Pear tree issues
After pruning my peach tree yesterday I decided to go at another overgrown tree I have in my yard. I examined what I thought were flower buds but might actually be pears! I'm concerned because literally all of the leaves on this tree have been munched on my some kind of bugs. I am hoping that I can prune the tree and nurse it back to health. Does anything have any thoughts or advice? Is the tree beyond help?
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!potatoes!
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applestar
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I'm sure it's just a typo but you started off saying peach tree, despite the title that mentions PEAR and another mention of PEAR a little later on.
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OK I reread your post and assume you pruned what you know to be a peach tree and while you had the pruners in hand, decided to clean up a different overgrown tree. I can TOTALLY relate, as I have to restrain myself when I have pruners, loppers, and/or pruning saw in my hands. I tell myself I'm DANGEROUS and make myself put them down before I go overboard!
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Not sure you are pruning pear tree right now if that's what you have. Pears should be pruned in late winter/early spring. Could be bad time for infections like fireblight. This IS supposed to be a good time to prune PEACH, especially for you a little further north than I am (I think it might be a little past the right timing for me here.)
Also, I wonder if it's a good idea to prune if the tree has lost foliage due to insect damage since you'd probably want it to grow back as much leaves as possible to recover photosynthesis area?
If the tree feels unable to support the baby fruits, it will probably abort them and drop them, but it will be able to concentrate on recovering it's strength since re-growing the foliage will take extra energy. How old is your tree?
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OK I reread your post and assume you pruned what you know to be a peach tree and while you had the pruners in hand, decided to clean up a different overgrown tree. I can TOTALLY relate, as I have to restrain myself when I have pruners, loppers, and/or pruning saw in my hands. I tell myself I'm DANGEROUS and make myself put them down before I go overboard!
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Not sure you are pruning pear tree right now if that's what you have. Pears should be pruned in late winter/early spring. Could be bad time for infections like fireblight. This IS supposed to be a good time to prune PEACH, especially for you a little further north than I am (I think it might be a little past the right timing for me here.)
Also, I wonder if it's a good idea to prune if the tree has lost foliage due to insect damage since you'd probably want it to grow back as much leaves as possible to recover photosynthesis area?
If the tree feels unable to support the baby fruits, it will probably abort them and drop them, but it will be able to concentrate on recovering it's strength since re-growing the foliage will take extra energy. How old is your tree?
I'll try to get pics up tonight. Initially I was pruning my peach tree and then moved onto another tree. That's when I realized the second tree was a pear tree, with the bad looking leaves :/ It is a really sturdy tree with a good base and strong branches. However, those branches have a ton of branches stemming from them which have grown completely vertically.
I'm not sure if I should get rid of the vertical branches or if I should do that when winter comes.
I'm not sure if I should get rid of the vertical branches or if I should do that when winter comes.
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applestar
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From what I've read on pruning apples and pears, it's best to wait until the new shoots become semi woody (bark turns brownish) where the winter temps go subfreezing. This way, the tree won't try to grow new tender shoots that will only be winter killed. Also, where the dreaded Fireblight bacterial disease is prevalent, it's best to avoid early summer months when humidity, etc. conditions are optimal for the disease to spread through infection via the cut.
There are all kinds of conflicting information, and one writer wrote that he doesn't prune after Labor Day. Another firmly recommends against pruning while the wood is frozen solid.
Compared to pruning in later winter/early spring which encourages a burst of new growth due to stored energy returning to the branches, pruning at semi-woody stage is supposed to discourage overgrowth. But you need to also remember that all the green leaves you cut off (not allowing them to naturally change color and fall off) represent that much less energy stored in the roots for next year.
Based on these recommendations, I was able to successfully prune my neglected apple tree between mid-August and mid-September (when I made the first cut by removing 1/3 of the length -- this allowed some leaves to remain as well as allowing for possible firelight infection to be cut off before reaching the main branches or trunk), then again, around early November after leaf fall but 2-3 weeks before hard freeze.
There are all kinds of conflicting information, and one writer wrote that he doesn't prune after Labor Day. Another firmly recommends against pruning while the wood is frozen solid.
Compared to pruning in later winter/early spring which encourages a burst of new growth due to stored energy returning to the branches, pruning at semi-woody stage is supposed to discourage overgrowth. But you need to also remember that all the green leaves you cut off (not allowing them to naturally change color and fall off) represent that much less energy stored in the roots for next year.
Based on these recommendations, I was able to successfully prune my neglected apple tree between mid-August and mid-September (when I made the first cut by removing 1/3 of the length -- this allowed some leaves to remain as well as allowing for possible firelight infection to be cut off before reaching the main branches or trunk), then again, around early November after leaf fall but 2-3 weeks before hard freeze.
As Star says it is best if you leave summer pruning until the buds at the tips of the growing points have become dormant.....late July at the earliest.
This is to ensure that the dormant buds below the cut do not then brake into growth......buds that you want to be fruit buds next year.
The main ..' sort out ' of the tree is best left until it is fully dormant in the winter.
If it is thick with wood then a few good saw cuts are far better than loads of small snips.
Get good light into the tree.
On the whole pears are not so prone to masses of re-growth after heavy pruning so are easier to control than apples.
This massive leaf munching.
Pre blossom it's Winter Moth...grease bands take care of that.
After blossom damage is usually a totrix or similar moths fault.
Spray at the petal fall stage next year and you should stamp on the culprits.
This is to ensure that the dormant buds below the cut do not then brake into growth......buds that you want to be fruit buds next year.
The main ..' sort out ' of the tree is best left until it is fully dormant in the winter.
If it is thick with wood then a few good saw cuts are far better than loads of small snips.
Get good light into the tree.
On the whole pears are not so prone to masses of re-growth after heavy pruning so are easier to control than apples.
This massive leaf munching.
Pre blossom it's Winter Moth...grease bands take care of that.
After blossom damage is usually a totrix or similar moths fault.
Spray at the petal fall stage next year and you should stamp on the culprits.