The beautiful pear tree suddenly gets brown leaves. The causes for this can be diseases and pest infestation. Sometimes it is also simple care errors that cause damage to the tree. What can you do about the brown leaves?
Why does my pear tree have brown leaves and what can I do about it?
Brown leaves on the pear tree can be caused by fire blight, pear rust, voles or care errors. Depending on the cause, infested areas should be removed, juniper bushes removed, voles driven away or sufficient moisture provided.
Brown leaves on the pear tree
There are various reasons why the leaves on the pear tree turn brown. Some of the most common causes are:
- Firebrand
- Pear grid
- Voles
- Care errors
Firebrand
If the leaves turn dark brown to black, curl up and finally fall off, it may be the dreaded fire blight.
The disease is spreading like an epidemic and is almost impossible to combat. Fire blight must be reported because it is dangerous for all fruit trees. Report a possible infestation to your garden department.
There is little you can do about fire blight. Younger plants must be cleared and disposed of immediately. For large trees, it can help to cut out all affected areas deep into the he althy wood. However, the trees usually die.
Pear grid
You can recognize this widespread pear tree disease by the orange-brown spots on the leaves. It is not that dangerous for the tree. In most cases you can still harvest pears normally.
Cut off any affected leaves and discard them. See if there is any juniper in the neighborhood. The rust fungus overwinters in the juniper and spreads again in the spring. Therefore, all nearby juniper bushes should be removed.
Voles
The rodents love the suction roots of pear trees. In some years they eat the entire root system. As a result, the tree can no longer absorb water and dries up. The best way to tell is when the leaves turn brown.
Get rid of voles from your garden with suitable measures (€119.00 on Amazon).
Care errors
Pear trees need moist soil. If it is too dry, it can affect the leaves. They dry out, turn brown and fall off.
Provide sufficient moisture, especially in the hot summer months and in very cold winters when the ground is frozen.
Tips & Tricks
Tree cuttings, leaves and fruits that are affected by diseases or pests must never be disposed of in the compost. Put such plant residues in the household waste bin or burn them.
