weeks after bloom, and keep checking every week or two. Pull off any fruit with a hole and brown crumbs at it, and pick up every pear that drops as soon as you see it, because the caterpillar inside can crawl out and start the next round. May and June matter most, but keep it up all season. If a neighbor has an untended pear, apple, or walnut tree, the moths will keep coming from there, so it is worth getting them on board.UC IPM puts sanitation first in any codling moth program, and first by a wider margin where you mean to stay spray-free. The larva leaves the fruit to pupate, so an infested pear taken off the tree or the ground before that happens is a moth that never flies; the critical window is May and June, but drops keep carrying larvae through the season. Unmanaged host trees nearby, apple, pear, or walnut, are a continual source, which is why the same page calls codling moth a neighborhood project.
Resistant varieties

Pears that ripen early are picked before the later broods of moths get going, so if you are still choosing a tree, an early-ripening variety takes a real share of the pressure off. It shifts the problem rather than removing it, so you still clean up the drops.Two to four generations a year, depending on climate, means the fruit that hangs longest sits through the most egg-laying, and NC State singles out late-ripening fruit as the most damaged. UC IPM lists early-maturing pears among the choices that can greatly reduce the potential for damage. It is a planting-time decision that pairs with sanitation rather than replacing it.
Codling moth pheromone trap

Hang a scent trap in the tree in early spring. It catches male moths on a sticky card, and what it tells you is when the moths have started flying, which is your cue to start watching the fruit and, if you spray, when to time it. A trap by itself will not keep the worms out of a pear tree.The trap marks the first sustained flight; egg hatch follows after a run of warm days that UC IPM's home guide gives as a heat-unit count, or, skipping the arithmetic, when the first stings show on the fruit three to four weeks after bloom. UC IPM is explicit that trapping an isolated tree might reduce the population slightly but is not a reliable way to reduce damage, and NC State says the same of sticky traps: a clock, not a control.
Fruit bagging

About four to six weeks after bloom, when the baby pears are half an inch to an inch across, thin each cluster to one fruit and slip a paper lunch bag over it, stapled shut around the stem. Nothing can lay an egg on a pear inside a bag. It is slow work, so it suits a small tree, or the best few dozen pears on a big one.UC IPM rates this the one nonchemical method effective enough to stand alone, even under heavy pressure. Cut a 2-inch slit in the bottom fold of a No. 2 bag, pass the thinned fruit through so the fold seals around the stem, and staple the mouth shut. NC State's caveat is labor: practical only on small trees. The ground beneath still needs keeping clean, since bagging protects the bagged fruit and nothing else.
Spinosad

If bagging is not practical, spinosad is the organic spray with a real record on codling moth, but only if it is on the fruit while the eggs are hatching, which is when you see the first tiny holes with brown crumbs, about three to four weeks after bloom. Spray then, and twice more ten days apart. Keep it off the tree while it is flowering, because it is hard on bees while wet.Time the first application to egg hatch, then repeat at 10-day intervals for three sprays on the spring generation and two on each summer generation, no more than six a season and none within seven days of harvest. Adding 1% horticultural oil to the tank improves its performance. Bt and pyrethrum were tested against codling moth and not found effective, and oil alone is variable; the codling moth granulosis virus sold to home gardeners is the one other material UC IPM found as effective as carbaryl on backyard trees.
Pyrethroid

For a heavy infestation that bagging and spinosad have not held, Utah State lists zeta-cypermethrin and gamma-cyhalothrin among the conventional sprays for a backyard pear, timed the same way, to egg hatch. Know the cost first: these sprays kill the lacewings and pirate bugs that keep pear psylla down, and a psylla outbreak can follow a season of them.WSU's rule for pear is that codling moth sprays have to be compatible with pear psylla biological control, and a broad-spectrum pyrethroid is not. Carbaryl, the older standard UC IPM measured the virus against, disrupts natural enemies the same way and is now restricted-use in California; none of these materials belongs on the tree during bloom. The trade is one pest for another, which is what makes bagging the better answer on a pear that also carries psylla.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Pear psylla

P · 02

Symptoms Leaves and young pears get coated in a sticky, shiny film that turns black and grimy (sooty mold), and the leaves may scorch and drop. Tiny insects feed on the new shoots.Nymphs feed on the new growth and exude copious sticky honeydew that blackens with sooty mold; heavy feeding causes leaf scorch, premature drop, fruit russeting, and tree decline. The signature pear pest. Cause A tiny pear-specific insect (a kind of jumping plant louse) that sucks sap and oozes sticky stuff. It can build up fast, especially if bug sprays have wiped out the good bugs that normally keep it down.Cacopsylla pyricola; a small psyllid specific to pear that overwinters as an adult and builds several overlapping generations through the season. Outbreaks follow broad-spectrum sprays that kill its natural enemies. Organic treatment Spray horticultural oil while the tree is bare, before the buds swell, to kill the overwintered adults and put them off laying eggs; it will not kill eggs already laid, so timing is everything. In the growing season use insecticidal soap or a light oil spray. Avoid harsh sprays, which kill the helpful bugs that eat psylla.Dormant-season horticultural oil, applied before the overwintered adults begin laying, kills the adults it wets and discourages egg laying for about a month but does not control eggs; in-season insecticidal soap or 1% summer oil; conserve natural enemies (minute pirate bugs, lacewings) by avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides; kaolin clay applied prebloom deters colonization and egg-laying. Prevention A well-timed dormant oil spray while the tree is bare, before the buds swell, and going easy on harsh sprays and fertilizer, keep this pear-specific pest in check.A well-timed dormant oil program plus a natural-enemy-friendly spray regime is the backbone of psylla management; avoid the lush nitrogen-pushed growth psylla favors.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Balance nitrogen

Psylla build up fastest on a tree pushing lots of soft new growth, so feed a pear only enough to set and size its fruit, not to make it grow. In late spring, pull off (do not cut) the whippy water sprouts shooting straight up from the main limbs; that is the tender foliage the insects feed on, and pulling them before the end of June keeps them from growing back.WSU's guidance is to apply only enough nitrogen for adequate fruit set and fruit size, because populations climb on highly vigorous trees, and to remove water sprouts through the center of the tree by hand rather than with loppers, before they form a woody attachment, normally by the end of June. That strips the succulent tissue nymphs feed on and opens the canopy so any spray you do use reaches them. Adequate, not starved: the aim is a tree that sets and sizes a crop without a flush of extra shoots.
Kaolin clay

A kaolin clay spray put on before the tree blooms coats the buds and twigs in a chalky white film that the overwintered adults dislike landing and laying eggs on. It is an organic option, and it belongs in that early window only: clay applied later in the season can set off mite outbreaks on pear.UC IPM lists kaolin among the organically acceptable materials for psylla with one instruction, apply prebloom, and one caution, that later-season use may cause mite outbreaks. The film works on the overwintered adults as they arrive in early spring to lay eggs on buds and twigs, so its value is in lowering the first generation; it is a deterrent rather than a contact material, a season-opening measure rather than a rescue.
Beneficial predators

Lacewings and minute pirate bugs eat pear psylla for free, and the surest way to get a psylla plague is to kill them with a harsh all-purpose bug spray, often one aimed at codling moth. Choose the gentlest thing that works for every other pest on the tree, and the good bugs will do a big share of this job.UC IPM names green and brown lacewings and minute pirate bugs among the many resident predators and parasites, and states plainly that nonselective codling moth insecticides destroy them and produce psylla outbreaks; WSU's line is that pesticides applied to pears greatly reduce the effectiveness of natural enemies. Psylla also develops resistance to insecticides quickly, so the natural enemies are the durable part of the program, and the spray choices made for other pests on the tree decide whether they survive.
Horticultural oil

The one spray that matters most goes on while the tree is bare: a dormant horticultural oil before the buds swell, with a second coat as the buds turn green if psylla were bad last year. The oil kills the overwintered adults it wets and puts them off laying eggs for a while; it does not kill eggs already laid, so the point is to get it on before they start. In summer, a light 1% oil spray knocks back a heavy population.UC IPM's mechanism statement is exact: oil kills adult psylla but does not control eggs, and it discourages egg laying for about a month, so the season hinges on reducing the overwintering adults before laying begins; adults that lay before the dormant spray leave a higher base population all season. NC State prescribes both a dormant and a delayed-dormant application at green bud; Utah State keys it to before leaves emerge. Do not mix oil with sulfur or put them on close together, and keep oil off the tree in hot weather, since UC IPM notes both are phytotoxic to pear in heat.
Insecticidal soap

