- Why is pear tree pruning useful?
- Types of cuts and deadlines in brief
- Grow a pear tree with a round crown
- Spreading points branches in the perfect direction of growth
- Maintenance pruning promotes young fruit wood
- Fruit wood is the focus of pruning care - this is how the fruit wood pruning succeeds
- Educate and maintain a pear tree as a spindle
- frequently asked Questions
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Juicy-sweet pears from your own cultivation are within reach if the right pruning care promotes the fruit wood. This tutorial explains in a practical way when and how to professionally prune a pear tree. Detailed instructions explain the upbringing and maintenance of a pear as more majestic Tree with a round crown or more space-saving spindle tree.
A pear tree produces better yields with proper pruning
Table of Contents
Show all- Why cut
- Types of cuts and dates
- Training cut round crown
- Conservation cut round crown
- Upbringing and Conservation Spindle Tree
- frequently asked Questions
- Choose a vertical central shoot with three side shoots as a crown structure
- Cut off all remaining side branches just before the trunk
- Use a piece of wood to brace the leading branches that are pointing steeply upwards at an ideal angle of 45 to 60 degrees to the central shoot
- Tie up scaffolding shoots that are too flat with sisal at the desired angle
- Remove at the beginning: deadwood, competition with the middle shoot, shoots pointing inwards
- Do not cut back scaffolding shoots, but slim them down by cutting them off
- Rejuvenate drooping, old fruit shoots by means of fruit wood pruning
- Pear spindles grow with 1 dominant central shoot, from which 5 to 7 side shoots branch off as fruit wood
- 1st and 2nd year: remove superfluous shoots, side fruit shoots slim down to a young shoot on the inside
- From the 3rd year: heavily branched side branches derive from a short, young side shoot
- Every year: cut out dead, awkward and weak branches
Why is pear tree pruning useful?
Pears are among the am strongest growing fruit trees. Characteristic of their appearance is a slender pyramidal crown with numerous, tightly upright shoots. Both attributes require the occasional intervention of scissors and saw. It is important to throttle the growth potential and bring it into a garden-ready format. Furthermore, steep shoots are not suitable for fruiting wood, which must be corrected as part of pruning care. Last but not least, you should stay on the heels of the cheeky wild shoots that sprout from the substrate and want to overgrow the noble pear.
Types of cuts and deadlines in brief
A pear tree bears the most productive fruit wood on two- and three-year-old long shoots in the form of short skewers, each with a flower bud. It is advantageous to consider that Fruit wood vital for up to 6 years remains. From year to year, the skewers visibly branch out, diligently bearing flower buds, which turn into juicy pears. The cut care is aimed at the first few years stable, durable framework to educate for that shorter-lived fruitwood. In concrete terms, this means that after the training pruning, a pear tree is to be pruned at intervals of 5 or 6 years. The following table summarizes all relevant types of cuts and recommended dates:
| cut type | aim | best appointment | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training cut round crown | Raise a high stem with an advantageous round crown | early spring (February to early March) | every year 6 to 15 years after planting |
| Conservation cut round crown | Thin out dead wood, promote young fruit wood | early spring (February to early March) | every 3 to 5 years after completing education |
| Educational pruning spindle tree | Build the spindle tree in an ideal shape | early spring (February to early March) | from the 1st to the 3rd year |
| Spindle maintenance section | Preserve spindle shape, promote fruit wood | early spring or summer | after the upbringing |
Parallel to each type of cut, please pay attention to bold wild shoots. The best pear tree varieties are grafted onto a robust wild base. Shoots of water tirelessly drive out of this substrate, drawing off nutrients and water. With rapid growth, the blind shoots strive to overgrow the noble part. If you notice a wild shoot that is pointing steeply upwards, please tear it off. A cut leaves too much tissue residue from which the cheeky wildlings will sprout again.
Grow a pear tree with a round crown
A predominantly round crown is better exposed and is easier to harvest. Although pears naturally form a cone-shaped crown, direct growth into the flattering rounded shape with a training pruning. As illustrated in the figure below, the center drive and scaffolding branches are at a perfect angle to each other. Experience has shown that it takes 6 to 12 years for a perfect crown structure to be completed on a standard or half-stem. How to do it right:
From the second year of growth, the training cut is dedicated to the optimal crown shape. Every spring, first remove all shoots that grow inwards and vertically. Cut the on the four scaffolding drives year-on-year growth of a third back. It is important that the central shoot continues to form an angle of 90 to 120 degrees with its leading branches. Even during the training phase, the skeletal shoots bear the first, short fruit wood. Cut these fruit skewers to an ideal distance of 10 to 20 centimeters. It is important that you rigorously cut away all competing drives to the middle drive.
