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Fight Fire Blight with Pruning & Treatments

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While tree diseases often thrive in spring, it is important to remember that proper care year-round can make a big difference in managing these issues. Some simple practices now can help combat disease. One good example is autumn and winter care to help control fire blight . Caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora , fireblight commonly infects pear, apple, hawthorn and quince. Symptoms of Fire Blight The disease gets the name “fire” blight because severely infected plants will have blackened or dark brown branches and foliage. Plant tissue can look as if it has been scorched or burned. The affected branches also often form a shepherd’s crook at the tip. How Fire blight Spreads Bees and wind-driven rain spread new infections during spring. These infections progress into the twigs and toward the main trunk. Once infected, cankers on trunks and branches can persist, where they serve as a source for future infections. Left untreated, cankers can completely girdle the ca...