Pruning A Pear Tree

[doddsredoubt]

Can anyone on theanswerbank advise me on how to prune a Pear Tree,also is there anything I have to put into the ground,to enrich the soil to help yield better Pears.

Thankyou for any help.

[Stargazer]

I am interested in the replies you will get as I also have a pear tree which has yielded little to date.

[jamesnan]

Put in a search on YouTube, and you can watch a clip.

[johnk]

Do it next month. I just prune any branches touching each other and mine seems OK

[buildersmate]

Pruning techniques are much the same as for apples - search the web for that.

You don't say how old this tree is, so it's a bit difficult to comment further on pruning. In general, pears are more upright in growing habit than apples so you prune to outward-facing buds, to get a better shape of bush.

The problem with pears in the UK is that most varieties blossom before apples by 2-3 weeks, so are more likely impacted by late frosts killing off the blossom. But a bigger issue is that most pear varieties are not self-fertile, which means they need another pear tree partner nearby to fertilise from. Because pears are less planted than apples in gardens, there is less chance of pollinating insects doing the necessary. Of around 15 common types of pear in the UK, only 2 are self-fertile - one being Conference - the most commonly-planted pear. So it is more than likely the problem is nothing to do with soil fertility.

So it is more than likely your