Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

New growth on pears and apples

Robin TurnerRobin Turner Posts: 3
in Fruit & veg
I'm a newbie here, so please forgive me if this has been asked before. I've just moved into a new house and become the owner of 4 espalier fruit trees, 2 pears and two apples.
There's lots of new growth on all trees and I'm wondering if it needs pruning.  Do I completely remove it, shorten it or leave it? If so when should it be pruned? Pictures of the growth, which is most notable on the pears, below.

Thanks, Robin







Posts

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    edited May 2021
    If you need growth you prune in spring @RobinTurner If they are big enough and its to keep them tidy and fruiting it's August for apples. You need to find out if the flowers appear on the ends of branches ( tip bearing) or on side shoots that are cut back in Autumn,  that will help you decide. I too am just learning about pears, as I have planted a concord pear last year.
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    This might be of interest - https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/gardening-advice/advice/pruning-apples-pears

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    @pansyface is the fruit tree expert on the forum so hopefully she'll see this and comment - but my understanding is that you should prune espalier fruit trees almost exclusively in late summer, once the growth has stopped extending and has started to firm up at the base.  If you prune earlier than this, you encourage more vegetative growth, ie lots of new stems - whereas what you're trying to do is to make the tree produce more fruit buds for the following year.

    In early spring you just rub off any new shoots growing towards the wall, or towards you (ie not sideways) from the main framework.  Don't prune them now!
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2021
    I have an espaliered Concorde pear. I prune this new growth in late July/August, reducing it to two or three leaves. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Robin TurnerRobin Turner Posts: 3
    Thanks all for your quick responses, they are very helpful.  With due respects tp Winnie the Pooh, with respect to pruning pears I'm now not lost!
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
     :D 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    As mine is a goblet shape, with only four stems, and no side shoots, and about 4 foot tall, I haven't a clue either.🤣
Sign In or Register to comment.