Poorly Pear

[Westi]

Help Needed

My Pear Tree started to get leaves turning black and
dying and now it is progressing to the branches with the
whole end of the branches going brittle and dying. At
first I thought it was my neighbour who had been spraying
Round Up as it was so patchy like it was wind blown and
only on one side of the tree but now I'm thinking it is
something else.

I looked up diseases and although the symptoms sound like
Scab the pictures I found don't look like what is happening
to my tree, as it started at the very edge of the leaf and
went straight to black. What with my peaches as well I'm
not having much luck with my trees despite spoiling them
rotton.

Has anyone got experience of Scab or is it something else -
and suggestions for cure

Westi

[glallotments]

My plot neighbour and I both had this or a similar problem last year with young trees growing in pots.
It affected the ends of the branches and newish leaves and I thought it could have been wind damage affecting new growth. It was only a guess and could be well off the mark but the trees recovered. (well trees is a bit of an exaggeration really as they were only about 2' tall in their pot.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Could it be fireblight? In which case cut the black ends off down to good wood and put them in the dustbin or burn them.

[Westi]

Still at a loss as to what it is but it isn't fireblight
as I scrapped the bark back and it was OK. I have
cut out all the bad bits and burnt them. The progress
down the branch from the brittle dead bits is rough
bark so it is something external I think.

Anyway no pears off that tree but the other one is
going to get very paranoid with the extra attention!
Just for fun I will spray it with copper fungicide stuff -
although it did nothing for my peaches which are a mass
of red blisters but still holding the fruit - so far!

Westi