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

Ornamental Pear

Mr BBMr BB Posts: 21
in Problem solving
Hi everyone - isn't it wonderful spring is starting to show itself.

All is well in my garden here in Cambridgeshire...apart from my ornamental pears. I have a pair of pears that i planted Autumn 2020 and one is doing incredibly well but the other is struggling a little. Stunted growth in comparison to it's partner and it does suffer from a touch of mildew which i have successfully treated. Other factors include an old apple tree stump within a couple of metres which was ground to a foot below the surface but will be rotting now and perhaps fungi is causing some problems? The soil may also be less nutrutious in that area perhaps?

My instinct says to try and improve the soil with some fertiliser and organic matter but not sure what to use.

If there are any tree experts i'd appreciate any advice as i'm desperate to help my tree.

Thanks everyone - happy gardening :)

M

Posts

  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited March 2023
    It sounds as if you have identified the problem with the decaying apple tree stump near the one that's struggling.  I wouldn't have thought that fungi would be a problem, unless your apple tree was diseased.  There are likely to be a number of dead side roots at various levels in the soil attached to the stump which will hamper the availability of water, nutrients and the potential for your new tree to send out new roots.  You could consider siting your tree elsewhere if you have space.  Alternatively try to lift it carefully with as much of the rootball as you can, place it in a temporary container and try to remove as many roots in the earth as you can before replacing it.  Tree roots can take quite a while to decay so your tree will struggle unless you try to help the situation now.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    If the struggling pear is planted too close to the old apple stump then it could be suffering from replant disease, which would cause stunted growth. Both pear and apple belong to the family rosaceae, so, like roses, shouldn’t be planted in or close to the same spot as the previous for this reason. I think roses can eventually recover, but don’t know about pears, sorry.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Are the ornamental pears in fact weeping pears and meant to be a  symmetrical pair?  If so as will realise they need to have similar growth.  

    Inorganic fertiliser "rarely improves" soil.  Use compost, home-made or council-bought..
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Sign In or Register to comment.