Apple, pear and quince share fire blight
Apple, pear and quince share fire blight, and the tree you plant decides most of the fight. Choose a resistant cultivar, hold back on nitrogen, and prune strikes out well below the damage.
Promising A person has checked it against its sources. If you skip this, it still grows, just less well. The planner suggests it.
How it works
Erwinia amylovora infects some 75 rose family species, pear worst, and moves between trees on rain splash, on bees and other insects drawn to its ooze, and on pruning tools; soft, fast growth from heavy pruning or excess nitrogen is what it infects most easily.
What to do about it
Plant a resistant cultivar where you can: apples such as Liberty, Enterprise and Freedom; pears such as Moonglow, Magness and Kieffer. Avoid excess nitrogen. Cut strikes out at least 8 to 12 inches below the damage, in dormancy where possible, and clean the tool between cuts.
The evidence
Evidence: checked against 3 sources in the research-based literature.
The 3 sources
Fire blight can be very destructive to apple and pear trees. Pear trees are particularly susceptible
The bacteria may be spread to blossoms, twigs, and branches by splashing rain, insects, and pruning tools
Heavy pruning and excess nitrogen fertilization stimulate excessive succulent growth of leaves and shoots. New growth and fast growth are very susceptible to fire blight infection
Plants it applies to · 3
How this rule has changed
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- Wording made clearer
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Milpa Gardens. “Apple, pear and quince share fire blight, and the tree you plant decides most of the fight. Choose a resistant cultivar, hold back on nitrogen, and prune strikes out well below the damage.” Evidence grade: Promising. https://milpa.garden/rules/apple-pear-quince-share-fire-blight-tree/
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- Well established
- The rule names its mechanism and is settled, by sources a person has read and checked or by plain arithmetic and geometry.
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- The mechanism is named and the literature backs it. A few questions are still open.
- A good hunch
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