My evergreen flowering pear loses leaves?

Question

Help. Every spring, my flowering pear loses all of its leaves after they get dark spots on them. Then the leaves grow back. Sometimes it will lose all its leaves twice in a season. We have a lot of tree frogs and toads and I don't want to harm them with poisons. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Answer 1

MASTER GARDENER TO THE RESCUE.

It drops it's leaves because it misses you when you are at sea. (plants get lonely too)
"evergreen" pear is a state of mind. growers want you to believe that you will accept their idea of evergreen. basically almost all so called "evergreen" ornamental pear (except under perfect growing conditions) will loose most if not all it's leaves at some point during the late winter and often do a major drop about 2 to 4 weeks after a big heat wave mid summer. (have one lately?)

Have no fear, poisons will not help grow your missing foliage back so your frogs are safe. Boost your irrigation during hot weather or before an expected heat wave. Water slowly and deeply. Feed with some cheap high nitrogen plant food. (water in well)

don't swet the black spots, they all get it and the cure isn't wort the hassel. it's going to drop 'um, spots or no spots.

everything you brought up is pretty normal for your kind of ornamental pear. just bump up the SLOW & DEEP watering during the hot part of the year. if you get it before a blast of heat there isa good chance you won't get a major dump of leaves a few weeks later.