When you see honeydew droplets and sticky leaves in summer, insecticidal soap sprayed right onto the young psylla on the new growth kills the ones it wets and spares most of the good bugs. It has no lasting effect, so repeat it as new ones appear, and aim at the shoot tips and leaf undersides where they feed.Both UC IPM's organic list and Utah State's backyard guidance carry insecticidal soap for in-season psylla, alongside 1% summer oil. It is a contact material with no residual, which is exactly why it fits: it knocks a flare back without the natural-enemy cost of a broad insecticide. Coverage decides it, since the nymphs feed on the youngest tissue under a wash of honeydew, and spraying a water-stressed tree or above 90°F will scorch pear foliage.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Diseases

Fire blight

D · 01

Symptoms Branch tips and flower clusters suddenly turn black and look burned, as if scorched by fire, and the tip bends over into a hook shape. It can kill whole branches or the whole tree. Pears catch it worse than apples.Blossoms and shoot tips suddenly wilt, blacken, and die, bending into a characteristic 'shepherd's crook'; affected branches look scorched, and sunken, oozing cankers form on wood. Pear is markedly more susceptible than apple, and a warm, wet spring can kill whole limbs or a young tree. Cause Bacteria that infect through the flowers and soft new shoots in warm, wet spring weather. Fast, soft growth from too much fertilizer makes it much worse. It is the main reason pears struggle in warm, damp climates.Erwinia amylovora; bacteria infect through open blossoms and tender shoot tips in warm, wet spring weather and spread fastest on lush, nitrogen-pushed growth. It is the single biggest reason European pears fail in the humid South and East. Organic treatment Cut off the blackened branches well below the damage, at least 8 to 12 inches into clean wood (a foot to be safe), wiping your pruners with disinfectant between every cut so you do not spread it, and only in dry weather. There is no spray that cures it.Prune out infected wood a minimum of 8 to 12 inches below any sign of infection, disinfecting tools between cuts and working in dry weather; do the main cleanup in the dormant season, but on pear cut out a fast-moving spring strike as soon as it appears. There is no cure once established; management is prevention plus cutting it out. Prevention The best defense is to choose a resistant variety (Kieffer, Orient, Moonglow, Ayers, Warren) on a resistant rootstock, especially where summers are warm and humid. Then go easy on fertilizer (soft growth catches it) and prune only in dry weather.The decisive move is variety and rootstock choice: plant fire-blight-resistant cultivars (Kieffer, Orient, Moonglow, Ayers, Warren, Magness) on a tolerant rootstock (the OHxF series). Then avoid excess nitrogen, remove suckers from the base, prune only in dry weather, and do the main cleanup in the dormant season.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Resistant varieties

With pears, fire blight is decided mostly at the nursery. Bartlett, the pear everyone knows, is one of the worst for it, and in the humid East and South the disease is the main reason pears fail. Clemson lists Ayers, Kieffer, LeConte, Moonglow, Magness, and Orient as moderately resistant, and Seckel as somewhat resistant, and Arkansas extension recommends Harrow Delight, Maxine, Kieffer, Magness, and Moonglow. Ask for one of those, on an OHxF rootstock, which is bred for blight tolerance; a susceptible rootstock is how the disease takes the whole tree.Ratings disagree at the margins: Kieffer is rated highly resistant by Arkansas, moderately by Clemson, and 'subject to blight in wet years' by Georgia, so read resistant as reduced risk rather than immunity. Warren and Orient carry Georgia's 'resistant to blight'; Seckel is only somewhat resistant; UC IPM puts most pear varieties, red pears included, in the very susceptible class, and NC State calls Bartlett highly susceptible. The rootstock half is the OHxF series (Old Home x Farmingdale), which WSU describes as tolerant of blight and decline; Clemson ties tree death to susceptible rootstocks.
Prune out infection

