Kieffer pear pruning

[DrewMc]

I have about a dozen Kieffer pears that I’ve struggled pruning. No matter what I do, I seem to get so much upright growth. Does anyone have some suggestions on how to get more lateral branches and what to actually prune? Apple trees seem so much easier to me from a pruning perspective.

 

[Telemark]

In May or June, when the bark is slipping, bend the branches out or down with limb spreaders, weights, twine, etc. Leave them until the tree goes dormant in fall.

Pears just grow more upright, so you have to bend the branches out if you want wider crotch angles. Some people just let them grow upright and prune out the inner limbs.

 

[H20fwler]

Pears have a mind of their own and want to grow up, they don't like going lateral like apples do.

I would clean up the top growth along those higher branches good and maybe even use some sealcoat to discourage it from doing that on the tops of limbs.
You may have to prune sucker starts off a couple of times a year to clean the branches up.
If you don’t trim it back good the first good crop of pears will. Cut back on fertilizer if you use it.

 

[bigboreblr]

Branch angles are more forgiving in pears. Like apples, do cleanup crossed brsnches, inward, duseased.

I have a pruning book, its at my desk at work. Ill read upnon it again.

Often said pears take a long time to fruit 8-10 years.