Hello, I am new on the forum. I am seeking assistance in diagnosis of an issue with a relative's Asian pear tree. The tree in question is located in Windsor, Ontario and have had fruited for several years until recently. It had never been treated/sprayed. Earlier this year, soon after the blossom, the owner noticed that the leaves started drying up and falling off. The small fruits also started drying up but hanging on to the tree branches. I have enclosed some photos that were retaken recently. He has asked me to find out what the issue is and the solution is (if the tree is still alive). Thanks advance for the help. I don't live in the same city but I could get more info if required. Bill
The tree appears to be quite dead, and it would be difficult to figure out what killed it from photos. The fruit is probably irrelevant because it just dried up along with the rest of the tree. I don't think that winter cold would have killed it because Asian pears are fairly hardy and should be OK in Windsor. A fungal infection in the roots or the main trunk could have done it. An inspection by an arborist might be required to find the actual cause.
I agree with Vitog, and would add that the tree had been dying for a while before it stopped fruiting. The photo of the trunk in the planting bed is indicative of that. The debarked areas show at least a season's age, possibly more. While the tree had enough energy to blossom and fruit, the sap was insufficient to heal the trunk damage/root damage. I see the upper pruned limb ends and the reddish brown twig bark that look healthy to a cursory glance, but they were just being maintained on energy reserves that the tree had already stopped replenishing. I think you would find that the cambium is almost entirely gray brown and dessicated under the remaining bark.
I agree that the tree is most likely dead. There are a few things that could, alone or together, be the root cause of that: 1. the tree is planted and/or mulched too deeply In Too Deep? 2. incorrect grafting 3. unhealthy soil (see very unhealthy looking grass at the bottom of the last picture) 4. there could also be causes that are not easily visible to the eye like incorrect planting without opening the root ball and girdling of the roots. 5. there could also be causes that are not visible to the eye at all, like incorrect watering and/or fertilizing, or possible washout of toxic chemicals from all kinds of mulches (bark, gravel). Only the owner of the tree is in the position to answer all these questions and decide what is at the roots of the problem in this particular case.
