Pruning, Pt. II

Flagging from the first round of pruning to remind me of what I decided to take off.

Trudging around in almost waist deep snow, I found, either made pruning more difficult or helpful depending on how packed down it was! 

There are several features in this tree's structure that concern me and have proven to make harvest difficult. In the picture below, I circled the three major branches that have dominated the canopy. Notice how they became bowed under the weight of fruit over the years, continuing to grow up and out so that no one could harvest or prune them!

While I've become slightly more confident in my make thoughtful cuts, I still get a little nervous when I make the larger ones. Several books that I've consulted about reviving old fruit trees recommend spreading major cuts over 3 - 5 years, being careful not to remove more than one third of the vegetation per season. Pears need to be handled more carefully in this regard, as they are known for sending out tons of tender growth after major pruning that are very susceptible to fire blight (which I will write about soon, among other common pests and diseases). Ultimately, they said to only to prune if the tree could improve from it.  

I made some big cuts with the saw to open up the top of the canopy, leaving some for next year to prevent shocking the tree into growing too much this coming season.

AFTER picture.

   

Verticial growing branch... no more growth for you!

Great examples of both overly upright and downward growing branches on the same limb! 

I left the flagger on the branch on the left, thinking next year it could be fully removed...

Out of two proud, very straight growing water sprouts coming out of the truck, I selected one with hope for a more balanced tree in the future. I headed it back by a few inches because it was over three feet tall! If the garden crew can pay careful attention, they might be able to train new vertical branches from it to replace the one that got torn down last fall.