My area (Coastal SE Virginia) is extremely prone to this disease. I have only found a few varieties so far but want more for planting.

Label them as "Resistant" or "Extremely Resistant"

Here are the ones I have found so far... and how resistant they are allegedly. Just planted them so it will be a while before I find out if it is true.

Enterprise apple - Extremely Resistant
Liberty apple - Resistant

Starking Delicious pear - Resistant


Thanks,

Marty

As far as I know the key is in the root stock used. We have fire blight in my area. I always order trees grafted on fireblight resistant rootstock.
So you may wish to get good root stock and just graft what you want onto it. grafting is not hard and you can find people who sell grafting woodstock. Check with north american fruit explorers.

alex Keenan wrote:As far as I know the key is in the root stock used. We have fire blight in my area. I always order trees grafted on fireblight resistant rootstock.
So you may wish to get good root stock and just graft what you want onto it. grafting is not hard and you can find people who sell grafting woodstock. Check with north american fruit explorers.

Roger that. I will check them out. Thanks!


Marty

http://www.centuryfarmorchards.com/niche/wildlife.html

Check them out, they specialize in southern varieties.

In Oklahoma the Kieffer pear (actually a hybrid between Bartlet and an Asian pear) is said to be resistant to fire blight, which is common. Around here the Kieffer is actually sometimes called the "homestead" pear because it's the most likely fruit tree to find still alive and producing on old home sites that have been vacant for decades.

In my own actual experience, the Kieffer pear that was abandoned/neglected on this property for decades is still healthy on secondary spires (central spire is long since gone dead and been turned into woodpecker condominiums) and produced abundant fruit three years ago, which was the year that I found it. Two years ago it got a case of fire blight that blackened half the tree. (I saw other random pear-family trees in the neighborhood that turned totally black that year, and now appear to have died.) Last year the fire blight was minor and much fruit was set, but it all dropped very early in the year for reasons unknown. This year it's looking perfect so far, with heavy fruit set. I estimate this tree dates to the late 1940s, but that's just a guess based on the construction date of the house I think it was originally associated with.

This was how the Bradford pear was born

...the key is in the root stock used.

I tend to agree with this.

The first choice in root stocks is generally size (dwarf, semi-dwarf, etc.), and then cold hardiness.
Also important in selection are disease resistance, soil type, water requirements, anchoring, etc.

There are dozens and dozens of available root stocks. Picking the best choice for your circumstances can be a daunting task. Some nurseries only use one type, while others will offer a wide selection.

Without knowing all of your requirements, I couldn't even begin to offer suggestions. What I do recommend is talking to a local orchard, or better yet, ask your County Extension Agent. He/she should know what works best in your region - minimum winter temps, soil types, rainfall/irrigation, diseases, etc. He has had years of listening to commercial orchardists complaining and/or praising different root stocks. He should know best what works well under your set of circumstances. Better to find out NOW than to wait several years to know if you made a good choice.

I talked to a Horticulturist one time and he recommenced pouring milk on the infected tree. I did it and it helped. Something to do with the lactobacteria.

I had purchased several bare root trees and planted them in our property in Great Bridge area of Chesapeake. Heavy clay soil and swampy conditions were my enemies. All was good the first two years when we had unusually dry conditions, then came a very wet spring. My next door neighbors were synthetic fertilizer lawn enthusiasts, I preferred sheet mulching and horse manure. Flooding and run-off from their property were my heartbreak. My hardy oriental pear had an explosion of growth and a major outbreak of fire blight. I ended up pruning over a third of the poor tree that summer, an additional third of the tree the following summer, and was ready to throw in the towel. Once the tree hit 12 feet in height something must have changed, three straight years with no signs of fire blight. I want to say the massive amounts of sheet mulching I had applied helped change the soil structure somehow as I had started noticing really nice, dark, crumbly soil instead of that terribly sticky clay. I took several air layers from the original tree, kept one and gave away the rest. Now I reside on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, but the original hardy oriental pear tree, now 16 years old, is close to 24 foot tall, but only bears on alternate years. I have a 6 foot tall cutting here on the shore that I am anxiously waiting to see if it will bear fruit. I have some reservations on this cutting as it is not as healthy as I would wish, but the soil I have it planted in is still being mulched heavily due to lack of organic matter. Healthy soil in my experience goes a long way in preventing disease, as well as a good plant guild setting. Polyculture planting seems to create additional protection as "plant buddies" tend to protect each other. Comfrey is one of those really good buddies. In ending, I do believe that disease resistant varieties (especially if also heirlooms) go a long way in keeping our sanity in check. Gardening and Permaculture should be enjoyable and stress-relieving, not stress-adding. My growing experience in Chesapeake was a real learning curve for me - good luck!