it might mean its fall .. and its had a tough season ... and some of it is shutting down a few weeks early .....

where are you.. and what has the season been like since spring???

im not much concerned with ugly leaves.. this time of year.. in my MI ... the soybean fields are turning.. and some random trees also ...

time is near for deciduous trees to lose all there leaves ...

im not aware of evergreen pears ... so i will defer if this one is ...

ken

I'm in San Francisco, and this has been going on for a month or so. I was thinking it's a water issue or maybe nutrients? But would nutrient issues affect all the leaves?

I think ph would have more of an effect like this than nutrients, have you tested for that?

The leaves do look a little sun scalded, has the tree been in the ground for long? A new tree will have to adapt and make a full root system to able to withstand the heat and that could take up to 3 years.

I agree with ken, this time of year, leaves are getting ready to give up for the season.

And I too don't have any first hand knowledge of this type of tree.

Asian pears, Pyrus pyrifolia, are no different to grow than common European pears. Just not as cold hardy :-) No specific pH requirements and subject to the same disease and insect issues.

I see nothing specifically wrong with those leaves except perhaps some sun and/or drought stress. The discoloration does not look like any sort of nutrient disorder. And I agree that at this time of the season, stressed out leaves is not something I would spend much time worrying about. If you have concerns, just make sure all the leaves are carefully raked up and destroyed, although I really do not think you have anything to be concerned about.

And 'early dormancy' might be taken with a grain of salt :-) Trees are coloring up a lot in my area and we won't even have a hard frost until late November or December. Coloring and leaf senescence/dehiscence is a response to shorter day length and cooler temperatures and can happen whenever those conditions are right. The tree will not be fully dormant until all the leaves have been shed.

If you are still concerned, you could call Stark's, a big supplier of Asian pears in California. It's where I got mine. I enjoyed the first harvest this season after three years. Delicious!

I can't imagine a midwest nursery being a big supplier of any sort of fruit tree to California :-) California is the leading commercial growing area in the country for Asian pears and probably the largest wholesale growing operation for just about anything that can be grown in the US, followed closely by Oregon. What California and its extension service doesn't know about growing fruit trees - pretty much ANY kind of fruit tree - is likely not worth knowing!

And California is extremely restrictive about any plant products being imported into the state and many mail order nurseries are unable to ship to CA.

Ahh you are correct GG - Stark is in Missouri, not California. Still, they do sell a lot of Asian pears and could possibly be a source of information about her problem. They have been helpful.

Not to justify my mistake, but have you all noticed how online nurseries' websites obscure their locations? They don't offer addresses or even identifiable telephone area codes, and leave off the information in their "about us" blurbs. It's infuriating when you want to know how long shipping might be, whether the plants will be acclimated to your zone, or if you just want to buy as locally as possible.

Asian pears are very similar to pears, but they have some important differences. One is that they are super sensitive to Fire Blight (not the problem here it appears.) Another is that high pH soils can lead to mineral deficiencies, esp. calcium because Asian pears are a bit more sensitive to pH than regular pears. On the plus side, they will grow in ground a bit less well draining that the European pears. At the end of the season, these deficiencies show up.

The tree is about ready to sleep. While it sleeps, check your pH and do a soil test.