Problems in the Orchard
The extent of my gardening experience is cutting grass and tending a few pots, then 18 months ago found a house with a fairly large garden and a small orchard, 2 Pear trees, 2 Apple, 2 plum and a cherry, no idea on varieties. This year so far plum seems to be doing quite well, cherry had loads of blossom doesn't look like it will have much fruit. leaves on 1 Apple are curling and the other is starting to get covered in a grey fluffy mould but the focus of this post are the 2 Pear trees both of which have yellowish/red spots on the leaves. I believe this is Pear rust, after looking at other info on the internet the advice seems to be pick off affected leaves and burn them. The problem with this being there wouldn't be a leaf left, any other advice gratefully received
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You can buy fungicide sprays that will help to contain the spread of the disease. Follow that up in the autumn with a clear up and burning of affected leaves.
The disease needs two species to survive. Do you have a juniper bush nearby? If so, you will see little orange clusters of the pear rust on the needles of the juniper. These will reinfect your pear tree next year. If the juniper is in your garden and you din't love it but you would like to help the pears, dig it up and burn it.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.