Gardening Calendar
Gardening Calendar
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
Pruning Pear - Pyrus communis
Pruning in January - February
The main pruning of pear trees takes place at the end of winter, in January-February, after the most severe winter weather has passed. Remove the side branches, completely cutting away any branches that grow inwards or that cross other branches. The main purpose of pruning fruit trees is to enable good light penetration to all parts of the tree.
If you plant a young tree, this needs to be supported with a pole and cut down to approximately 10 cm above the highest side branch. If the pear tree has already developed side branches, these can be cut back hard to just above an outward facing bud. These branches will eventually form the main branches of the tree (the leaders).
After the first year the main branches will have grown substantially with many new branches. Cut these new branches back by about half, completely removing any that are growing inwards. The pruned branches will grow back in the summer, and this will create dense branching.
The next time the tree is pruned the new branches should be cut back by about a quarter, again completely removing any inward growing branches.
The tree is now more or less established and should be pruned every year in two ways. New shoots should be cut back to about six buds from the branch from which they sprout. The short, thick side branches that grow on the branches are the fruiting spurs, on which blossom and fruit eventually develop. You can cut away some of these each year to keep the tree young, although this should be done carefully.
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Pruning in June
After the winter pruning, the pear tree may develop water-shoots, or suckers. These can be removed in June. They are easy to recognize as they grow straight upwards. They develop from buds that had no blossom and they grow very rapidly in length. It is important to remove these water-shoots as they use up too much of the tree’s energy.