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Aside from pruning, pear trees require little attention. They do not
like to be short of water though. The best strategy is to apply a mulch
in mid-Spring of well-rotted compost around but at least 15cm (6in) away
from the main
trunk.
Pear Midges (see pest and disease below) are often a problem. The cure
is rake the surface of the soil regularly in from late winter to early spring. This
will expose and kill the midges before they get a chance to fly up into
the tree.
Aphids
- these may attack new growth especially in early summer. The aphids can
often be seen. They cause new shoots to curl and there is often a sticky
fluid over new growth. Click here
for more information and how to treat this pest. Scab - this fungal disease can be identified by brown scab like
marks on the fruit and often black marks on the leaves.
Click here for details on how
to treat this disease. Canker - the symptoms are deformed patches of bark which becomes
cracked and bends inwards. Click
here for details on how to treat canker. Caterpillars - these seem to find the leaves of pear trees
particularly tasty. The best treatment is to simply pick them off by hand
as soon as they are noticed. If you notice any moth cocoons them pick
those off as well because they are housing caterpillars. Pear Midge - the signs of pear midge are young fruit which does
not develop properly and becomes black before falling to the ground.
Destroy all the infected fruit. In spring cultivate the soil
around the tree to expose the over-wintering midges to the cold and wild
life. A mulch of black plastic over the soil around the tree will also
prevent the midges entering the tree in Spring. Fireblight - the signs are new growth turning brown and a sticky
liquid appearing around affected areas in Spring. Seek advice from your
local garden centre if you suspect fireblight because this disease should
be notified to the agricultural authorities. END OF ARTICLE
HOW TO STORE PEARS
Pears don't store very well but some varieties are OK if
kept for two or three weeks (see previous page on varieties). Store
pears in a cool area (approximately 6�C / 43�F) which doesn't suffer
from large temperature changes. Lay them on a slatted surface and don't
have more than one layer. Only store perfect specimens and check them
out every couple of days. If any show signs of deteriorating then remove
them immediately. A moist but not damp atmosphere is best.
PEST AND DISEASES
Pears are reasonably healthy fruit trees but do occasionally
suffer from pest or disease the main ones are outlined below.
Name: zeshan arif
E-mail: zishi_z@yahoo.com
Date posted: December 15, 2011 - 09:48 am
Message: dear sir.... plz tell me the problems we faced during the storage of pear fruit...thanks
Name: Alan Goodchild
E-mail: appyome@yahoo.com
Date posted: October 24, 2011 - 08:19 am
Message: I have a problem of a rot which comes out from the core. A pear does not pears seem not quite ripe (very firm)on the outside but is brown at the core which rapidly extends to the outside. No sign of insect penetration or grubs etc.
Any ideas
Alan Goodchild
Name: roland joe
E-mail: rolandjoe140@gmail.com
Date posted: September 01, 2011 - 07:31 am
Message: Hello,
This is Roland Joe. A US based company.We will like to make an inquiry
regarding some of your product
which is going be ship out of to Australia and we will be the one that
will take care of the shipping,so kindly get back, if
you do accept credit cards for payment and if you will allow our
shipping company to handle the shipment.
Kindly respond if the above condition is acceptable by you. and we will
communicate back to you with the types of product and the
quantity needed.
Looking for to read from you soon.
Regards
Roland.
Name: HELEN DEEGAN
E-mail: hrjjdeegan@ntlworld.com
Date posted: August 21, 2011 - 12:30 pm
Message: why are my pears so dry and juice less
Name: Laurie
E-mail: Private
Date posted: August 14, 2011 - 02:41 pm
Message: Hello, I would like to know how to care for pear tree that is FULL of fruit. I picked off about 100 of the least nice ones, is there a rule of thumb re: how much fruit per branch or something? Do not want to lose this one to a wind storm
Name: Rithu
E-mail: jihadullahk@yahoo,com
Date posted: August 04, 2011 - 08:52 am
Message: nice site thanku very much information
Name: David
E-mail: Private
Date posted: June 14, 2011 - 04:23 am
Message: I have a 2/ 40yr old pear tree and the new fruit have what appear to be scabbs on them.
Please help
Thanks
Name: steve chaney
E-mail: Private
Date posted: June 07, 2011 - 12:38 am
Message: I have 2/ 40 yr old pear trees. Part of the tree has small yellowish leaves and normal leaves on the rest of the tree, It has spread to the other tree also blossoms have died. Can the trees be saved? what can I do. Steve
Name: AL
E-mail: alla4u@aol.com
Date posted: May 29, 2011 - 07:19 pm
Message: My pear tree flowered early this spring for the first time after 2 1/2 years and all the blossoms dried up and fell off after a few days. The tree looks pretty heathy other wise.
Can someone tell me what is going on with it. I need some serious help.
Name: mark coley
E-mail: Private
Date posted: May 15, 2011 - 11:22 am
Message: Hi, my pear tree is about 6 years old, the young fruit is turning black and droping off, also the leaves have red spots on them . Can you help . many thanks.
Name: Minaz
E-mail: mmkapasi@aol.com
Date posted: May 11, 2011 - 08:46 am
Message: Hi, I have a pair tree and it has some diseases on the trunk and the leaves. Trunk has got a mark of white patches and a holes on the leaves.
Can you please advise to treat them.
Thanks
Name: Michele Trebilco
E-mail: peter.michele@virgin.net
Date posted: May 06, 2011 - 04:31 am
Message: Hi My pears are pollinating well and baby pears appear and then the stems turn yellow, black up by the pear itself and then drops off. This is the second year that this has happened. This is a family tree (3 types) grafted on one stem and is about 4 years old. The tree and leaves seem very healthy. Can you help. Many thanks.
Name: kim lowe
E-mail: Private
Date posted: May 03, 2011 - 07:34 am
Message: hi i would like some advise on how to keep my own grown pears fresh. every year i get load of pears but they never seem to get juicy they seem to turn rubbery and bendy once i have picked them and put them in the fruit bowl like i do with bought ones am i doing anything wrong ? please help
Name: Mrs Mistry
E-mail: Private
Date posted: January 02, 2011 - 04:19 pm
Message: Hi, we have two pear trees in our garden but only one bears fruit, just a few pears e.g 5/6 fruits. Recently the leaves get black spots and fall off. Would you please advise on the treatment of the leaf problem and also the best form of fertilizer to encourage healthy growth and fruits.
many thanks
Name: Chris Peeling
E-mail: Private
Date posted: November 18, 2010 - 07:57 am
Message: My Pear tree (3yrs old) has just sprouted Blossom(2nd time this year) will it be detrimental to the tree if I leave it or should I just pick it out?
Name: colin spencer
E-mail: colispencer23@hotmail.com
Date posted: September 25, 2010 - 10:18 am
Message: My young pear tree seems to be dying!! The leaves are all wilting and turning black. Can anything be done to save it?
Name: Les Ayres
E-mail: les.ayres@ntlworld.com
Date posted: August 07, 2010 - 03:22 am
Message: Dear Sir,
I have a very large pear tree - about 18foot, it is taking over my garden and I need to really prune it back hard, how do I do this? Also it has pear midge and being that size it is difficult to control. Black plastic would be impracticable. Is there another way of controlling them?
Regards
Les Ayres