When a shoot tip blackens and hooks over, cut it out at least 8 to 12 inches below the last sign of damage, into wood that looks completely clean; a foot is a safe rule. Wipe the pruners with a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) or rubbing alcohol between cuts, work in dry weather, and burn or bury what you cut. Do the big cleanup, cankers included, in winter while the tree is dormant, but a pear strike racing down a branch in spring gets cut the day you see it. Go easy on fertilizer and pull the suckers at the base, because soft fast growth is what the disease runs through.Clemson's minimum is 8 to 12 inches below any sign of infected tissue, with pruning done in the dormant season because growing-season cuts can spread the bacteria; UC IPM's rule for very susceptible trees such as pear is to remove rapidly advancing spring infections as soon as they appear, cutting at the next branch junction below the visible margin without harming the collar, and it puts the location of the cut ahead of tool sterilizing. Extension services print different distances (Georgia 6 to 8 inches, Utah State 12), so treat 8 to 12 as the floor. The bacteria survive winter in the cankers, which is what the dormant pruning removes. Clemson pairs the cutting with restraint: no excess nitrogen, and suckers removed, since succulent growth is where new infections take.
Copper fungicide

An early copper spray, made before the tree blooms and no later than the point where the green tips pushing out of the buds reach half an inch, gives the flowers some protection in a bad-blight area. Be honest about what it buys: UC IPM says copper is the only thing a home grower can buy for fire blight and that it often does not give adequate control even sprayed repeatedly, and Arkansas extension calls the sprays helpful but not fool-proof. It can also russet the fruit. On a big tree you cannot cover, skip it.Clemson's home program for pear is a pre-bloom copper application, cut off once green tip reaches 1/2 inch, followed by streptomycin at 3- to 4-day intervals through bloom with a 50-day wait before harvest; the antibiotic is a separate material and is what protects the open flowers. UC IPM's assessment of copper is blunt: the only material available to homeowners, often inadequate even with multiple applications, five to 12 per season on pear, with russeting or scarring of the fruit as the price. Clemson adds that adequate coverage of a large tree is usually not feasible. Copper accumulates in soil, so a program that runs every spring for years should be weighed against planting a resistant cultivar in the first place.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Pear scab

D · 02

Symptoms Dark, fuzzy spots on the leaves and rough, scabby, cracked patches on the pears. In a bad year the tree drops its leaves early.Olive to black velvety lesions on leaves and fruit that turn corky and cracked; severe infection yellows leaves and causes early defoliation and scabby, misshapen fruit. Cause A fungus that overwinters in last year's fallen leaves and spreads onto new leaves and fruit in cool, wet spring weather.Venturia pirina (also spelled V. pyrina); spores overwinter in fallen leaves, and in high-rainfall areas also in lesions on the twigs, and infect during wet spring weather, with infection periods set by leaf wetness and temperature (fastest between 55°F and 75°F, after at least 9 hours of continuous wetness). It is distinct from the apple-scab fungus, which cannot infect pear, but is managed the same way. Organic treatment Sulfur spray in spring before the spots appear is the organic route. Once it is widespread it is too late for that year.Apply wettable sulfur, or another labeled fungicide, on a protective schedule keyed to spring infection periods, from bud break to about a month after petal fall; dormant-season sprays do nothing against scab, and it is far easier to prevent than to cure once primary infections are established. Prevention Rake up fallen leaves every fall, and if you water with a sprinkler, run it in the morning so the leaves dry by afternoon. Some varieties almost never get scab.Rake and remove or compost fallen leaves each autumn (in wet climates the fungus can also carry over on twig lesions), keep sprinklers off the foliage or run them between sunrise and noon so leaves dry, and choose a cultivar with negligible scab risk.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Resistant varieties

Some European pears almost never get scab. UC IPM's list is Arganche, Barnett Perry, Batjarka, Brandy, Erabasma, Harrow Delight, Muscat, Orcas, and Passe Crassane; Harrow Delight is also on Arkansas extension's fire-blight-resistant list, a useful double. Asian pears are a different species and get scab much less.The scab fungus has a narrow host range and cultivar resistance is real, so UC IPM rates the nine named European cultivars at negligible risk. None of Bartlett, Bosc, Comice, Seckel, Kieffer, or Moonglow is on the list. In a wet-spring climate, where the fungus can also carry over on twig lesions, that choice is worth more than any spray; where spring stays dry from green tip through fruit set, scab usually is not a problem whatever the cultivar.
Garden sanitation

The fungus spends winter in the fallen leaves, so rake them up in autumn and compost or get rid of them. On one backyard tree that alone can hold scab down to a level you can live with. Late-season spots on the fruit are only skin deep: peel the pear and eat it.UC IPM's statement is that removing, then composting or destroying, a single backyard tree's dropped leaves in autumn or winter can limit the disease to tolerable levels, because the overwintered leaf litter is the primary inoculum and rain or sprinkler water is what releases the spores from it. Urea sprayed on the leaves in autumn hastens leaf fall; on pear use urea alone, since zinc is phytotoxic to it. In high-rainfall areas the fungus also overwinters in twig lesions, so leaf removal will not clear all of it there. Late infections can be tolerated, since peeling removes the pinpoint lesions.
Water at the base

Scab needs the leaves to stay wet for about nine hours straight, and a sprinkler that wets the tree in the evening hands it exactly that. If your sprinkler reaches the foliage, run it between sunrise and noon so the leaves dry by afternoon, or angle it down so it waters the ground instead.Rain or sprinkler water releases the spores from the litter and sustains the wetting period; infection is fastest between 55°F and 75°F with a minimum of 9 hours of continuous wetness. UC IPM's instruction for sprinklers that wet any of the foliage is to irrigate between sunrise and noon or reduce the sprinkler angle. It buys nothing in a rainy spring, when the weather does the wetting, but in a dry-spring climate it removes the one wetting the weather is not supplying.
Sulfur

If spring is rainy and the leaves stay wet for nine hours or more, wettable sulfur put on from bud break through bloom and early fruit set protects the new leaves and fruit before the fungus gets in. It only prevents; once spots are everywhere it will not clear them. Never use it when the temperature is near or above 90°F, and skip the dormant season entirely, since a spray on a bare tree does nothing for scab.The window runs from bud break to about a month after petal fall, with wettable sulfur usable through bloom and early fruit set; copper or Bordeaux are limited to green tip through full bloom because later use russets the fruit. Preventing the primary leaf infections is the whole game, since secondary fruit infections are hard to stop once primaries are established. Sulfur is heat-sensitive on pear, so hold it at temperatures near or above 90°F, and it is never combined with or applied close to an oil spray.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Fabraea leaf spot

D · 03

Symptoms Lots of small dark spots cover the leaves in summer, and the tree can drop most of its leaves early. The pears get spotted and pitted.Many small dark purple-black spots on leaves and fruit through summer, leading to early defoliation and pitted, cracked fruit; with fire blight it is one of the two most common pear diseases in the humid Southeast, and it is most troublesome in warm, humid regions generally. Cause A fungus that lives in old leaves and twigs and spreads in warm, rainy summer weather, getting worse through the summer. It is a bigger problem in hot, humid areas.Fabraea maculata (the same fungus is also listed as Diplocarpon mespili, and as Entomosporium mespili for its spore stage); it overwinters in fallen leaves and in lesions on last season's shoots, and spreads in warm, rainy summer weather, with the first infections often not until mid-June to early July and new waves about a month later and after each rain. Organic treatment A protective fungicide through summer if it keeps coming back, plus raking up all the fallen leaves in fall.Protective fungicide on a summer schedule where it recurs: NC State's home-orchard schedule for pears runs from petal fall at 2- to 3-week intervals using thiophanate-methyl, since captan is not registered on pears, and Penn State adds mid-August and September applications in wet seasons on late cultivars such as Bosc; plus rigorous fall leaf removal to cut the overwintering inoculum. Prevention Rake up and get rid of fallen leaves every fall. Expect more of it in hot, humid, rainy summers; Bosc and Seckel get it worse than Bartlett.Fall leaf removal, which reduces early-season pressure from the overwintered leaf litter; Bosc and Seckel are more susceptible than Bartlett, and the disease is worst where summers are warm, humid, and rainy.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Garden sanitation

