Prune 6 to 12 inches below visible symptoms, and make sure to sanitize pruners between each cut. If you feel you need to prune during the growing season, make sure to do it when conditions are dry to reduce the chance of spread. Infected branches should be pruned at least 6 to 8 inches below cankers and infected areas. This is best done while the plants are dormant to avoid spreading the bacteria to healthy parts of the plant (or other plants). Infected stems and branches should be pruned out of the tree. While they are not completely immune to fire blight, resistant varieties are less impacted by the disease than other varieties. ![]() Pear varieties that have some resistance include Magness, Maxine, Moonglow, and Summercrisp. Apple cultivars such as Gold Rush, Empire, Enterprise, Liberty, and Winecrisp have some resistance to fire blight. The best way to manage fire blight is to plant resistant cultivars. Therefore, plants that have been heavily pruned or fertilized with nitrogen (which promotes new growth) are more susceptible to fire blight infection. Young, succulent shoots are susceptible to infection. The wounds can be caused by insects feeding on the plants (they can also spread the bacteria) as well as damage from pruning, wind, and hail. Infection can also occur via wounds on the plant. Insects, such as flies and bees, that feed on the bacterial ooze may transport the bacteria to flowers as they visit and pollinate them. ![]() The most common way the bacteria enter plants is via the flowers. The bacteria can also be spread by splashing rain and wind. Insects are attracted to this ooze and will spread it. When conditions in the spring become warm (around 65☏) and wet, the bacteria will begin to multiply and ooze out of the cankers. The bacteria will overwinter along the margins of cankers in infected plants.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |