Fire Blight!!!

[Sundance]

You know........ sometimes.......

After 2 winters of devastating bee losses, followed by
a prairie fire this spring that took out a bunch of bees
and equipment.......

Now I walk into the orchard and I have Fire Blight!!

Sometimes you just want to quit......:mad::mad:

Sorry........ just had to whine........:)

[Sundance]

More info on 2008....... The year of fire blight.

http://www.ncw.wsu.edu/treefruit/FBalert.htm

[cow pollinater]

I've learned that the BEST thing to do when things seem out of control is to take a nap. The time that you lose is small in the face of the problem but the mental capacity gained is huge.
Sorry to hear about the struggles...It's almost like you're farming for a living or something sick like that.

[Sundance]

...It's almost like you're farming for a living or something sick like that.


LOL........... That was my "dream". But I had to take out a
bigger yellow page ad for overhead door work this year.

Looks like a massive pruning campaign this weekend!:mad:

[MapMan]

Sometimes you just want to quit......:mad::mad:


I'm with you there, Sundance. I too have had problems with blight on my young orchard. This year is not so bad - although we had periods of rain, not so much heat. It is sickening to work hard on maintenance of an orchard, and then something really beyond your control takes over.

Hang in there. Prune, replant, do what you can do. When you do prune, disinfect the tools between trees to minimize reinfection. It'll work out -

MM

[Hillside]

Did you have blossom blight symptoms this spring? That can really get the disease out of control in a hurry. Have you considered antibiotic sprays or copper? Sprays can be expensive, especially antibiotics, but they should reduce the rate of infection.

I suppose you're pretty well stuck with the varieties you have in the ground, but you could maybe start planning now for resistant varieties in the future. What varieties are you growing now?

[shawnwri]

I wouldn't prune now, but wait until winter. Pruning now could stimulate new growth that won't harden off properly before winter.

[Sundance]

Thanks guys...........

As to varieties...........

HoneyCrisp

150 on Antanovka

75 on BUD 118

15 on EMLA 7

Sweet Sixteen

25 on Antanovka

State Fair

25 on Antanovka

Out of the fenced orchard I have another 30 or so
of Haraldson, Fireside, Zestar, and HoneyCrisp. I
haven't detected any fire blight out of the fenced
orchard.

I haven't assessed what varieties are affected and not
although the HoneyCrisp is getting hit hardest. But
that is probably due to the numbers.

HoneyCrisp is known to be resistant.

[Sundance]

I wouldn't prune now, but wait until winter. Pruning now could stimulate new growth that won't harden off properly before winter.

I read both angles on the pruning. Now and wait........ confusing
to say the least.:confused:

The one that makes the most sense is now and it's called the
"ugly stub" prune. Prune down 8" to 12" from affected area and
leave a stub that is 5" or so above a branch or bud. Paint the
stub with orange spray paint for winter ID. Then in late winter
cut the stub down to normal. The logic is that the initial prune
cut will likely be infected but will be limited to an inch or so.
And cutting off the stub in dormancy will eliminate the spores.

[Hillside]

I like the two prune method you mentioned. Reduce the inoculum as much as possible as soon as possible and then clean it up later. These trees should be hardening off pretty well in your climate at this time of year anyway.

The U of Minn says that young Honeycrisp that is vigorously growing can be quite susceptible to fireblight, but that as the tree ages, it should become more resistant.

Info from U of Minn

Fireblight can be controlled through pruning and chemical sprays. Control should begin with pruning of blackened branches during late dormancy. However, susceptible trees may need to be pruned as soon as infection is noticed. Since the bacterium thrives on young succulent growth, avoid heavy nitrogen fertilizing, or practices that promote excessive growth. Bordeaux mixture can be applied as a dormant season spray, while streptomycin sulfate can be applied as a blossom spray.

http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/dx/CB/firetab.htm

I'd go with the copper spray to knock it down just before bud-break.

Good luck.

[Sundance]

Well they are susceptible to be sure. Growing conditions
are incredible this summer. Good for growth, bad for
fire blight. They are growing like weeds!!!

I'll do the copper next spring.

Also I've read a bit about Blight Ban........ sounds
very interesting.

"At present, there are two bacterial antagonists that have shown good activity in protecting against fire blight. One such material is marketed since 1995 as Blight Ban uses a strain of the bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pf-A506. This agent multiplies rapidly and colonizes open flowers to the extent that it excludes any significant subsequent colonization by the fire blight organism. Tests in many locations, however, show that if this antagonist is applied after Erwinia amylovora is already present or even as a mixture with the pathogen, it is not effective. The second promising bioantagonist is another bacterium, Erwinia herbicola, strain C9-1, which is a common epiphyte on apples. In addition to the competition for space that occurs with Pf-A506, E. herbicola C9-1 also produces an antibiotic of its own that inhibits the multiplication of the pathogen. Like its A506 counterpart, this second bioantagonist must also be present in the flower before the arrival of the pathogen for it to be effective. This later strain, however, has not yet been approved by the EPA and so is not commercially available."

from http://www.caf.wvu.edu/Kearneysville/articles/SteinerHort2.html

[Sundance]

After these set backs the old saying "Whatever doesn't
kill us, makes it stronger."

I already feel better about this scourge. :)Thanks to all
for the info and letting me vent.

[dragonfly]

Sorry........ just had to whine........:)

Ya need some cheese to go with that? Sorry, just had to be corny;)

I have had success with peaches, plums, and fig trees here, but can't grow any variety of pear for the past twenty years. They all die from fire blight.
Sorry about all your troubles lately.

[Derek]

When all else fails. Start drinking. ;)

Maybe this will help.

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=247

[Sundance]

When all else fails. Start drinking. ;)

Last drink was in 1985.......... think I'll pass:) But I can't say
it wasn't a passing thought.

[Sundance]

I am going to start the copper sulfate spray program
next spring.

Does anyone have a formula for mixing the correct
concentration??

[Bodo]

What is the correct concentration?

May I also urge caution when using the copper sulfate if you are around any bodies of water. It is toxic to fish and even more so to inverts.

[Bodo]

BORDEAUX FORMULAS

While there are many Bordeaux formulas for the control of plant diseases, generally the 10-10-100 works well for many disease-causing pathogens. Among its many uses are applications in fall to control the overwintering fire blight inoculum in pears and apples, leaf curl and shot hole pathogens in peach and nectarine, downy mildew and powdery mildew fungi in grapes, peacock spot pathogen in olives, walnut blight bacteria in walnut, and black spot fungus in roses. Because Bordeaux colors the sprayed plants blue and may discolor house paint, it is not used as often on ornamental plants as it is on trees, vines, or agricultural plants.

The three hyphenated numbers in a Bordeaux formula (e.g., 10-10-100) represent the amount of each material present. The first number refers to the pounds of copper sulfate, the second number refers to the pounds of hydrated lime, and the last number refers to the total gallons of water to be used. Thus, a 10-10-100 Bordeaux means: 10 pounds of copper sulfate, 10 pounds of lime, and 100 gallons of water. A 1 gallon mixture of 10-10-100 Bordeaux contains 3-1/3 tablespoons of copper sulfate and 10 tablespoons of hydrated lime in 1 gallon of water.

[Sundance]

Thanks Bodo!!

I am aware of the water issues (have a BS in Environmental
Science) and will be more than careful. The orchard has no
standing water nearby.

I was unaware of the fall application. Of course a couple
days ago I was unaware of anything other than the name
of Fire Blight....:(

Praise be to internet for accelerated learning curves!

[Bodo]

Sure thing!

You should see what the locals down here dump in their ponds to get rid of Algae. It's frightening ><

[dragonfly]

Bodo, does this formula work for tomatoes with blight problems? I have a very persistent problem with what I think is early blight in my tomatoes every year. It usually starts as soon as tomato formation begins, and there have been years that I have lost 90% of my plants by July. For the past couple of years, I have been super-fertilizing them early in the disease process with a fair amount of positive results, but I'd love to know something that works reliably. I'm sure some of the problem is the summer heat in this part of the country, but I don't see it consistently with other local locations, so I tend to think it is something in my particular garden soil.

[Bodo]

I don't think so, DF. It's pretty harsh on tender plants. That's one reason why that particular mixture isn't recommended after the green shoot phase.

A fixed copper fungicide (tribasic copper sulfate, copper oxychloride sulfate, cupric hydroxide) spray is probably what you're looking for. Lowe's and Home Depot sell them.

[dragonfly]

Thanks Bodo, I'll check it out.:)

[Sundance]

Absolutely no on tomatoes!! 50 days to any crop. It is
very persistent.

There are loads of treatments at Wally World.

[Bodo]

Which one are you talking about there, Sundance?

[Sundance]

Sorry I should have been more clear....:(

The bordeaux solution........ Although I don't think I would
consider any copper solution if I were to be eating the
produce anytime soon. Fixed copper is better, but I'd
steer clear myself.

I move my tomato site every year......... If you are going
to grow them in the same place next year solarize the soil
before planting.

[Bodo]

You can also give Sulfur a try. It can be used up to the day of harvest. Safer makes a sprayable Sulfur that I've heard people talk about.