have had 2 pear trees for about 7 years now. first tree was bought big
enough to produce but didn't. then we found out that a second tree
would be required for "proper pollination". we got that one. sure
enough the following season there were pears all over the place -to the
contented deer around it was heavenly!-. these were supposed to be
dwarf trees with red pears, they are neither. they were supposed to
have a very smooth skin, they do not. it is as course as i have ever
seen and felt. oh, and the pears are much smaller than usual although
they are honey sweet. but, as things go, that is what we have. last
year, while absent from the place, some electric company assholes -am
sorry but cannot find a softer definition for their stupidity- decided
to amputate part of the trees "because some branches were on the way
of electrical stuff. well! they thought easier to cut the tops of
these two trees all the way down to include the culprit branches!!!
pear season came and although we had about half of usual pears, they
grew to edible size. the problem now is that both trees have develop
an incredible amount of upshoots that come out of each branch. all
thin and looking to the sky! the strangest look one could imagine.
WHAT CAN WE DO A) TO SAVE THE TWO TREES? B) TO GET THEM BACK INTO
NORMAL PRODUCTION? C) TO IMPROVE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE SKINS? D) HOW
AND WHEN ARE WE TO CUT THESE THIN BRANCHES GROWING UPWARDS? PLEASE
HELP!!! GLORIA

You need to prune 1/3 of the shoots, every year for the next 3 years.
You will have to leave some shoots grow into main branches to let the
trees rebuild their structure. pear trees go straight up, and every
year I have a lot of pruning to do, and it is all upward shoots. I can
start fires in the stove all winter just with straight pear sticks.

About the skin, let it go. If the flavor is right, better have them
sweet and coarse than sour and smooth. I cook many of my pears for that
reason, and the chicken eat pears for about a month. Cooked, they are
quite good, but I'd rather have them raw. To have bigger pears, in June
go around the trees and thin the fruit to about one pear for 25 leaves.
That will double them in size, and also prevent a biennial habit (the
fact that they might start producing every second year). I also give
them wood ash and wood chips as mulch.

On Dec 15, 10:08 am, "gloria" wrote:
have had 2 pear trees for about 7 years now. first tree was bought big
enough to produce but didn't. then we found out that a second tree
would be required for "proper pollination". we got that one. sure
enough the following season there were pears all over the place -to the
contented deer around it was heavenly!-. these were supposed to be
dwarf trees with red pears, they are neither. they were supposed to
have a very smooth skin, they do not. it is as course as i have ever
seen and felt. oh, and the pears are much smaller than usual although
they are honey sweet. but, as things go, that is what we have. last
year, while absent from the place, some electric company assholes -am
sorry but cannot find a softer definition for their stupidity- decided
to amputate part of the trees "because some branches were on the way
of electrical stuff. well! they thought easier to cut the tops of
these two trees all the way down to include the culprit branches!!!
pear season came and although we had about half of usual pears, they
grew to edible size. the problem now is that both trees have develop
an incredible amount of upshoots that come out of each branch. all
thin and looking to the sky! the strangest look one could imagine.
WHAT CAN WE DO A) TO SAVE THE TWO TREES? B) TO GET THEM BACK INTO
NORMAL PRODUCTION? C) TO IMPROVE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE SKINS? D) HOW
AND WHEN ARE WE TO CUT THESE THIN BRANCHES GROWING UPWARDS? PLEASE
HELP!!! GLORIA

How do you cook them and what do you add and how much, to the pears for
flavor? I put in cinnamon and cloves, but they still didnt taste like I was
told they would.

Dwayne

I cook many of my pears for that
reason,

Just one thing to add to simy1. Do your pruning while the trees are dormant, or
going into dormancy, like very late fall, or winter. Otherwise, cutting them
will stimulate the tree to send out more suckers.

Sherwin D.

simy1 wrote:

You need to prune 1/3 of the shoots, every year for the next 3 years.
You will have to leave some shoots grow into main branches to let the
trees rebuild their structure. pear trees go straight up, and every
year I have a lot of pruning to do, and it is all upward shoots. I can
start fires in the stove all winter just with straight pear sticks.

About the skin, let it go. If the flavor is right, better have them
sweet and coarse than sour and smooth. I cook many of my pears for that
reason, and the chicken eat pears for about a month. Cooked, they are
quite good, but I'd rather have them raw. To have bigger pears, in June
go around the trees and thin the fruit to about one pear for 25 leaves.
That will double them in size, and also prevent a biennial habit (the
fact that they might start producing every second year). I also give
them wood ash and wood chips as mulch.

