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Peculiarities of pruning and canopy formation of pear trees in the orchard

For gardeners

2 min read

In most pear cultivars, buds awaken easily, but new shoots develop poorly. Thanks to this, the tree canopy naturally forms more sparse and light than that of an apple tree, and the skeletal branches are firmly fused with the central leader. In the first years, before the onset of fruiting, pear pruning is carried out in the same way as the care for spur-type apple trees.

Due to reduced frost resistance, the pear is prone to actively forming water sprouts even at a young age. Uncontrolled growth of these shoots quickly causes the canopy to become dense.

Rules for working with water sprouts on a pear tree:

  • completely remove all poorly positioned and crowding branches;
  • use pruning to convert the remaining water sprouts into fruit-bearing spur branches;
  • in case of severe frost damage to the tree, use water sprouts to restore dead skeletal branches.

Canopy formation considering cultivar and fruiting type

The growth intensity of a tree directly depends on the cultivar characteristics. When planning pruning, be sure to consider the growth vigor of a specific pear cultivar.

Growth vigor Pear cultivars
Low-growing Moskovskaya, etc.
Medium-growing Duchesse d'Eté, Lada, etc.
Vigorous Bessemyanka, Botanicheskaya, Kosmicheskaya, Lyubimitsa Yakovleva, Rossoshanskaya krasivaya, etc.

The pear bears fruit on spurs, fruit-bearing wood, and slender shoots. The harvest can be formed on one type of fruit-bearing branch or on all three at once: spurs, darts, and slender shoots.

Рис. 260. Плодовые (генеративные) ветви груши: 1 – кольчатки; 2 – плодовая сумка с кольчаткой и вегетативной ветвью; 3 – копьецо.
Fig. 260. Fruit-bearing (generative) branches of a pear: 1 – spurs; 2 – fruit bag with a spur and a vegetative branch; 3 – dart.

For canopy formation of a pear, the spaced-tiered and fan shapes, as well as palmettes, are best suited. For cultivars with a spreading growth habit, a spindle-shaped bush is an optimal solution. When pruning trees with a pyramidal canopy, be sure to redirect branches to outward growth to open up the canopy. During the period of full fruiting, limit yourself to cutting out only large branches.

Рис. 261. Снижение кроны у груши.
Fig. 261. Canopy reduction in a pear.
Рис. 262. Предупреждение разломов кроны чаталовкой: молодое дерево (1) и взрослое (2).
Fig. 262. Prevention of canopy breakage by propping: young tree (1) and mature tree (2).

Aging pear trees respond excellently to severe rejuvenation. In this case, be sure to reduce the height of the canopy, especially in pyramidally growing cultivars.

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