How to prune a columnar pear tree in the fall: instructions for beginners

Pear

Proper pruning of a columnar pear tree can significantly increase yield and extend the fruiting period. However, avoiding mistakes can damage the tree; any improper pruning can lead to slower growth or even death. Following simple guidelines during pruning will help shape the tree's crown correctly.

Why is pruning done?

Since columnar varieties differ from standard ones in both size and fruiting characteristics, they must be pruned. Allowing the branches to grow as they are will cause many problems, especially early in life. Pruning will provide several benefits:

Yields will increase. Proper load distribution ensures that as many ovaries as the tree can support with nutrients will be produced. Resources will not be wasted on useless shoots, suckers, or excess green mass on the crown.
The fruit size is significantly larger. Some branches are removed, and fewer flowers are produced, resulting in larger pears. A large number of ovaries is undesirable, as this results in smaller pears.
Good lighting and ventilation throughout the entire crown. This has a positive effect on plant nutrition and fruit ripening. It also reduces the risk of fungal diseases—moisture evaporates quickly, creating unfavorable conditions for their spread.
Much easier to care for. When the crown is thinned, any work is easy. Harvesting is easier in the fall, as access is not hindered by numerous branches.
Pear trees produce fruit for at least several more years. Removing excess branches reduces the strain on the plant. It remains productive longer and is less susceptible to depletion.
The tree becomes much stronger. This applies primarily to the side branches; if their number is limited, they become stronger and can easily support the heavy weight of the fruit.
With the right autumn pruning of columnar pear It's possible to rejuvenate an old tree that has stopped producing fruit normally in 2-3 seasons. If no work was done initially, mistakes can be corrected even after 15 years; the key is to choose the right plan and follow it.

Advice!

You can't cut off a lot of large branches at once, this will create a lot of stress for the plant and it will take a long time to recover.

This work must be carried out every year, without missing a season. This is the only way to maintain the columnar variety in good condition and ensure a high yield. Avoid allowing lateral shoots to grow, especially if the plantings are dense, as this will make it difficult to move between the pear trees.

Features of the work and its timing

It's important to decide immediately when to carry out the work. Mistaking these steps can cause significant damage to the tree, which will take an entire season or more to recover from the damage, significantly reducing its yield.

Spring

During this period, the crown is often shaped. The season is only suitable when the plant has not yet awakened and active sap flow has not begun. After the buds have swollen and the leaves have opened, the pear tree should not be pruned. This option has the following characteristics:

Sanitary pruning is essential. The entire crown is carefully inspected, and damaged, broken, and frostbitten shoots are removed. These are easy to spot during this period, when the leaves have not yet emerged.
If no work was done in the fall, you can begin shaping the tree in the spring. Thin out the crown, remove excess branches, and reduce the load.
During this period, it's important to monitor the weather. Frosts after pruning can damage the shoots. Therefore, choose a time with stable warmth and no freezing temperatures.
Plants experience stress and take some time to recover after waking up. The cuts don't have time to fully heal by the start of the growing season, which isn't ideal.

Choosing the right time for the work isn't difficult, but it varies by region. Understand all the recommendations and follow them to find the right time:

In the Moscow region and the central part of the country, the best time to plant begins around mid-April. Once the weather becomes consistently warm, work should begin before bud break.
In the south, pruning can begin in March. Based on the seasonal weather conditions and the forecast for the near future, it's easier in these regions, as the risk of frost is low, so even starting very early won't cause any serious problems.
In Siberia, the Urals, and other regions with cold winters and late springs, work begins in late April or early May. However, this depends on the local conditions, as weather varies greatly, and the timing can shift by weeks.

Autumn

It's well-suited for pruning, as it creates favorable conditions for removing excess shoots. It's important to choose the right time and prepare the pear tree to achieve good results without harming the plant. The advantages of this option are:

The weather outside is consistently warm. Therefore, there is no risk of frostbite on the cut ends unless you delay the work and wait for cold weather. This will give the wood enough time to dry out.
There's much less work to do around the garden than in the spring. You won't have to spend time rushing. In the fall, you can prune at your leisure, which improves the results and quality.
The tree is dormant. Moreover, it will awaken in six months, not a couple of weeks as with spring pruning. This is a huge advantage; stress on the pear tree is minimal.
The favorable period is much longer. From the moment the leaves fall until frost usually occurs, it's about two months; in northern regions, it's less, but still plenty of time. Apply no later than two weeks before freezing temperatures.

