This tree came with the home. It’s a shinseiki I believe. I just have no idea how to prune this tree it’s already so tall that I need a ladder to prune and pick fruit. How would you prune this tree?
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Not an expert by any means but you can top-work it using its own wood as scion. Will also give you the chance to adding new varieties you like. @Jsacadura has a video on the exact thing you are trying to do here:
Side grafts are another option if you want to keep some of the existing framework but they tend to make very shallow angled branches.
Here is a video by Bill Merrill,that might give some ideas.bb
I would do some severe pruning - knowing that i would lose the crop for that year - essentially leaving only lower branches that i could reach without a ladder, to make the tree more manageable.
In one or two of the pruned branches i might graft other varieties as dimitry as suggested.
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For pruning & grafting I was thinking along the lines of @Jsacadura. But if it were my tree I would be curious about the five older cuts of large limbs. Perhaps this tree has been cut back due to fireblight strikes in previous years. I would want to take this possibility into consideration as part of the tree management.
I ended up having an Arborist who specializes in fruit trees come out and give me some guidance. We ended up pruning a lot of the upper branches, not as severe as recommended above, but enough to hopefully promote lower growth this year. This was done knowing this years crop will be reduced. I’ve lived here two years and I’ve notice a few spot of FB. So it is entirely possible those larger branches were cut back due to FB. I will probably graft some other varieties onto this pear. I just planted a Hosui. I would want to graft Chojuro, but they don’t sell this variety any where in Southern California. How can I get scion wood for this variety to graft?
A few spots of FB on pears that don’t go into big wood are common in areas near the CA coast, although I don’t know if you are near the beach. If whole branches were removed because of infection of big wood it could be a problem on a tree aggressively pruned.
Asian pears are strange in terms of where they suffer from FB. I’ve never seen a single strike here in S. NY on an Asian, but lots on E. pears and apples, but in the south it can be quite a problem with some varieties. I manage plenty of A. pear trees on a wide range of sites.
I’m surprised if your tree is very susceptible just on the basis of it being so spurred up that there doesn’t appear to be much vegetative vigor. The more vigorous a tree, the more susceptible as a general rule.
Once the tree is re-established you may find it helpful to do serious spur thinning when you prune. This reduces the need to thin fruit, which is a major task with A. pears and helps sustain adequate vegetative wood for spur rejuvination and to provide energy for bigger tastier fruit.
Here it is after pruning. I’m expecting some more vegetative growth this year with the increased dormant season pruning. This tree has been an amazing producer since I’ve lived here.
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I plan on fertilizing my Asian pears this year , I can see how they struggle to put on new growth once they start to produce fruit