How much trimming does a pear tree need to produce the spring flowering & good pears?
We have this old pear tree that is in our front yard, my husband won't let me trim it as much as I know its needs, it has alot of dead within the tree and I know the tree looks really bad but the dead within the tree takes away from the growth of it and it fights to survive. My husband doesn't think I know anything about trees; can someone with knowledge or experience please send me some information on fruit trees.
Veronica
Expert
Definitely, you should always cut out dead wood. It attracts insects, disease, and other problems. Pruning also usually stimulates new growth.
Cut out dead wood any time of the year. Also, any time of year, cut out any new skinny stems, called suckers, that sprout from the roots or base of the tree. Otherwise, next spring, just as the tree is barely starting to come out of dormancy and sending out tiny new growth, do a serious pruning. (As a rule, fruit treees do best with one good pruning early each spring.)Your first step, again, is to cut out any obviously dead growth. Then cut out any branch that rubs against another one -- leave the best-looking one.Then prune the tree so that it has nice, evenly spaced branches, fanning out around the main trunk, at a good height convenient for picking. Pear trees tend to grow up really tall and narrow, so it's a good idea to cut that main, upright stem (called the central leader) to keep the tree small enough to harvest easily and to encourage horizontal growth.This will keep the tree healthy and encourage better harvests.Join this conversation.
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