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What should we do about our old pear tree?
happydigger
Posts: 4
in Talkback
Hello - I am a very keen novice gardener and would appreciate some advice re our pear tree. It is at least 10 years old, perhaps much older. It doesn't fruit every year and this year the fruit is rotting on the tree and falling. The pears are tiny and seem to rot very quickly. Leaves look healthy but branches are mouldy. We had 6 foot trimmed off the top 3 years ago (to get more light) and it is now about 30 foot high. What is the best thing to do?
0
Posts
If it is 30 feet high after being trimmed it is an old tree. It is probably long past its childbearing years and is now living on its pension.
Do you like it as a piece of sculpture or as a feature that brings character to your garden? if you do, then treat it as that and don't expect anything more than that from it. If it's just a lump that annoys you whenever you look at it, then cut it down and start afresh.
thank you, that's really helpful. Well, being post menopausal myself (hah!) I struggle with cutting it down. I love having a mature tree in our garden and full beds, most of our neighbours have just lawn. It's just right now it's a pain with rotten fruit thudding on the lawn. We do have a log burner, so I guess I could put it to use and plant another tree but wow it would leave such a huge gap I'd miss it. Ridiculous to feel guilty about an old tree! Hmmm, lots to think about. Thanks again.
if you like the tree keep it. The droping fruit is just a short term problem. the birds will eat the fruit and if they don't the wasps will. in a week or two it will just be a tree again.
In the sticks near Peterborough