Question
Hi, I need some advice on what to do with my pear and apple trees.  Last year both of my 2 year old pear trees came down with fire blight.  I had to cut the trees down to about nothing, because they were so young, to try to stop the spread.  They seemed to be fine for the rest of the summer.  This year my 3 year old Fuji apple tree, which has never had a speck of disease on it, has come down with a major case if fire blight.  And it seems my pear trees have the beginnings of it again too.  I spray with Lime Sulpher and Volck oil in the late winter and I have sprayed them all 2 times with actual Fruit Tree Spray as well.  I am so frustrated trying to keep my trees healthy and feel I will never get fruit.  I think I will have to cut my Fuji down to a stump too.  Is there any hope to grow apple and pear trees here in Western North Carolina without having to battle disease non- stop?  Any advice on how to not get blight next year if my trees can be saved?  Thank you for any help you can give me.  Doreen Thonson

Answer
You are in Apple country where you are and fire blight is a problem.  Do not prune the trees down to nothing.  Fire blight usually does not kill trees.  The ends of the branches are all that are affected.  About 6-12 inches will be blighted and will turn brown.  I recommend using Fertilome Fire Blight Spray which can be bought at good garden centers.  It is an antibiotic called streptomycin sulfate.  Use this product at the first sign of bud break next spring.  Two applications will be necessary about 7-10 days apart.  Fire blight is a disease favored by windy and wet environmental conditions.  The disease may be endemic, meaning that it will occur every year but in varying degrees of severity.  One year it may be really severe and the next year, it may be nonexistent.  Try the streptomycin and see if it will prevent the disease.  I hope this helps you grow some nice apples and pears.  Good Luck.