I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and 6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them back in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric

Pear trees do take a little longer than apples. How do they look
this year? Not knowing where you live... are the bud still
completely dormant? (mine will be until May) Even if still
completely dormant, fruiting buds are easy to spot on a pear tree.
They are MUCH larger that the other buds.

Steve

Lee's wrote:
I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and 6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them back in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric

Also keep in mind that full size trees take longer (sometimes a few
years)
to blossom than dwarf or semi-dwarf. You did not mention what kind of
root stock these trees were on, but this can explain their taking longer
to bloom than your apple trees.

Sherwin Dubren

Lee's wrote:

I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and 6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them back in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric

Lee's wrote:

I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and 6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them back in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric


If they were full-sized pear trees, they can take 10 years to start
blooming :-( A semi-dwarf apple can bloom in just 2 or 3 years.

Are the branches growing straight up like on a poplar tree? You need to
train the branches more close to horizontal. The branches that make a 45
degree (or more) crotch and bend down close to horizontal will be much
stronger *and* bloom earlier. [I wish I had known this when I lived in
Texas and had a few standard pear trees]

Best regards,
Bob

I thought pear tree branches were supposed to be more vertical? Not
horizontal. There isn't more than an inch or two horizontal currently. How
do you suggest I train these vertical branches?

Eric
"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Lee's wrote:

I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and
6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other
a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a
little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them
back in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric


If they were full-sized pear trees, they can take 10 years to start
blooming :-( A semi-dwarf apple can bloom in just 2 or 3 years.

Are the branches growing straight up like on a poplar tree? You need to
train the branches more close to horizontal. The branches that make a 45
degree (or more) crotch and bend down close to horizontal will be much
stronger *and* bloom earlier. [I wish I had known this when I lived in
Texas and had a few standard pear trees]

Best regards,
Bob

You could try hanging reasonable sized weights (not enough to break
them).
Although I have never tried this myself, people use 'spreader sticks' to
wedge between branches to force them outwards. I don't grow pears, but
with my apples, plums, and peaches, I have not noticed this problem with
vertical branches not producing. I think you may not have a problem,
other than just waiting until the trees come to bearing age.

Also, you might check that the surrounding soil has enough potassium,
adding some to encourage blossoming.

Sherwin D.

Lee's wrote:

I thought pear tree branches were supposed to be more vertical? Not
horizontal. There isn't more than an inch or two horizontal currently. How
do you suggest I train these vertical branches?

Eric
"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Lee's wrote:

I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and
6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other
a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a
little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them
back in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric


If they were full-sized pear trees, they can take 10 years to start
blooming :-( A semi-dwarf apple can bloom in just 2 or 3 years.

Are the branches growing straight up like on a poplar tree? You need to
train the branches more close to horizontal. The branches that make a 45
degree (or more) crotch and bend down close to horizontal will be much
stronger *and* bloom earlier. [I wish I had known this when I lived in
Texas and had a few standard pear trees]

Best regards,
Bob

Sherwin Dubren wrote:

You could try hanging reasonable sized weights (not enough to break
them).


I tried weights one year in an apple tree. Just enough weight to see
the branch come down a little. Unfortunately, I live in a windy
location. A good wind came up, the young tree started swaying in the
breeze, and the weights yanked out a couple of the branches. Only
spreader sticks for me after that!

Steve

Thank you all for your assistance. I will give the pear trees a couple more
years & work to spread the branches.
"Lee's" wrote in message
...
I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and 6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them back
in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric

Thank you all for your assistance. I will give the pear trees a couple more
years & work to spread the branches.
"Lee's" wrote in message
...
I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and 6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them back
in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric

Thank you all for your assistance. I will give the pear trees a couple more
years & work to spread the branches.
"Lee's" wrote in message
...
I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and 6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a little
bit each year.

My concern is that I have never seen a blossom/fruit yet. Nearby apple
trees started producing 2-3 year after planting. I have pruned them back
in
the past, but have not touched either one the last couple years.

Suggestions?

Eric

il Sun, 29 Feb 2004 18:38:16 GMT, "Lee's" ha scritto:

Thank you all for your assistance. I will give the pear trees a couple more
years & work to spread the branches.

The other thing too is how to prune but keep the two-year-old wood.
There is a big difference in pruning depending on fruiting wood age.
You may be pruning off the 2-yr-old wood. "They bear fruit on short
spurs and fruit buds on two-year-old wood." I once decimated my grape
harvest for a year due to bad pruning.

"Pears produce a better crop grown with a suitable pollinator
(another variety that flowers at the same time," i.e. early)

--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

il Sun, 29 Feb 2004 18:38:16 GMT, "Lee's" ha scritto:

Thank you all for your assistance. I will give the pear trees a couple more
years & work to spread the branches.

The other thing too is how to prune but keep the two-year-old wood.
There is a big difference in pruning depending on fruiting wood age.
You may be pruning off the 2-yr-old wood. "They bear fruit on short
spurs and fruit buds on two-year-old wood." I once decimated my grape
harvest for a year due to bad pruning.

"Pears produce a better crop grown with a suitable pollinator
(another variety that flowers at the same time," i.e. early)

--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

Oh and my book of wordsdoes also say pears can 5 to 6 years bear
flowers. So maybe this year...


il 02 Mar 2004 18:55:02 +1300, "Loki" ha scritto:
The other thing too is how to prune but keep the two-year-old wood.
There is a big difference in pruning depending on fruiting wood age.
You may be pruning off the 2-yr-old wood. "They bear fruit on short
spurs and fruit buds on two-year-old wood." I once decimated my grape
harvest for a year due to bad pruning.

"Pears produce a better crop grown with a suitable pollinator
(another variety that flowers at the same time," i.e. early)

--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]


--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

Oh and my book of wordsdoes also say pears can 5 to 6 years bear
flowers. So maybe this year...


il 02 Mar 2004 18:55:02 +1300, "Loki" ha scritto:
The other thing too is how to prune but keep the two-year-old wood.
There is a big difference in pruning depending on fruiting wood age.
You may be pruning off the 2-yr-old wood. "They bear fruit on short
spurs and fruit buds on two-year-old wood." I once decimated my grape
harvest for a year due to bad pruning.

"Pears produce a better crop grown with a suitable pollinator
(another variety that flowers at the same time," i.e. early)

--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]


--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 05:00:07 GMT, "Lee's" wrote:

I have a couple pear trees that I purchased from nursery/rootstock 5 and 6
years ago. The oldest was one of those 5-in-1 grafted trees, the other a
Duchess. Both trees are fairly healthy (glossy leaves), and grow a little
bit each year.

I have two of those 5-in-1 trees, and the grafts look like they didn't take. If
you look at the branches you can see where the grafts were inserted into the
pear tree, but I've seen no signs of life from the grafted buds after several
years.
(snip)