A pear tree develops a rounded crown in sap scales with a central shoot and three main branches. The right training cut ensures that the central shoot and leading branches are at an ideal angle of 90 to 120 degrees.
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Spreading points branches in the perfect direction of growth
In order for a leading branch in the crown structure to produce valuable fruit wood, it must not grow too steeply. Ideally, the supporting crown shoot is in one Angle of 45 to 60 degrees to the vertical center drive. He does not strive for this growth by himself. By spreading a taut upward branch, you direct the growth to the desired angle of inclination. This is very easy to do with pieces of wood that you notch at both ends. Branches of elderberry or willow are excellently suited as spreading wood. The proven method is also suitable for bringing skeletal shoots of a pear tree crown into the juice scale.Maintenance pruning promotes young fruit wood
Once a pear tree has completed its upbringing as a standard or half-stem, pruning is only part of the care program every 3 to 5 years. Fruit wood thrives on the permanent crown structure, giving you juicy pears for up to 5 years. How often you prune a majestic pear will depend on local conditions, potential crown expansion and the variety being planted. The following pruning has proven itself in the home garden:
Please pay special attention to the shoots, which initially grow flat out of the scaffold shoot and only later change to a steep upward growth. Valuable fruit wood will form on these branches over time. Do not remove or spread these shoots. Under the weight of their fruits they bend down of their own accord.
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Fruit wood is the focus of pruning care - this is how the fruit wood pruning succeeds
If a fruit shoot has carried its sweet pear load for several years, it bends to the ground. At the same time, vitality and willingness to bloom decrease significantly. After 6 years at the latest, it is time for a rejuvenating fruit tree pruning. As illustrated in the figure below, the senescent fruit wood makes room for a young shoot covered with buds, which grows diagonally upwards and outwards. Make the cut where both shoots fork.
Old fruit wood has to give way every 3 to 6 years. Cut off drooping, worn shoots where young fruiting wood branches off obliquely outwards and upwards.
Educate and maintain a pear tree as a spindle
In the modern home garden, cultivable space is limited. Of course, you don't have to do without the joy of pears you've grown yourself. Cultivated as space-saving spindle tree there is a suitable place for the pear in the smallest garden. Another advantage of the pear spindle is that it starts early Harvest from the second or third year. How to complete parenting and maintenance with ease:
If there are not enough side shoots along the central shoot at a flat angle of 45 to 60 degrees, spread out the most promising specimens, similar to growing a round crown on the standard tree. All remaining shoots are removed. Only shorten the center drive when the spindle has reached its final height. Maintenance pruning focuses on clearing out dead wood and rejuvenating fruit wood pruning.
frequently asked Questions
Is a second pear tree absolutely necessary for pollination?
All pears depend on a suitable pollinator in close proximity. Mother Nature did not intend for pear trees to be self-pollinating. Even efforts by competent fruit tree breeders to create self-pollinating varieties have so far been in vain. Consequently, at least two trees are required for a bountiful harvest of juicy, sweet pears.
Can I keep a pear tree in a tub on the patio?
In a sunny, wind-protected location, keeping buckets is no problem. It is important to ensure a balanced supply of water and nutrients. Furthermore, the vessel should have a volume of at least 25 liters.
Our pear tree bears a lot of fruit. Most rot and fall off before they are ripe. What can I do?
Too much fruit is pure stress for a pear tree. There is a lack of nutrients for the individual fruits to ripen. Above all, a lack of potassium causes pears to rot prematurely, which plays into the hands of pests. Regular thinning of the crown in early spring helps to prevent fruit rot. Furthermore, you should rejuvenate aged fruit wood every three to five years. Starting with the leaves, we recommend a balanced, organic nutrient supply. In addition, you should administer a ripening fertilizer in July and August, such as Thomaskali or Kalimagnesia.
The 3 most common cutting mistakes
The pronounced pruning compatibility allows correcting pruning errors on a pear even years later. The following table lists three typical beginner mistakes when pruning pear trees and gives tips for correction or effective prevention.
| cutting error | damage picture | Correction/Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Upbringing with too many scaffolding shoots | too dense crown, inferior fruit quality, risk of fruit rot | Select 3 evenly spaced side shoots, remove all others |
| Competing drives to the middle drive not eliminated | Shade from steep shoots, massive height growth, little fruit wood | Thin out steep shoots that compete with the middle shoot |
| Wild shoots not removed | Total failure after a few years | pull out every wild drive promptly |
tips
If there is not enough space in the small garden to grow two pear trees, simply plant a tree with three pear varieties. The "pear family tree" saves an additional pollinator. As summer, autumn and winter pears congregate on the tree, the harvest window stays open for a particularly long time.