How and with what to treat pears in the fall against pests and diseases

Pear

Pear trees are treated annually in the fall against diseases and pests to protect the plant from infection during a period when it is virtually defenseless. To achieve this, several preparatory steps are required, including selecting the right products, preparing the solution, and applying it with a sprayer.

Why do the work every fall?

To achieve a good effect, consistency is essential; otherwise, it won't be effective. This crop is more susceptible to fungal diseases than others, and pests also attack it frequently. Regular treatment offers several advantages:

Pests and their larvae, which overwinter on the bark and shoots, are destroyed. They begin damaging pear trees as early as early spring, often feeding on flower buds, which can lead to the loss of a large portion of the harvest.
During this period, insects are most vulnerable and easier to control. Treatments are effective because the air temperature is low and the solutions don't evaporate from surfaces as quickly as in summer.
Treatment is easy. The leaves have fallen, so there's no problem completely spraying the trunk, branches, and even the ground beneath the tree. It's also easy to inspect the plant and spot any problems.
Harmful substances don't enter the fruit. Since the work is carried out after harvest, the pears are environmentally friendly, and hazardous substances will be gone by the next season. This is much better than failing to carry out preventative measures and then fighting diseases or pests with chemicals that penetrate the fruit in minimal quantities.
Additional tree protection is easy to implement. In addition to spraying, several preparatory steps are necessary to enhance the effect and destroy fungal spores, insects, and their egg-laying sites.

Advice!

The same treatment should be carried out in the spring before the buds open, then the effect will be best.

It's best to start when the trees are very young, even before they bear fruit. This will ensure rapid development, prevent growth problems, and protect against complex, difficult-to-control diseases.

Processing times and preliminary preparation stages

The exact time for work depends on the region and the seasonal weather conditions. However, it's easy to determine, as work can begin after the leaves have fallen and cool weather has set in, with average daily temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius or slightly lower. In central Russia, this period most often occurs in October, in the south – in November, and in Siberia and the Urals – mid- to late September.

To eliminate all pests and disease spores, prepare the plants and surrounding area before spraying. The process is simple, but requires careful, step-by-step execution:

Remove the soil around the tree. Remove weeds, rake up leaves, and remove them from the area, as they often contain insect larvae or fungal spores. Burning everything collected is the easiest way, but you can recycle it. Don't compost it, as any harmful microorganisms will survive the winter there.
Dig the soil to the depth of a shovel blade. This will improve winter hardiness, as loose soil retains heat better, and will kill pests that overwinter in the upper layers of the soil.
If any individual leaves or dried or rotted fruit remain on the tree, be sure to remove them. Collect them from the ground, as this is a breeding ground for fungi. Rotten pears should be removed regularly while they are still bearing fruit.
Prune. First, remove root suckers and any shoots that have broken off over the summer. Remove any damaged branches. Also prune any shoots that are crowding the crown or growing in the wrong direction. Treat all cuts with a copper sulfate solution or seal with garden pitch to prevent infection. Remove the branches from the area and burn them.
Mulch the tree's trunk area. This will protect the root zone from freezing. Use sawdust or peat, applying a layer of at least 10 cm. If there's a risk of rodent damage, mulch with pine needles and branches. You can also add strong-smelling herbs or special pest control products.
Remove loose bark and lichen from the lower part of the tree. Pests often overwinter in these areas, so use a plastic or wooden scraper to scrape off any loose bark. Don't press too hard to avoid damaging the healthy bark. If damage does occur, immediately treat the area with copper sulfate and seal it with garden pitch.
Whitewash the trunk and fork after cleaning. This will protect the bark from damage and sunburn in early spring. It will also destroy insect egg-laying sites if they remain in crevices or uneven areas. For increased effectiveness, add a little copper sulfate to the whitewash. Apply generously, making sure to cover every area.

After such preparation, fall pear treatment will be much more effective. This preventative measure is often sufficient to kill all pathogenic spores and insects. Trees will become much less susceptible to disease.

Processing rules

Regardless of the product you use, there are a few recommendations you should follow to ensure maximum effectiveness and avoid harming your health and the environment. But first, carefully read the instructions to understand all the nuances and avoid mistakes. The guidelines are as follows:

Prepare the solution according to the manufacturer's instructions. Some solutions require dilution in hot water, while others require steeping for an hour or more. It's important to understand the preparation instructions and strictly adhere to the proportions. If the concentration is too weak, the insects will not be killed, while if it's too strong, the pear tree may suffer chemical burns.
Be sure to use protective equipment. Wear long sleeves and a hat or hood. Purchase a respirator and safety goggles in advance; even inexpensive ones will do.
Carry out work on a cloudy, windless day or after sunset. If it's windy, the product may spill onto neighboring properties and cause harm to people or animals.
Use a garden sprayer with a long wand. It's easiest to set up a stepladder and spray the tree from there. Always start at the top and gradually work your way down.

Advice!

The packaging always includes an approximate amount of solution for trees of different sizes. Don't prepare too much, as you'll have to dispose of it.

If the manufacturer's recommendations differ from those outlined above, follow them. Sometimes, two or three treatments may be required for effectiveness. In this case, choose an appropriate time to complete the treatment before frost sets in. Maintain appropriate intervals between sprayings.

What to use

When combating various diseases, it's important to use appropriate treatments. In this case, the most important thing is to monitor the tree during the summer and detect any problems early. Sometimes, treatment begins during the growing season, and in the fall, the pear tree needs to be treated as part of a comprehensive disease control program.

Scab

It affects not only pears but also other fruit trees and shrubs in the garden. It's easy to spot by the dark spots that first appear on the leaves and then spread to the fruit. To eliminate the problem, powerful solutions are needed; these cannot be used during the growing season, so in the fall, the process should be organized as follows:

Purchase Horus or Tolsin-M. Follow the package instructions and spray 2-3 times, strictly observing the prescribed time intervals. Begin immediately after the leaves fall.
Between treatments with the main product, apply a solution of Fitosporin. This will increase effectiveness and help the plant better cope with the disease.

Don't forget to spray the soil beneath the tree, as this is where the spores overwinter, most often in fallen leaves. These should be removed immediately after they fall. In addition to goggles and a respirator, wear protective gloves, as contact with skin can cause chemical burns.

Rust

If the infestation is severe, pear rust treatments will need to be repeated 2-3 seasons. This disease can only be eliminated in one treatment if it has not yet severely affected the plant. Spraying is essential in the fall, as spores emerge very early in the spring and can cause significant damage to shoots. Follow these steps:

Prepare a urea solution at a rate of 700 g per bucket of water. Spray the branches, trunk, and ground beneath the tree generously. Apply immediately after leaf fall.
Grind 40 g of colloidal sulfur, add it to a liter of water, and stir until smooth. Pour the suspension into a bucket of water and apply the mixture to the shoots, stirring occasionally as the sulfur is insoluble. The liquid will coat the wood, and the toxic sulfur vapors will last for a long time, killing all pathogenic spores.
Cut back all affected branches to healthy wood. Carefully remove any growths.
For prevention, treat with a solution of Bordeaux mixture. A 3% solution is sufficient.

Advice!

Pear rust most often occurs from juniper, so it's best not to plant it in your yard. If you do grow juniper, spray it with a copper-containing solution every fall.

If the infestation is severe, you can use a Skor solution with added Phytoflavin instead of urea. This is a very powerful solution that destroys even large infestations in a single treatment.

Fruit rot

If this problem is detected during the fruiting period, treatment can begin immediately after harvest to apply the solution several times and kill the spores. Be sure to remove all damaged fruit and never leave them on the ground. Follow these steps:

Purchase Hom or Topaz. Read the instructions and spray according to the instructions on the packaging. Don't forget to use protective equipment, as the solution is quite toxic.
Water the trunk circle and the soil beneath the crown several times with a solution of ferrous sulfate. You can also apply it to the tree a couple of weeks before winter to enhance the effect.

To avoid this problem, it's best to initially purchase a rot-resistant variety, of which there are many now. Even if the disease hasn't yet appeared, preventative measures won't hurt, but rather use any copper-containing formulation rather than strong chemicals.

Other diseases and pests

Preventative treatment is easiest to carry out in the fall to avoid most problems. It's worth noting that most pests or their eggs can be destroyed during this period, but they should be controlled in the spring, when the buds open. Treatment is as follows:

Prepare a copper sulfate solution. It doesn't dissolve in regular water, so first dilute it in a small amount of liquid at 60-70 degrees Celsius, then pour it into a bucket and stir.
Apply twice in the fall, 2-3 weeks apart. Apply generously, making sure to reach all cracks and uneven areas. For best results, spray in early spring before bud break.

Bordeaux mixture can be used, but copper sulfate is more effective due to its higher copper content. Some people add Fitosporin to the mixture for increased effectiveness, but it's best to apply it separately.

Tips from the pros

There are some nuances you need to know to ensure high efficiency and avoid harming your plants. Experienced gardeners are well aware of these, but beginners should also learn the basics and avoid making mistakes:

Do not prepare copper sulfate solution in metal containers. The solution reacts with metal, so use only glass or plastic containers.
Wash all containers thoroughly after use. It's best not to use them for food purposes.
Dress so as to minimize exposed skin. Wash skin thoroughly with soap after work.
If the pear tree is slightly infested, there's no need to resort to strong treatments right away. Less toxic treatments are often sufficient to address the problem.
To boost the tree's immunity, fertilize it annually. Apply fertilizer in the fall so that the root system absorbs all the necessary micronutrients by winter.

Don't forget about simple agricultural practices such as whitewashing the trunk twice a season and digging around the tree trunk. Even these have a powerful preventative effect and eliminate many pests. If the infestation is severe, rotate the products so that the active ingredient is different each time.