Does one prune a pear tree?

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jamlover Delhi, IA Aug 28, 2010

A friend has a pear tree which has set a tremendous number of fruit, so many in fact that they appear to be pretty small this year. Should pear trees be pruned or not?

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jujubetexas San Marcos, TX(Zone 8b) Aug 29, 2010

Pear trees should be pruned and the fruit should be thinned out while they are young so the other ones get bigger.

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realbirdlady Austin, TX(Zone 8b) Aug 31, 2010

Just to make the clauses clearer, two different things: there's pruning for the branch structure, and then there's thinning out the young fruit. The pruning normally you'd do when the tree isn't actively growing. (Either in the winter or at the end of the summer, I'm not sure for where you are.)

The fruit thinning you can fix in one season, but the pruning might need to be a several-year project to get the tree back into a good shape. Your friend probably will see a real nice improvement in fruit production with just a little bit of care.

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jamlover Delhi, IA Aug 31, 2010

Thanks for the pear tree info. I also have apple trees and one young pear, but somewhere I heard not to prune a pear tree. I now need to open up and thin my tree as well.

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krowten Greensburg, PA Aug 31, 2010

Be sure to do it properly, sterilizing instruments and sealing the wounds. Pears can be extremely susceptible to fire blight, a bacterial disease that can enter the tree from the open wounds of pruning.

Some times of the year are likely better than others for avoiding problems. Do not prune when temperatures and humidity are high. Research fire blight before pruning your (friend's) pear tree.

(and hi to my friend! - the dahlias are doing well)

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Depsi lewiston, ID(Zone 6a) Jan 15, 2011

Hello, what do you use to seal the cuts?? Thank You, Deb

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