Fuzzy pear tree

Question: Hi Can you explain the brown fuzzy spots on the pear fruit which has started to bloom? Leaves look good just confused by how the fruit is beginning to emerge on the tree.

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied June 13, 2023, 11:34 AM EDT
response: This is a classic symptom of rust, a fungal disease named for the orange spores and leaf lesions it produces. Many plants in the rose family (apple, pear, crabapple, hawthorn, quince, serviceberry, etc.) can contract rust and the fungus has unusual reproduction where it must spend part of its life cycle in another unrelated host plant, in this case, juniper (such as our native and widespread Eastern Redcedar). You can learn more about rusts in this Ohio State University article.  Fungicide treatments sometimes help prevent rust infection on the rose-family species (they are not used on the junipers) but they must be applied well prior to symptom appearance, and caution must be used during tree flowering since we don't want those applications to harm pollinators. Several reapplications each season may be needed to effectively suppress the disease, and once symptoms manifest, as they are here, no treatment will be effective because these spores are intended to infect the juniper host again to complete the cycle. Fungicides will also not be able to cure an existing infection or reverse its effects. Ideally, the most practical approach to dealing with rust since it's such a widespread disease is to select cultivars of fruit trees resistant to infection in the first place, though admittedly there aren't many for certain tree species. When fungicides are appropriate to reduce disease as part of the routine care for fruit trees, you can explore the spray schedule link at the bottom of our apple and pear diseases page.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied June 13, 2023, 12:17 PM EDT
response: ok. Thanks. So what would you suggest I do, now, in mid-June about it [since i didn't treat it before the season started]? Spray anyway? Remove the infected fruit? Something else?regards,Eric  On Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 11:34:47 AM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied June 13, 2023, 1:06 PM EDT
response: Hi Eric,  Not much needs to be done at this point since these spores are windblown and abundant enough (from infections on other wild and cultivated trees) that removal of these won't make much difference. Still, you can pluck off and dispose of any infected fruits that you can reach if you prefer. Other sprays might still be worthwhile depending on the pest or disease in question (as per our pear web content and the recommendations in that Virginia Tech publication) but for the rust in particular, no sprays are needed this time of year.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 07, 2023, 10:54 AM EDT
response: following up - i plucked two infected fruits, and now we have one nice one that is growing!any idea how many asian pears we should expect this first year that it is bearing fruit?thank you.  On Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 01:06:39 PM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied July 07, 2023, 11:32 AM EDT
response: If this is a young tree, planted this year or last year, it should ideally not be fruiting at all (pluck young fruits off) since this can be a resource drain on such a young plant trying to establish. It won't kill the tree to allow a couple fruits to ripen at this point, but it can slow growth, and for the future, it's recommended that any fruits starting for form be removed before they get too big for the first two years (at least) a fruit tree is planted. We can't predict how many fruits you'll get from this season (between its youth and its rust fungus battle) but considering those overlapping conditions, any fruits at all will probably be a welcome bonus.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 07, 2023, 11:38 AM EDT
response: Thanks. I forget exactly - but I think the tree is probably three years old.  On Friday, July 7, 2023 at 11:32:08 AM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied July 07, 2023, 11:50 AM EDT
response: Ok, then it can probably be allowed to start fruiting this year (though you can still remove immature fruits now and wait 'till next year if you want), but you still might only get a handful of fruits from a tree that young. Productivity will increase as the tree matures and can support a larger crop of fruits.  Miri