Q&A – It is fall, and I have fire blight on my loquat tree. Should I prune or spray?
Question:
It is October and I discovered fire blight on my loquat tree. Should I cut off the infected branches or spray with something? No fruit right now, but a few feet away, I have an orange tree with oranges.
Answer:
Fall is not the time to prune a tree. If you saw the problem in the summer that would have been a good time to prune. The damage is done this year. Next spring go in and prune out the damage and watch the tree. Make sure you clean you pruning shears in alcohol between every cut to keep the disease from spreading. If this problem happens every year you may want to spray with an anti-bacterial chemical like Streptomycin or Kocide at bloom.
Related Resources:
Loquat Growing in the Florida Home Landscape
Fire Blight
Fireblight: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
It is October and I discovered fire blight on my loquat tree. Should I cut off the infected branches or spray with something? No fruit right now, but a few feet away, I have an orange tree with oranges.
Answer:
Fall is not the time to prune a tree. If you saw the problem in the summer that would have been a good time to prune. The damage is done this year. Next spring go in and prune out the damage and watch the tree. Make sure you clean you pruning shears in alcohol between every cut to keep the disease from spreading. If this problem happens every year you may want to spray with an anti-bacterial chemical like Streptomycin or Kocide at bloom.
Related Resources:
Loquat Growing in the Florida Home Landscape
Fire Blight
Fireblight: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment