Always cut back to a branchlet or crotch on a larger limb (over 1' diameter), and back to an outward facing bud/twig on smaller growth. Remove all dead branches, and crossed (rubbing)/broken growth. The first part of the tree is grown like a central leader (christmas tree type) tree, then the leader is trained out, and the center opened up into an open center style (to let in light, and maintain manageable height), higher up on the tree. Open center is great for some fruit trees, like peaches and apricots, because it lets in more sun, for better ripening, but is often not strong enough for a full crop of pears, as well as being hard to train pears into. My favorite pruning method for a standard pear tree is a cross between central leader and open center, called a 'modified central leader'.īasically, central leader has the benefit of being the strongest form, but gets quite tall, and doesn't let as much sun reach the center. Pear trees show very strong apical dominance, and will naturally grow rather tall and narrow, not the best for fruiting. This will vary by the age, rootstock, and overall vigor of your particular tree.

How should you go about pruning the pear tree so as not to cause permanent damage?īasically, you only want to cut limbs small enough to heal over in one season, if possible.

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