On Dec 15, 10:08 am, "gloria" wrote:
have had 2 pear trees for about 7 years now. first tree was bought big
enough to produce but didn't. then we found out that a second tree
would be required for "proper pollination". we got that one. sure
enough the following season there were pears all over the place -to the
contented deer around it was heavenly!-. these were supposed to be
dwarf trees with red pears, they are neither. they were supposed to
have a very smooth skin, they do not. it is as course as i have ever
seen and felt. oh, and the pears are much smaller than usual although
they are honey sweet. but, as things go, that is what we have. last
year, while absent from the place, some electric company assholes -am
sorry but cannot find a softer definition for their stupidity- decided
to amputate part of the trees "because some branches were on the way
of electrical stuff. well! they thought easier to cut the tops of
these two trees all the way down to include the culprit branches!!!
pear season came and although we had about half of usual pears, they
grew to edible size. the problem now is that both trees have develop
an incredible amount of upshoots that come out of each branch. all
thin and looking to the sky! the strangest look one could imagine.
WHAT CAN WE DO A) TO SAVE THE TWO TREES? B) TO GET THEM BACK INTO
NORMAL PRODUCTION? C) TO IMPROVE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE SKINS? D) HOW
AND WHEN ARE WE TO CUT THESE THIN BRANCHES GROWING UPWARDS? PLEASE
HELP!!! GLORIA

My pears (from very old trees which I got with the property, and that I
resurrected over the canonic three years. I cut one of the trees, and
it turned out to be 45 yrs old) have flavor, but they are a bit sour
for eating out of hand. They are also a bit grainy. However, peeled and
chopped coarsely (one quarter, three pieces), and cooked in a pot with
just a bit of water to prevent sticking, they turn sweet. I add lemon
juice and dried cranberries in the beginning (the cranberries will puff
up while absorbing the pear juices). Sugar to taste if there is too
much lemon. They are good without, but with the lemon and the
cranberries, the whole family swoons over them.

I don't spray or water them (about 20% are unblemished, and those that
are blemished go to the chickens), just mulch, prune and wood ash, and
they are beatiful in the spring. So not a bad return on the work
investment.

On Dec 15, 6:19 pm, "Dwayne" wrote:
How do you cook them and what do you add and how much, to the pears for
flavor? I put in cinnamon and cloves, but they still didnt taste like I was
told they would.

Dwayne

I cook many of my pears for that

reason,

gloria wrote:
have had 2 pear trees for about 7 years now. first tree was bought big
enough to produce but didn't. then we found out that a second tree
would be required for "proper pollination". we got that one. sure
enough the following season there were pears all over the place -to the
contented deer around it was heavenly!-. these were supposed to be
dwarf trees with red pears, they are neither. they were supposed to
have a very smooth skin, they do not. it is as course as i have ever
seen and felt. oh, and the pears are much smaller than usual although
they are honey sweet. but, as things go, that is what we have. last
year, while absent from the place, some electric company assholes -am
sorry but cannot find a softer definition for their stupidity- decided
to amputate part of the trees "because some branches were on the way
of electrical stuff. well! they thought easier to cut the tops of
these two trees all the way down to include the culprit branches!!!
pear season came and although we had about half of usual pears, they
grew to edible size. the problem now is that both trees have develop
an incredible amount of upshoots that come out of each branch. all
thin and looking to the sky! the strangest look one could imagine.
WHAT CAN WE DO A) TO SAVE THE TWO TREES? B) TO GET THEM BACK INTO
NORMAL PRODUCTION? C) TO IMPROVE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE SKINS? D) HOW
AND WHEN ARE WE TO CUT THESE THIN BRANCHES GROWING UPWARDS? PLEASE
HELP!!! GLORIA

If you planted them in the utility right-of-way the utility can prune
them at will. Having said that: the pears will produce better for you
with an annual pruning. Check with your states agriculture department
and/or county ag agent for best times to feed and prune. They can also
give you instructions on when to prune off the "water" limbs that are
growing straight up.

George

george: when the trees were planted they were not "on the way" of the
utility company. with time and quite a few terrible storms the lines
had stretched a lot and there were problems with their poles. so, they
replaced the poles and the entire installation further in from their
original setup. after that, one of the pear trees had 2 branches
touching the lines. they could have cut those and did right with me
there. i went back into the house and came back to find out they had
amputated the tops of the two trees... including the one about 12 feet
in from the lines. i know it is nearly impossible to win a battle
against a big company. but would really want to save my trees! gloria


George Shirley wrote:
gloria wrote:
have had 2 pear trees for about 7 years now. first tree was bought big
enough to produce but didn't. then we found out that a second tree
would be required for "proper pollination". we got that one. sure
enough the following season there were pears all over the place -to the
contented deer around it was heavenly!-. these were supposed to be
dwarf trees with red pears, they are neither. they were supposed to
have a very smooth skin, they do not. it is as course as i have ever
seen and felt. oh, and the pears are much smaller than usual although
they are honey sweet. but, as things go, that is what we have. last
year, while absent from the place, some electric company assholes -am
sorry but cannot find a softer definition for their stupidity- decided
to amputate part of the trees "because some branches were on the way
of electrical stuff. well! they thought easier to cut the tops of
these two trees all the way down to include the culprit branches!!!
pear season came and although we had about half of usual pears, they
grew to edible size. the problem now is that both trees have develop
an incredible amount of upshoots that come out of each branch. all
thin and looking to the sky! the strangest look one could imagine.
WHAT CAN WE DO A) TO SAVE THE TWO TREES? B) TO GET THEM BACK INTO
NORMAL PRODUCTION? C) TO IMPROVE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE SKINS? D) HOW
AND WHEN ARE WE TO CUT THESE THIN BRANCHES GROWING UPWARDS? PLEASE
HELP!!! GLORIA

If you planted them in the utility right-of-way the utility can prune
them at will. Having said that: the pears will produce better for you
with an annual pruning. Check with your states agriculture department
and/or county ag agent for best times to feed and prune. They can also
give you instructions on when to prune off the "water" limbs that are
growing straight up.

George