Apple and pear disease

Winter_paul · December 2021

Took these pictures earlier in the year , no trees are dormant and dropped their leaves
(which I have cleared away and disposed off in case of disease} is there anything I should be doing to help prevent this happening next year …kind regards

Pete.8 · December 2021

Not sure about the apples, but the Pear has Rust - which many do.
The rust spores overwinter in Juniper plants then get blown (usually in about a 1/2 mile radius) around and if they hit a pear leaf they make it home for the summer, then go back to the junipers for the winter season.
Not much you can do about it.
If just a few leaves are affected you can pick them off, but if there are lots, removing them would do more damage then the rust.
I have 5 pears, and they all get it to some degree.

gardening Rev · January 2022

Thanks , That was helpful. I planted an orchard in the first (Covid) lockdown and the pears have this on them. My Husband was scandalised when he saw them so I am pleased to say that I had done the right thing and not been making it worse!

would a spray of organic (such as garlic liquid) help?

Pete.8 · January 2022

Whilst I doubt a garlic spray would do any harm, it won't make any difference either I'm afraid. It's just one of those things that we have to put up with.
I still had plenty of pears on my cordons and tree that all had rust - unfortunately foxes ate all but 4 of them! 😡

Bordeaux mixture used to do the trick, but is now banned in UK and Europe. There are recipes on the web if you want to make your own. It is quite safe.
It was banned because fruit growers used vast amounts of it as a preventative on their orchards every year and eventually the copper could build-up in the soil and then contaminate waterways.

Apple and pear disease

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