Pear trees, like other fruit trees, need pruning to form the crown, then keep the trees in good condition and bear fruit abundantly. See how and when to prune pear trees growing in home orchards and allotment gardens. Learn the rules, methods, dates and technique of cutting young, fruiting pear trees and rejuvenating old, neglected pear trees.
Properly pruned pear trees bear fruit
When to prune pear trees?
Basicpear pruning datefalls in the early spring period - usually from early March to mid-May.On this date, the pear tree is cut to form the crown of the tree. Sometimes, a supplementary summer cut is also performed, during which the young growths are shortened. Regardless of whetherpear cuttingis performed in the early spring or summer period, it should always be performed on a dry and clear day.
Pear cutting - basic rules
Cutting pear trees , similar to cutting fruit trees of other species, is a necessary but quite complicated procedure. There is no one-size-fits-all way to cut. Ithow to prune a pear treedepends on the age of the tree, the conditions in which it grows, as well as the pear variety and rootstock on which it was grafted.
A general rule of thumb abouthow to cut pear treessays that after heavy pruning, immediately after planting and for the next several years, pruning should be very moderate. If the young trees are cut too hard, the pear trees start fruiting later.During this period, a cut is made to form the crown of the tree.
In trees that already bear fruit abundantly, a more radical cut can be made, bearing in mind, however, that a strongcutting of a pearwill reduce the number of fruits obtained but they will grow better.You also need to prepare properly to cut pear trees. You will need a ladder, preferably comfortable and light, tools for cutting trees and shrubs, i.e. a saw and pruning shears, as well as gardening ointment with which we will smear the cuts after cutting. It is also worth remembering that the tools used for cutting should be previously cleaned and disinfected. Commonly available denatured alcohol can be used for disinfection. If the tools are not disinfected easily, diseases of fruit trees can be transmitted.
First cut of a pear tree after planting
Newly planted pear trees require pruning. If the fruit trees are planted in the fall, the newly planted pear trees should be pruned next spring, at the end of March. If, on the other hand, we plant pear trees in spring, pruning should be made immediately after planting.
Trees consisting of a guide and a few side shoots are usually planted. In this case, all shoots are shortened by half, leaving no more than 30 cm of each shoot. The conductor is cut less drastically. Remember that each cut should be made just above the eyelet.
Cutting a young, several-year-old pear
One-year mares and shoots of the crown of two-year-old pears, trimmed after planting, produce new shoots and branches. One year after the firstpear cutselect 4 to 5 strongest shoots evenly spaced around the conductor to become the base limbs of the crown. These shoots and the guide should not be cut, unless their annual increments exceed 60 cm - then shorten them by 1/3 of their length.
Until the next spring, the remaining shoots should develop a few branches. Each shoot should have 4 to 6 branches evenly distributed to the sides. If there are more of them - remove the excess.Shoots growing towards the center of the crown are also cut.
In the 5th or 6th year of cultivation, after the first fruiting, the main conductor should be strongly shortened, which will strengthen the side branches. Of course, thispear cut , like all the previous ones, we also make in early spring.
Cutting fruiting pear
In the following years, when the tree is already bearing fruit, the task of pruning is to keep the crown of the tree in good condition, to prevent its over-thickening and to maintain abundant fruiting. During this period, pear trees very often produce a lot of new flower buds with poor growth at the same time. Therefore,cutting the pearis done in such a way as to reduce the excess of flower buds and stimulate the shoots to grow. This effect is achieved by moderately cutting the shoots. Cutting too hard will produce many long shoots which will overly thicken the crown.
In teenage trees, stronger pruning of one-year-old and older increments can be performed, as the risk of producing an excessive number of long shoots decreases significantly. Some long shoots may grow vertically, making the crown excessively dense. We call such long shoots wolves. They should be cut in the summer - in August.
Cutting old and neglected pear
Old pear trees are often found in allotment gardens that have not been pruned or have been improperly cut. Usually the crowns of these trees are too dense, conical, and the pear trees bear little fruit. Therefore, arejuvenating cut of the pear tree is required .
The first procedure that should be performed in the early spring period is shortening the guide and relaxing the center of the crown. The lower limbs, on the other hand, are not cut at all to prevent the tree from reacting too strongly. If, after such cutting, the tree produces a lot of long shoots growing vertically upwards, they are shortened in the summer.After these treatments, we should get a flat crown with the center cut out. The next spring, shoots that overly thicken the center of the crown are cut out, and the lower parts of the crown can also be thinned out.Thick branches are left, evenly distributed in all directions and 40-50 cm apart. After completing the main illumination cut, we proceed to cut or shorten the crossing shoots and shorten the branches to induce the formation of fruiting shoots closer to the first and second row branches. This treatment will make the tree bear fruit abundantly again.
Become confident in pruning fruit plants
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This is the second part of the best-selling book "Cutting School", in which the authors Lucyna and Alicja Grabowskieexplained in a simple and clear way the secrets of cuttingornamental plants. The first book The School of Cutting for its simple language and clear, accurate drawings was loved by garden owners all over Poland.The book quickly became a bestseller- 20,000 copies sold! "
"Cutting School 2" will make youconfident in pruning fruit trees and shrubsand learn to cut plants so that they grow according to your expectations and bear fruit abundantly. After reading this book, your approach to pruning plants will probably change completely!