To choose the ideal time, you need to consider the local climate and the weather conditions for a given season. There are general recommendations, but they serve more as guidelines than as definitive instructions. It's important to know when work is done in a given region:

For the Moscow region and central Russia, the best time is from mid-September to mid-October. By this time, the leaves are gone, so pruning can be done at any time.
In the Urals, Siberia, and northern regions, favorable conditions arrive in September. The exact timing depends on the local climate and weather. If an early winter is forecast, don't delay the work.
In southern regions, October and November are suitable. The main thing is to wait until the dormant period begins to avoid damaging the plant.

Whether to prune a columnar pear—fall or spring—depends on the gardener's preference and regional conditions. If the spring weather is unsettled or the warming period comes suddenly, it's best to plan the work for the end of the season. Conversely, if there's a risk of severe cold snaps in the fall months or thaws alternate with cold spells, it's best to prune immediately after winter.

Trimming options

It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with basic pruning techniques, and look at photos or videos on the topic if you have no experience at all. First, it's important to understand the difference between cutting to a ring and cutting to a bud, as experts often use these terms, but beginners don't understand what they mean. It's quite simple:

A ring cut means the complete removal of a branch. The cut should be made at the ring swell at the base, where healing occurs best. The cut should be made carefully, avoiding leaving a large stump, but damaging the main trunk is also unacceptable. This is most often done when reducing the number of branches on young trees and when rejuvenating older ones.
A bud pruning cut is necessary to limit the branch's length and establish the correct direction of growth. To do this, select a bud facing the desired direction and cut the shoot at a 45-degree angle, 1.5 centimeters away. Leaving more wood increases the risk of the branch drying out and the bud failing to emerge in the spring.

It's best to combine different pruning methods, depending on the plant's condition and the goals of the work. Different tree ages have their own specific requirements, but the process is generally the same and consists of several stages.

Advice!

It's best to perform shaping during the waning moon phase. During this period, sap flow slows, and the cuts heal faster.

How to prune a pear tree correctly

This simple guide will tell you what to look for, help you avoid missing anything, and carry out the work correctly. You can skip individual steps if there are no problems. However, it's essential to check each step to remove anything that's not necessary for the pear tree's normal development:

Prune out all dry and diseased shoots. Inspect the plant; if there are any dried-out branches or areas affected by fungi or other diseases, cut them down to healthy wood. This also applies to broken parts; they should also be removed.
There are various ways to remove root suckers. Shoots that haven't yet become woody can simply be broken off at the base. Stronger stems are best dug up to the point where they begin to grow and cut off, treating the cuts with potassium permanganate. Aphid larvae and disease spores often overwinter at the base of root suckers, so they should be burned.
Remove all suckers, the term for fattening shoots that appear on the trunk and skeletal branches; they usually grow vertically upward. To prevent them from robbing the pear tree of nutrients, prune them annually as close to the growing point as possible.
Thin out the crown. Leave the main branches in tiers, cut off excess ones, and avoid overcrowding the tree. Do this every year; unwanted shoots won't have time to grow. Also, remove any branches that are growing abnormally: those that extend from the trunk at an angle greater than 70 degrees, those that cross other branches, those that point inward, etc.
Trim any protruding branches. Columnar varieties are compact, so long shoots should be trimmed to maintain shape and ensure a neat appearance.
Cut back the annual growth by one bud. This stimulates branch development and encourages the formation of more fruit buds.
Leave the central bud alone for at least 5 years. This is the main stem that should grow upward. If the apical bud is damaged, several shoots will grow upward. Select the strongest one and remove the others. Regulating the height will make it easier to care for the pear tree and harvest the fruit.

All work should be carried out in the fall, or split into two stages, with some work carried out in the spring. For example, the period after winter is convenient for sanitary pruning, removing all frost-damaged and damaged shoots. You can also prune some large fruiting branches at the end of the growing season and the rest in the spring, thus reducing stress on the plant.

