How to Prune a Bradford Pear Tree
Bradford pear trees are often considered one of the more beautiful trees used in landscaping. Their rounded shape and white flowers in the spring are easily recognized, adding a touch of elegance to any yard. If the tree is not pruned, however, the limbs have a tendency to become too heavy for the tree and ice storms or heavy rain will have them splitting away from the tree. Fortunately, it's not hard to prune a Bradford pear tree and once you know a few things you'll be ready to get started. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Prune your Bradford pear tree in late summer after it has bloomed in the spring.
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Cut away and remove all branches or limbs that have died or appear to be dying.
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Decide which trunk in the center of the tree will be the center trunk (called a leader). Choose the trunk that is the sturdiest and tallest as the middle support for the tree. Once you have chosen the leader, shorten any branches near it and growing parallel with it to half their length.
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Study the appearance of the tree. If two branches are growing within 15 inches of each other near the middle of the tree, cut the weaker branch and leave the stronger one. Remove any small branches growing within 6 inches of the bigger ones or rubbing against them. When possible, leave only branches growing at 45-degree angles since these will be the stronger branches.
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Start in the middle. If you are pruning an older Bradford pear tree, always start by pruning away any thin vertical limbs from the middle of the tree, then cut away limbs that are too close together. Make sure to always pick the weaker of the two limbs when you are deciding which one to cut.
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Use the "three cut" method if you are cutting down large limbs. Make the first cut farther away from the trunk and cut from below the limb. The second cut will be about 2 feet out from the trunk and you will need to cut it from above. Once you have made these two cuts, you can then cut the stub that remains off near the branches collar.
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Tips & Warnings
Cutting large limbs can be very dangerous if you cut too close to the trunk. The limb may pull away from the tree, causing extreme injury to either you or the tree.
