At four years old, you probably want to use only minimal pruning to avoid stimulating more vigorous growth, and only thinning cuts rather than heading cuts. Heading cuts will encourage more growth (branching) at the point of cut, which does not encourage the tree to blossom or fruit.

Too much nitrogen also encourages more tree growth in pears, which delays fruiting. You might consider cutting back on whatever fertilizer you're using.

I have a pruning book which says judicious scoring of the bark partway around the trunk will often encourage fruiting, as it stresses the tree. Two small cuts about 2mm apart. I haven't tried this myself -- you need to use good judgment about it of course... Anyone tried this one?

Pears are like that. As Severtki says above, pruning should be limited.

But by four years old your basic structure should be established. A trunk, branches that form major scaffolds, and branches held to the tree's basic form- that's what you're looking for.

If you have that then read Harvestman's comments on pruning by numbers and follow up on the links he provides.

Remember, on pears your goal is to establish two and three year old wood, because that's where the spurs form. You get that bearing wood from (surprise!) one year wood.

So Rule # 1 of the "1-2-3" rule is: "Never Shorten Pencils". But do thin out the excess pencils, keeping the horizontal, meaty ones. Remove upright shoots and long laterals that don't have fruit buds, remove very thin laterals, and aim to keep 1/3 of the renewal wood 1 year old. (That means that 1/3 of the renewal wood will be 2 years old and so forth.)

Some of the 1-year wood will bear at the tip and will spur up in the second year, with the tip forming bourse shoots. This wood will bear this year and next, and then go into decline if not removed. Second year wood may be cut back to the annular ring to improve fruit set or cut further back to reduce the number of fruit buds. This will be next year's three-year wood.

So that's "Rule Number Two": Cut back to the ring to improve fruit set or further to reduce fruit buds next year.

"Rule Number Three" forces you to take out your three year old wood, or at least cut it way back.

Just so you don't think that's my thinking I've found the link I stole it from!

When I read that article and H-man's "Pruning By Numbers" and the other piece he shared with us last month the lights came on for me. Combine those with the other experts' comments you read here and it starts to make sense.

Dormant pruning invigorates a tree because the tree is trying to replace its leaves -it wants to restore balance. The roots are able to supply much more stored food and water and nutrients than the tree needs, and it responds by leafing out and creating new branches behind heading cuts. But even though it's invigorating in the year following pruning it is ultimately dwarfing.

Pruning during growth is de-invigorating because the food supply from the leaves to the roots is interrupted. Summer pruning is immediately dwarfing.

Pruning during growth before the longest day is said to improve spurring, but I don't know why. I will speculate that it stresses the tree and signals it to start reproducing (and again, I don't know why, but there's nothing new about that!)

So there you have it: quite a little bit more than I truly know about this, but the best I have to offer. Others, please feel free to correct and comment!

Thanks,

M

Here is a link that might be useful: 1-2-3 rule

You'd be foolish to score a 4-year old pear to get fruit. Scoring isn't even generally done with pears and at 4 you shouldn't expect fruit yet if it's not on quince.

Scott suggested you keep the most vigorous uprights off your scaffolds but I try to keep fairly short shoots only once a pear starts bearing.

With an immature tree the less vigorous shoots will also be more likely to flower- especially if you thin the most vigorous ones and let sun in.

Just make sure you don't head any of your scaffolds back as this will set you back years and be sure the scaffolds are spread at about 65 degrees.