Peculiarities of working with trees of different ages

Depending on the pear's size and characteristics, the process must be adjusted to ensure stable growth at each stage of development. It's important not to neglect the plant so that it develops properly from the start and doesn't have to spend 1-2 years dealing with problems caused by poor care. Keep the following in mind:

Young pear trees don't require any special training. It's enough to slightly shorten the side shoots each fall, remove excess branches, and create tiers from the start. It's also a good idea to remove any shoots from the trunk at least half a meter above the ground. Avoid leaving shoots close to the ground, as they will grow poorly and greatly increase the risk of disease and pest infestation.
On mature trees, limit the number of fruiting branches to ensure they produce a good harvest without becoming overloaded. Remove suckers, suckers, and thickening shoots annually. Prune new growth and encourage increased ring formation with fruiting buds.
Rejuvenate old pear trees by pruning 2-3 branches to the ring each season. Avoid removing too much at once, as this is very harmful to the plant. Renew the crown every 2-3 years; this usually restores high yields and extends the active fruiting period for at least 5 years.
If the tree is very tall, it makes sense to prune the top and limit its growth. This is best done in the fall, when you can assess the growth rate and remove any excess. You'll need to prune annually, as the pear will still grow upward.

To regulate the height, it's important to initially determine the desired tree size. Growing it shorter than the standard will negatively impact fruiting and development. Columnar varieties typically reach 2 to 2.5 meters.

Advice from the pros

There are a number of important nuances to remember. After the leaves fall, sap flow slows, but it only stops with the onset of winter. Therefore, it's important not to cut too much—the plant will have to use up resources prepared for winter to heal from large cuts, which could even cause it to die. Follow these recommendations:

Choose a time when the average daily temperature is around 10 degrees Celsius; if there is a risk of frost at night, do not carry out the work. There should be no precipitation; in damp weather, the risk of infection through the cut increases significantly, so dry, warm days are best.
Avoid climbing the tree. The pear tree's bark is fragile and easily damaged, even when carefully moving along the branches. Purchase or borrow a stepladder in advance so you can reach the top without leaning on the trunk.
Prune branches thicker than 5 cm in three steps. First, make a cut at the bottom, 10 cm from the trunk, to prevent tearing the bark. Then, cut the entire branch from the top. Cut the remaining portion at the trunk.
Don't remove more than 20% of the branches at a time. It's best to leave some of the work for spring or split it into two seasons. Removing too much at once will create additional frost spots, and the cold will penetrate much more strongly through the cuts.
Be sure to remove all cut branches from the area and burn them. Pests and fungal spores often overwinter on them.
Treat all cuts. First, apply a copper sulfate solution to the wood, then apply garden varnish. It's recommended to seal older branches immediately, while allowing the surface of newer branches to dry for a day.

Advice!

Use only high-quality cutting tools: special pruning shears, loppers and garden saws.

To prevent infection from spreading from one pear tree to another, disinfect your tools before moving to each new tree. Wipe them with any disinfectant to avoid problems. And don't forget to clean all cutting parts after use.

Care after pruning

Work is being carried out on preparing pears for winterThe list depends on the plant's age and growing region. It's important to ensure proper wintering by following these recommendations annually and not delaying them, so that when the cold season arrives, the tree is fully prepared:

Remove fallen leaves and rotten fruit. Don't leave them over winter, as they provide an ideal breeding ground for pests and fungal spores. It's best to burn all debris.
Scrape the trunk with a plastic or wooden scraper to remove any loose bark. Then, whitewash the lower part and add a little copper sulfate to enhance the disinfectant properties.
Dig up the tree trunk area. Mulch the surface to protect the root zone from freezing. Use peat or sawdust. If there's a risk of rodent damage, pine needles are best.
Apply a fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus. This will help the plant prepare for winter and replenish any nutrient deficiencies. It's also advisable to water the tree once, using 3 to 7 buckets of water, depending on the tree's size.
It's advisable to insulate a young tree in the first few years after planting. The easiest way to do this is to tie spruce branches around the trunk and wrap the entire tree in several layers of agrotextile. In winter, you can pile snow around it and pack it down for additional insulation.

Winter preparation should begin no later than two weeks before the onset of frost. It's best to begin pruning 3-4 weeks in advance, so that cuts have time to heal and the tree can replenish its nutrient deficiencies. It's essential to harvest even small branches, as fungal spores often overwinter on the ends of shoots.

Pruning a columnar pear tree in the fall is convenient because you have plenty of free time and can easily see any problems. Follow the instructions and avoid removing too much at once. Use only high-quality tools to ensure smooth cuts and prevent the bark from being torn or damaged.