In my area, it's a little late for fruit tree pruning (many are already
in bloom), but if the tree has been that neglected, now is better than
not at all. You can certainly remove at least any diseased or dead wood
and some of the crossing branches, but don't remove more than a third
(25% is better) of the tree. Pears should be pruned in the same manner as
apples. To my mind, learning correct fruit tree pruning by reading
something - even something with good illustrations - will not get you
anywhere near as far as watching an actual demonstration and doing
hands-on practice. But as online sites go, this one is pretty good. It is
not a detailed presentation, but it is thorough and should give you a
good start:
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/departme...s/pruning.html

Before next winter's pruning season, try to attend a fruit tree pruning
workshop. Many nurseries, county extension offices, even some orchardists
offer them in late winter and usually for free.

pam - gardengal



Ed Evans wrote:

I've inherited an old pear tree, and it's a mess - at least I think
so.

It's got four main "trunks" which I understand is good on pear trees.
Most of the new growth has been straight up, and there is lots of
crowding on the ends of the older branches because of unchecked cross
growth. Should this new growth be trimmed like other fruit trees, or
is there something special.

Some of the oldish branches, about 2 inches thick, are intertwined,
twisted around each other. Is this a feature, or just neglect?

Lastly, is there a nice online reference for fruit tree pruning?

Cheers,
-Ed Evans