Seckel Pear leaves turning black

[thistlepatch]

I bought a pear tree about three weeks ago. The leaves and trunk were healthy but they suddenly started turning black. It's still in the five gallon black nursery container but hasn't dried out (I don't think; even during a few days of hot weather). Is it okay to transplant? I was waiting until it cooled a bit, which it has. Is this a blight? Should I prune it?

I have a couple picture but I don't think I can upload it as a newbie here (this is my first post).

Thank you!

 

[catjac1975]

Where are you? Could it have been hit with frost. If you brought it home in a truck, did the leaves get damaged in the wind form movement?
Pears are susceptible to disease. However, I'm sure it was sprayed at the nursery so it would look good for sale. Call the nursery where you bought it. I would plant it. I would not prune it until winter unless there are broken branches. The rule is to cut 1/3 of branches at most. At this stage you will be shaping it for the future. You should be able to find photos online when it comes time to prune.

 

[897tgigvib]

I'm going to do some googling about this, but if it is true it did not dry out, the leaves will not be "CRISPY CRITTER" leaves. If the leaves are indeed "crispy critters", then it did dry out in the container.

I used to work at a nursery. There were about 2 times I know of in which construction workers bought plants in containers, and then brought them back for exchange, and the leaves werew all crispy from not watering them. In our cases, we went ahead and let them exchange them for new plants, but we did tell the chief contractor that his crew allowed the plants to dry out. Major contractor chiefs know about things like that and understand business relations, and the crew gets told about it.

However, Pear leaves turning black, that never happened. Makes me wonder if it is a disease. Usually if a container plant is allowed to dry too long, the leaves get crispy but mostly stay an off shade of green, maybe brown at the edges. Crispy critter plants are put into the "nursery bed", where they are cared for extra. Sometimes they still have life, sometimes they are dead. Our nursery was one where for larger perennials and trees, giving a plant the death certificate was a slow process, unless of course the plant had some disease or borer.

...going googling...

 

[897tgigvib]

I found this o a webpage about Pear tree diseases:

Pear trees are long-lived trees that produce delicious fruit. However, pear trees can suffer from fire blight. This serious fruit tree disease often causes black, scorched leaves to develop on affected trees.

Read more: Black Leaves on a Pear Tree | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7819505_black-leaves-pear-tree.html#ixzz26eeyBdsd

I never saw that. I'm going to find more. I presently live just north of a major Pear production area, and I have never seen it.



Fire Blight is a Bacteria, Erwinia Amylovora

Here is the wikipedia article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_blight




Call the nursery you bought it at before returning it. Try not to help it spread

 

[thistlepatch]

Thanks for your responses, catjack and marshallsmyth. We were pretty careful in transporting it home from the nursery.

The leaves aren't crispy critters; still soft. I had wondered if it was fire blight (hoping not). I'll have to check with the nursery.

We haven't had frost yet - the climate here is similar to Seattle though a bit frostier in winter. It's about an hour's drive north of Vancouver, B.C., halfway to Whistler.

Cheers

 

[thistlebloom]

If it looked healthy when you bought it I don't think it would succumb to disease this quickly.
Container trees need to be watered daily, and watered enough so that you see water coming out the drain holes. In very hot weather they need watering 2x a day.
If you think about it, trees have a lot of tissue to support. Containerized trees are very susceptible to drying out as many of them are nearly, if not actually rootbound.

Cat brought up a good point about windburn from the trip home.

The good news is that most of the time once planted they make a comeback. I'd get it planted as soon as you can.

 

[thistlepatch]

I thought so too, that it went very quickly from healthy looking to having leaves turning. It might have got wind / sunburn. I'll take pix in to some experts, and maybe give it some rescue remedy or willow juice or something ...

 

[catjac1975]

I would get it in the ground ASAP and water every few days. The old age is plant your $1 tree in a $20 hole. My vote is it got dry-but, not dry enough to kill it. Loosen the root ball ect. You will probably see new leaves sprout. It has been stressed.

 

[897tgigvib]

I'm sorry, but I think it is FIRE BLIGHT

 

[catjac1975]

Why would the tree become infected so quickly?

I'm sorry, but I think it is FIRE BLIGHT