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While I was away, a person cut off all the branches on my over grown pear tree. Some should have been removed totally and weren't. All were cut short to the tree with 'stumps' left. Now the new growth is just crazy!

I removed a lot of them about a 2 months ago, but it's overgrown again and we are into July in Maryland.

  • How do I control the new growth so it can turn into a healthy branch?
  • Should I cut the center branches back to the main tree?
  • There is a section with thousands of woodpecker holes. What should I do about that section?
Rohit Gupta
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Diane Johnson
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2 Answers2

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I'm assuming that the tree in question is a Callery Pear (also known as a Bradford Callery Pear). These are short-lived trees in the best of circumstances, and your tree is near the end of its life, as the average lifespan is 25 years; the dead wood on a major vertical branch is typical of the way Callery Pears begin dying.

Because they are considered invasive in most areas, I would cut it down and replace with a native Serviceberry, which has similar white flowers (pleasant smelling, unlike the Callery) and a clear scarlet fall color.

Jurp
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  • I love Serviceberries and have one myself but they grow so slowly you need to get a good size specimen – kevinskio Jul 18 '23 at 11:20
  • @kevinskio I've seen two feet of new growth a year, which I wouldn't consider horrendously slow (and I think that's a factor of its environment), but yeah, I wouldn't want to start with a seedling or whip. A redbud could also be a good substitute, but then the colors won't match the pear. – Jurp Jul 18 '23 at 16:57
  • Two feet a year? I must live in a harsh climate. Oh wait, I do... – kevinskio Jul 18 '23 at 21:44
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    @kevinskio Canadian, eh? – Jurp Jul 18 '23 at 23:00
  • My pear tree is a Bartlett or Kieffer. – Diane Johnson Jul 19 '23 at 17:16
  • @DianeJohnson Weird that someone would cut the branches off of your own fruit tree without your permission. Bartletts are small pears, maybe 20 feet tall at most, so the new growth should be good this year. I'd wait until winter, then prune to shape. By all means, cut off the dead center limb. – Jurp Jul 19 '23 at 18:39
  • I was not home, my boyfriend was. The pear tree is loaded with suckers (?) again. I took most of them off a few weeks ago, I guess I'll leave them until Nov. or Dec.? At that time, cut off the rest of the branches I wanted gone, plus the sapsucker area. Does this sound right? – Diane Johnson Jul 25 '23 at 20:11
  • Ah, sounds like he thought he might be doing you a favor. Waiting until leaf drop will allow you to assess the structure of the tree before pruning it, so yes, your plans sound correct. Do not paint the wounds or apply any other wound covering. – Jurp Jul 25 '23 at 22:04
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You can salvage your pear, but you cannot call the new growth saplings.

  • Cut out the woodpecker dead wood. They eat the insects that bad wood attracts, so their pecking shows you what's got to go anyway. Ignore that advice if the tree is healthy above that area. Spray for the insects (find out what's there and what's the least toxic), and the birds will not return.

  • Leave a single leader in the center, as pear trees grow that way. Prune old, good wood further only for aesthetics and symmetry.

  • Remove all new growth but 10-20 scattered branches—the number is an educated guess. Select them at the largest angles to the leader. Any branch more vertical than horizontal will snap under the heavy weight of a full harvest over the years. That's why commercial growers use limb spreaders to train their young trees (saplings!) into this broad shape.
    Create a strong framework of limbs. A strong framework of limbs is essential for years of growth and productive harvests.

Early pruning for later harvests

  • Supervise your gardener closer next time.

The final look

Yosef Baskin
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  • I cannot find how to attach a picture! Yes, no more work will be done without my supervision. I will remove the woodpecker area and the suckers as instructed, thank you! When should I cut out the woodpecker area? I'm afraid to farther shock my tree. I was also wondering if I should leave all the other big branches there that should have been cut completely off? This was done in March, it's now July. I live in Maryland USA – Diane Johnson Jul 19 '23 at 17:15