Pear and Plum Trees

8 years ago

Hello! This is my first time here on this forum, so please excuse me if I am asking something that I could find somewhere else.

Twelve and fourteen years ago my husband and I bought a plum tree and pear tree to commemorate the 1 year birthdays of our kids. I had no idea how to care for fruit trees; it just seemed like a fun idea.

Fast forward 12 years later, after years of having small children and working intensely on our vegetable garden, the fruit trees are still alive… but that’s about it. (We did have one year where we got a lot of pears, but usually it’s just a few, if that.) Now I am ready to turn my attention to the pear and the plum tree, and I’d love some advice on what to do at this point. The pear tree was pruned only once in the past 10 years and it was a general hacking by my husband... no research went into how to do it right. I don’t think the plum tree has ever been pruned. The pear tree is probably about 8 feet. Photos are shown, although I realize they aren’t great and probably don’t tell much

So my general question is this, what next? When do you prune? HOW do we prune? Do we need to add some compost or other organic materials? Our vegetable gardens are 100% organic and I’d like to keep the fruit trees the same if it all possible. I have searched online for answers but it seems like I am digging through a whole lot of stuff I don’t need to know and I just don’t have time. So if you have a great website I could access that answers these questions, I’m all ears

Pear:

(Sorry... I don’t know why it put the picture in twice and I can’t figure out how to delete the extra)

Plum (with pear in the background):

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Comments (4)

Ike Stewart
8 years ago
Do you know what variety they are? Are there any other Pears or Plums planted nearby (within a few hundred feet) for cross pollination?
Michelle Totman
Original Author
8 years ago
Of course, I don’t remember... I am 80% sure that the pear is a D’Anjou and the plum was some dwarf variety and supposedly ‘self-pollinating’. Both have flowered and fruited in the past, but since I haven’t really done much besides mulch and water, they’ve given very little fruit most years.
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urbanfarmer7b
8 years ago
The type of pruning is called 'renovation' pruning where a tree might have gone too long. But yours don't look too bad. if you google renovation pruning pear then a bunch of sites will come up. I'm in Atlanta and I rely on Univ of Georgia (soon to be future college football champions) or Alabama or South Carolina. I bring it up, because I don't know where you live, but I would recommend your regional sites.

I'm still learning on pruning so take my recommendations with a grain of salt, and maybe it will be a strawman for others to add to.

The pear trees tend to have vertical branches and a big part of managing the pear growth is too spread the branches out as they grow to a more horizontal level. It seems if you have two 'leaders' big branches going up. I would decide which one is going to be your central leader and cut the other one out. You may decide to go with the smaller of the two because it may be easier to correct.

On the Plum, I think the on line renovation guides will help. it is more about thinning it out in the middle.

good luck... you'll be able to get a few good years of pruning before the kids become teenagers.
Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Yes...prune them early spring about a month before they bud out...prune out some branches in the center so more light can get in..and other branches so they don't rub against each other, also dead branches...you can trim ends back if too long no problem. I'd plant some other plums for better pollination...a wild plum and some other European..since yours might be one if self fertile. Another pear would help also or graft other cultivars onto your existing trees, this would speed up production and my first Joyce.