Pear Trees

pears

Pear Trees

I'm new to fruit tree growing and have been told I need to weigh down my dwarf pear tree branches. I'm not sure what to use to do this as I'm worried about damaging the branches. Any tips and tricks you can share?

ou should be quite careful when bending the branches of pear trees as they can be fragile and split easily. It is better to do this in stages - bend the branches partially at first, and then as the wood strengthens, bend them further. You can sometimes see pear branches tied down to bricks on the ground or tent stakes, especially for the lower branches.

Regularly thin out lateral (side) growth from the main branches as it can be quite prolific on pear trees. Winter pruning should involve removing spindly (smaller than pencil or finger size) growth and any inward growing branches (or where they are crossing over), and then any obvious overcrowding of branches. This will open up the tree and allow air movement and light to penetrate, especially in more mature pear trees.

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