Just planted Bell pear on OHxF 87 and need some pruning advise. It already has 2 nice branches but unfortunately they are growing from the same spot. Should I completely eliminate them and start over or keep and grow them out. My main concern is ending up with a week scaffold joint. Need some wisdom.
A lot depends on what you goal shape and height are for the tree. What are you looking to do?
It seems like a good candidate for an open center if joint is strong enough. I’d like to keep height manageable.
The main issue then I think is dealing with the leader in the middle that is going straight up
One option would be to remove it entirely and have a two leader tree and then have the remaining two try to branch early to fill in.
Another option would be to go for a delayed open center and shorten the leader hoping to get another branch or two in another cardinal direction.
Or you could try tying it down and seeing if you can get the crotch angles you are looking for.
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Personally I’d prune out the more vertical growing branch (right side in the first 2 pics) and start notching the buds farther up the central leader that you’d want to become your next limbs.
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I’d be inclined to remove both of the side branches and go for a central leader. Notching, as @roth2000 suggests, will work nicely here to establish your choices for the first scaffold, which I’d like to see start at about waist high, maybe a little lower.
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