The fungus lives through the winter in the fallen leaves, and some of it in the spotted, blackened tips of last summer's shoots, then rain splashes it back up in early summer. Rake up and destroy the leaves in fall. That lowers the early-season pressure on a tree that gets this every year; it will not stop it on its own in a wet summer.Two inoculum sources with different timing. The sexual stage develops on overwintered fallen leaves, and conidia also come from the previous season's shoot lesions, purple-black blotches with indefinite margins that run together into a superficial canker on current-season wood (Penn State). Michigan State's guidance is that removing or destroying leaf litter reduces early-season pressure, a reduction rather than a cure. First infections often wait until mid-June to early July, with secondary infections about a month later and after each rain, so the cleanup is finished long before the disease shows.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

Pear decline

D · 04

Symptoms The tree slowly weakens over years, with small leaves that redden early in fall and a shrinking crop, or sometimes a sudden collapse. It is tied to the pear psylla insect and to certain rootstocks.Slow decline, weak growth, small leaves with reddish autumn color, and reduced yield, or in acute cases sudden collapse; driven by a phytoplasma transmitted by pear psylla and expressed through a sensitive rootstock. Cause A tiny disease organism carried by the pear psylla insect. How badly a tree is hit depends on its rootstock, so a resistant rootstock is the main protection.A phytoplasma (a bacteria-like organism) spread by pear psylla; severity depends heavily on rootstock sensitivity, which is why decline-resistant rootstocks (OHxF series) matter. Organic treatment There is no cure once a tree has it. Keep pear psylla under control and, most importantly, start with a resistant rootstock when you plant.No cure; manage by controlling pear psylla (the vector) and, at planting, choosing a tolerant rootstock (OHxF). Remove severely declining trees. Prevention Buy a tree grown on a resistant rootstock (the OHxF series) from a nursery, never graft wood from a sickly pear onto it, and keep pear psylla in check.Plant on a decline-tolerant rootstock (OHxF 87/97/333) and keep psylla populations low; avoid highly sensitive rootstocks.

The control ladder

The ladder troubleshoots from the gentlest solution to the strongest. Start with the gentlest option and only move on when and if it doesn't work.

Resistant rootstock

There is no cure for pear decline, so the protection is bought with the tree: buy one grafted on an Old Home x Farmingdale rootstock (OHxF 87, 97, or 333 by name), which tolerates the disease, and never on an Asian or Ussurian pear rootstock, where the tree can collapse at the graft union. A tree on a tolerant rootstock that is kept well watered and fed can carry the disease for years with little sign of it, as long as pear psylla are kept down.The rootstock decides what the infection costs at the graft union. UC IPM lists Old Home x Farmingdale, Bartlett seedling, Winter Nelis, and Pyrus betulaefolia as tolerant, and Pyrus serotina and P. ussuriensis as highly susceptible, with sudden collapse from hypersensitive damage at the union; WSU rates OHxF 97 and 333 resistant to decline and describes the series as tolerant of blight and decline. On a tolerant rootstock the typical course is a very slow decline that shows mostly when water and nutrition fall short or when psylla numbers run high early in the season; keeping the tree in good vigor and holding psylla down (see pear psylla) are what UC IPM gives for keeping the disease in remission. Utah State's diagnostic is a brown line in the cambium at the graft union, exposed with a knife.
Certified clean stock

The disease also travels in wood. Grafting or budding from an infected pear passes it straight into the new tree, so take wood for grafting only from a tree that is growing well, and buy trees from a nursery rather than propagating from a pear that is going backward.Utah State records that grafting and budding transmit the phytoplasma as well as psylla, and UC IPM notes an infected pear tree is the only known host from which psylla can acquire it, so an infected tree is both a graft risk and the reservoir for every pear within psylla range. Before cutting scionwood from a tree, look at the graft union with a knife: a brown line in the cambium is Utah State's sign of decline. This is a planting-time and propagation-time decision; nothing applied later reaches a phytoplasma already in the tree.
Garden sanitation

A pear that has collapsed, or has been shrinking back for several seasons with small leaves that turn red early, is where the psylla on your other pears pick the disease up. Once it is clearly going, take it out rather than nursing it.Utah State lists removal of diseased trees, and UC IPM identifies the infected pear as the only acquisition source for psylla, which makes a declining tree a hazard to every pear within flight range. A tree kept in remission by psylla control and good vigor on a tolerant rootstock is not the one to remove; this is for the collapsed tree and the one in steady decline despite adequate water and nutrition.

No spray for this one. Prevention is the control.

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