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Bradford Pear & Brown Rot: Not a Concern, But Fire Blight Is

Why Bradford Pears Don’t Get Brown Rot

Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford') fruit (tiny, inedible pomes) are not susceptible to brown rot (Monilinia spp.), which attacks stone fruits (peaches, plums). The orange-tentacled fruit described is cedar-quince rust (Gymnosporangium clavipes)—cosmetic only.

Real Bradford Pear Threat: Fire Blight

Bacterial (Erwinia amylovora). Kills branch tips in spring (“shepherd's crook”).
Spread by rain, insects, pruning tools.
Management: resistant cultivars, copper sprays at bloom, prune 12" below visible canker in dry weather, sterilize tools.

Peach Brown Rot Program (Separate)

Sanitation: remove mummies.
Fungicide: captan, propiconazole, or combined insecticide/fungicide at pink, bloom, petal fall, cover sprays.
Do not treat Bradfords like peaches—waste of time/money.

Focus peach sprays on peaches. Monitor Bradfords for fire blight.

Plant Diseases: Arborvitae 'Green Giant' Interior Browning: Likely Shading, But Get Extension Diagnosis; Brown Rot on Peach Tree: Late-Season Management; Bradford Pear Fire Blight: Identification and Pruning Protocol; Rosemary Dieback from Rhizoctonia: Pruning and Cultural Management; Are Your Potted Spiral Evergreens Dead or Just Drought-Stressed?; Tiny Brown Beetles in Home: Stored Product Pests, Not Woodworm; Clusters of Tiny Brown Specks on Counters: Mold Mites; Brown Bugs on Flowers in NC: Flea Beetles or Mites; Treating a Spreading Brown Spot on Oreocereus; Brown Scale on Phalaenopsis: Alcohol & Systemic Treatment

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