Tree Help ?

[Football Hunter]

What to do with this tree?This fall will be its third since I plaNTED THIS PEAR TREE,REALLY GETTING BRANCHY.

Ended up tying it up with a bungee cord,till I can figure out something.

 

[jmb4wd]

I dont know much about trees, (ok, nothing really), but is one of those splits kind of dominant?? I was wondering if you pruned the smaller side back if it would help. Or I guess you could keep it tied up for a while and see if that helps??

Maybe the tree guru's will chime in!

 

[TS_13]

Yeah...Its too late now (until next winter) But I would trim it way back, to a central leader. Problem you have (seem to have) is that the tree seems to branch at a central point into several branches. My 2cents is to trim it way back, make a leader, and even then you may have to stake the leader to get upright growth... humm... good post!

 

[primos32]

I agree. Probably should prune back so you will have a leader. It might even get worse as it ages.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Yeah you will need to prune to a central leader. You'll need a good size post driven in beside it, a 10 foot t post will work well to support it. Then string it up to that firmly but not too tightly, just loose enough to not girdle the tree. It has just gotten too top heavy. If it continues after staking, you may even have to trim your leader back some. Dont worry a bit about cutting wood off right now, focus on roots and girth growth instead of limbs. I would actually go ahead and prune to get on top of the issue before you see many more flushes of growth. With the pruning you will release apical dominance and dormant buds will begin to pop so be prepared to see flushes of growth around the trunk, when you see them just hand pinch them off if you dont want a limb where it pops up.
If it stays like it is, you can pretty much guarantee it will split right down the middle in the future.

 

[Football Hunter]

ok,hate to cut it,but splitting would be bad,next trip Ill be doing it

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Dont sweat it. Pruning is great for fruit trees when done properly. Actually can promote more growth than you already had. Heck pruning can induce fruiting on more mature trees by thinning the canopy and allowing more sunlight into the tree. I remember I used to absolutely hate cutting off limbs, I thought of all that growth I was losing, but then I saw how positively apples and pears respond to it and wished I had done more sooner. Training in the early years can really save alot of headache down the road.