Fire blight is a tree disease that can cause serious damage to your trees in Iowa. It can kill flowers, leaves, branches, and entire trees if it is not caught early on. Some symptoms of fire blight include cankers, shriveled-up leaves, bent branches, and parts of the tree that look like they were burned by fire. If you suspect fire blight may have infected your trees, you should immediately call professionals to administer antibiotic treatments and prune your trees to stop the spread. After the spread is stopped, you will want to revitalize your tree using fertilization treatments.

What is fire blight and what kind of damage can it cause?

Tree branch consumed by the tree disease fire blight in Des Moines, IA.

Fire blight is a tree disease that can cause severe damage to any trees that it infects. If this disease is left untreated, it can kill flower blossoms, fruit, leaves, branches, and even entire trees in just a few months. Flowers and leaves on infected trees will first appear to be water-soaked, then they will droop and shrivel, and finally, they will turn brown or black and die. Branches may also start to bend, and this is usually referred to as a shepherd's crook because of its shape. Fire blight can also cause cankers, which are dead sections of tree bark that have sunken in.

Is it possible to cure a tree that's infected with fire blight?

Spraying a tree with antibiotics to combat fire blight lawn disease near Des Moines, IA.

Currently, there is no specific cure for fire blight, but there are steps you can take to save your trees and prevent the disease from spreading! Antibiotic treatments will directly attack any fire blight bacteria that are present in the tree. These antibiotics will also protect the uninfected parts of your tree from becoming infected, so you won't have to worry about the disease spreading once you have treated it.

Hiring professionals to prune your trees will prevent the infected areas from spreading. The best time to do this is in the late winter because that is when fire blight bacteria are dormant. Bacteria can remain dormant in any cankers on your tree during the colder months and then awaken and spread in spring, so it's best to attack the disease in the winter when it's easier to manage. If there are cankers on your tree, some professionals will remove them by cutting through the healthy wood underneath the canker. While neither antibiotics nor pruning can cure your trees if they are infected with fire blight, these steps can help to save your trees, so if your tree is infected with fire blight, you'll need to action ASAP!

How can I help my tree recover from fire blight?

Tree granular fertilization at its base to boost immunity.

After treating your tree for fire blight, you will want to help nurse it back to health. The best way to do this is by scheduling fertilization treatments. Fertilizing your tree will provide it with the nutrients it needs to recover from fire blight. What's more, a strong tree will be better equipped to resist future infections! So, if your tree fell victim to fire blight, make sure you invest in fertilization treatments to help it recover!

The three main nutrients that most tree fertilizers contain are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Call us today to sign up for our fire blight control service!

It's important to catch fire blight as soon as possible so you can save your tree and nurse it back to health. At A+ Lawn & Landscape, we offer our fire blight control service to help stop this disease from spreading! We also offer our tree care program that includes several fertilization treatments to help your tree recover from any fire blight damage.

We offer our fire blight control service to residential and commercial properties in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, and the surrounding areas in Iowa. Call us today at (515) 289-2020 to sign up for our fire blight control service today!