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  • From: "loneroc" <loneroc@mwt.net>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Chlorotic pear trees in Kansas: need advice
  • Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 04:43:26 -0500

Title: Chlorotic pear trees in Kansas: need advice
Sam,
 
I have very sandy, but alkaline soil, which is pretty unusual.  Sandy soils east of the western deserts are generally acid.  If I would have done one of Jim Fruth's soil tests I would have learned about my soil's unusual composition a lot earlier than my trial and error method of divination.
 
Powdered elemental sulfur is the best long-term solution to soil alkalinity.  I've used this on ericaceous stuff, mostly Rhododendrons and Blueberries, very successfully.  More convenient, if you have a source, are sulfur prills, that look like yellow grape nuts or ice pellets.  Last year I found some that were really easy to apply from my local elevator (ag supply coop).  They were the size of round paper-punch chads (glad I know the word for that now--never thought it'd come in useful again) and had the consistency of teeny vanilla sandwich wafers.  They were really easy to apply compared to the powder.
 
Steve H. Lone Rock, WI
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 9:10 AM
Subject: [NAFEX] Chlorotic pear trees in Kansas: need advice


I'd like some information/observations/advice on a situation that has developed with 3 pear trees at my mother's home in Hays, Kan. (located about midway between Kansas City and Denver).  I planted the 3 trees about 20 years ago.  They are Harvest Queen, Magness and Shinko, all on OHxF333.   The Shinko and Harvest Queen have been very productive; the Magness tree hardly produces any fruit, probably the result of poor pollination/fertilization, even though there are quite a few pear trees in nearby yards.

About four or so years ago we started to notice that the growth on the Shinko was chlorotic.  About two years ago, the same symptoms appeared on the other two cultivars.  I'm sure this is the result of a high native soil pH (probably 7.0 or 7.5) and irrigating with water that is high in dissolved salts.  I've tried spraying the trees with Sequestrene (chelated iron), but cannot seem to correct the problem in the growing season they are sprayed, much less permanently.

Does anyone have suggestions how I might correct the situation.  Dousing the soil with aluminum sulfate? -- Sam Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn.


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