A severe pruning

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Bret Chase

Minister of Fire
Jan 15, 2013
870
Maine
This was a massively neglected and out of control winter pear. The tree is still sleeping and had not yet begun to bud. In all honesty, the tree was hideous too... with MANY water sprouts in the top boughs...

I am expecting massive vegetative growth within the next month... which hopefully I can keep a handle on and end up with a productive fruit tree...

Should I use the resulting waste for heat... or smokewood?
 

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I'd vote to save it for smoking. Has the tree produced well before? Most Pears need a compatible pollenizer. I've heard Kieffers can be self fruitful to an extent.
 
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the problem was the tree produced HUNDREDS of very small fruit... and at 35' ... waaaaaaay too tall... you can't see it, but there is a "green pear" just out of frame to the left...

in the picture you can see 3 apples in various states of rehabilitation.. and my brother's house...
 
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You call that a pruning?? That's like saying you're goin' to the barber for a haircut and coming back with a shaved head!!;lol
I'd be saving that fruitwood for smoking. Part of the problem with that tree putting out small fruit may have very well been the fact that it needed that heavy pruning. I'll be anxious to hear how it does this year.......
 
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if it responds anything like the apple in the background... it will be massive and vigorous vegetative growth... I'm not expecting a lot as far as fruit this year... the tree has other work to do...

Of course NONE of my fruit trees did squat last year.... with it hitting the high 70's Feb '12... it just completely screwed them up.... My shags.... made nuts like crazy though...
 
the farthest apple in the picture, next to the pine.... produces amazing fruit.... kind of halfway between a mac and a cortland.... He thinks it may be a Baldwin... a variety bordering on ancient...
 
That's a huge tree.
You know that's gonna try to grow back to where it was.
and you probably pruned all the little fruiting nubs off, but you just might have a fantastic crop next year or ( more probably ) the year after.
I'd be tempted to cut it down and plant something (s) dwarfed that are easier to take care of.

I have to snip 75% of the asian pears off or I get hundreds of golf ball sized pears.
 
It's by no means a huge tree.... it had less than 1/10 of the biomass of the white pines that line my yard. It was neglected. fruit trees need a yearly pruning... it's just a fact of life.

I am well aware I am most likely 3 years out from that tree significantly producing again. It's ok... I am patient...
 
Wow, that is a lot of cutting back. We had a pear tree looked similar to that which we thought was a winter pear years ago. The fruit was as hard as a rock and the skin was thick and as tough as sharkskin. Have no idea what type of pear it really was. Have never seen another one like it since.
 
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