bananfan:

All of these photos look like they show dead scion growth to me, but there is an easy way to find out. Take your pruning shears and cut through them. If you see green in the cambium layer, there is still life, however tenuous. These trees should have been cut back to about 1/2 their current altitude at planting time anyway. For some reason, your trees seem to have failed at the graft, although you may also have had something like a fireblight attack, although that would be rare for such young trees. What did they look like during the last growing season? And are you sure you have the chilling hours to grow Asian pears? Where are you located?

The shoots coming up from the earth are rootstock growth, and will grow up to produce tasteless and nearly inedible European type pears.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Don: These plants were bought in the spring of 2005. They were first planted in the pot. They both bloomed and bore a few small fruit, but they all dropped off before maturing the first year. The second year, I planted them in the ground and they had even lesser leaves, a few bloom and virtually no fruit at all. Unfortunately, I didn't know about trimming off the stem until now. I live in FL (z9b). Before I placed the plant order, I actually asked the nursery if they would do well in my area and they told me it was ok. Now I'm beginning to think that there isn't enough chill to set the plant off to grow and fruit. Just went to cut off part of the branch. There's life in the branch. So, what should I do next? Thanks so much for helping out here.

Mine fruit, to some extent, in almost no chill in San Diego, so you have a good possibility of getting fruit, actually. Your bananas took much more of a beating than mine, so you must be somewhat colder than I am.

Growth from ground level is rootstock and should be removed. Start at the top, and scratch off some bark. If it is green underneath, it is alive. Keep scratching lower until you find green cambium under the bark. No green = dead. Asian pears tend to grow tall and slender, so you will need to prune them to get them to develop some width.

bananfan:

You might also put a few inches of compost, clippings, or similar material around those trees in a ring about 4 feet across to retain moisture and feed those trees a little. Peat moss would also be good. I try to keep the area around the base of my trees clear of grass and weeds, and well mulched. You may save these things yet, but definately cut them off about halfway down, and get rid of that rootstock growth.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

pitangadiego: Thanks for the hope. Yes, my bananas were quite shaken up when the temp here went down to the mid 30's. I didn't think they would do that bad, but they're coming around now. The stem and branches of my asian pears do show sign of life and that keeps me motivated to keep them alive.

Don: I transplanted both my asian pears to another spot yesterday and cut about a third of their branches. The problem is if I cut half of them down, their three branches will all be gone. I don't know if it's critical to save those three branches or not. I'm in the process of mulching them. If you have further advice whether or not I should save those three branches, it would be greatly appreciated. I will try to post an update with pix of them when there's sign of growth.

bananfan:

I would cut the trees down to half or less their current height, regardless of the branches. Branches are fungible, and can be regrown from new buds. If you have transplanted these poor things again, it is even more important that you do this.

The objective is to save the lives of these trees, not to try to get one or two pears to set this year or the next. You are looking at the long-term health and growth of these trees. It's a tossup as to whether these trees will survive, and you want to give them the best possible chance.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA