when and how to prune plum and pear tree
Hello, I live in Central Oregon and have a green gage plum and a bosc pear that I planted in 2001. I had planted an anjou pear as well but it has died. When do I prune the fruit trees and how? I know the plum tree is self fertile but do I need another pear tree to get pear? Thanks!
Deschutes County Oregon
1 Response
Hi,
You want to prune your trees while the plants are still dormant so sometime this month would be fine.
Here is a publication on pruning your fruit trees: http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/22166/pnw400.pdf
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/19859/ec1622-e.pdf
You don't necessarily need another pear tree to get pear, but it is recommended to have cross-pollination to set a good fruit crop. Ones that you can cross with Bosc include Conference, Rescue, or Orcas.
Thanks, Amy Jo
