I have a mature Bartlet pear that’s every bit of 20 foot tall, if not more. For some reason the thought of pruning it came to mind. Then I just looked at it again and removed that thought from my mind.
It seems happy being big and heavily fruits every two years, sparce in the off years. I figured I would check with you all about if I should attempt to prune this beast.or not.
Bartlet is pictured on the left
Thanks
Thanks we already have one, plus a 8 foot ladder in the back of the pickup. But still can’t get them all. Neighbor offered his tractor with forks and man basket. it should be a good times picking them here soon as they turn yellow.
What a beautiful tree. Enjoy that you can grow it! And that it’s yielding so well for you!
This is old thread may be useful.
The prevalent thinking is more towards dwarfs than standard trees even though there are many drawbacks.
The level of management needed is subjective. I enjoy pruning and would open that tree up a bit and bring it down in height gradually, but any pruning increases the chances of fireblight.
The advantage of more intense management is bigger fruit and probably annual instead of biennial cropping.
The leafless shoots on top of the tree concern me.
Hi Alan Fire blight is my main concern, currently there really is none to speak of (maybe a black leaf here and there). I already knew pruning increases the likelihood of fire blight but it’s good for me to receive confirmation - Thanks 
If fireblight appears its a good reason for pruning to a lower height. @alan and i both know your action are strictly dependant on your area. My area is changing signifigantly forcing me to change what i do and how i do it. In my situation we normally have very heavy rains in the spring and no rain until july 4th. This year no heavy spring rain but lots of small rains of 1/10th of an inch. Cooler temperatures etc. and a new and devastating version of fireblight.
We get plenty of FB here, but it doesn’t stop me from pruning pear trees at all. In 30 years of pruning 100’s of them I’ve only lost a couple of trees to FB- they can succumb to it whether of not you prune them and if your tree never even had a couple of shoots flag to it I don’t think it should be a reason not to prune the tree.
Fireblight infects pruning cuts pretty bad here. I pruned 100 grafts and many became infected and i had to prune them again. The weather is perfect here this year. In the south weather is always perfect. Harrow delight is being destroyed by fireblight here. It is a very different environment. Harrow delight grew here fireblight free for years.
I had to completely remove my Harrow Delight. The Harrow Sweet and Honey Sweet planted next to it have had a few small strikes. I am hopeful I won’t have to remove those as well.
This fireblight is very aggressive here in Kansas. Naturally Dr. Bell could not account for growing fruit in Kansas or for the strain of fireblight we are dealing with here. This is the problem we dont live long enough to see every scenario. Imagine the guy who planted an orchard of harrow delight like i nearly did. We know Dr. Bells results are very accurate elsewhere. Kansas is not a fruit growing state for a reason. We keep on trying and getting better at growing fruit here all the time. Have spent a lifetime researching alternative crops in this state.
I read that Resistance list and Bartlet is in the Least column. But here I have a mature Bartlet with a black leaf here and there. Yet the neighbors have several stinky mature Bedford pear trees that I really believe bring the pollinators in. Go figure 
And yet despite being on the Least Resistant list, here in Kansas there are many old mature Bartletts that have survived FB and everything else the crazy weather throws at them. Go figure.
We can try plant the most disease resistant varieties we know of at that given time, but as you know and I am learning, that doesn’t always work out in our favor. I will keep on trying. You have gotten me interested in Farmingdale now.
Remind me to send you some Farmingdale scions. The scions are very hard if not all but impossible to find.
This is the truth!
The man who planted the stark bros bartlet tree as a young boy in the 70’s, lives right across the road and are hands down the best neighbors anyone could ever ask for.
He was born in our house and raised on the property. He knows everything there is to know about this place. He told me “dad never pruned or sprayed, but mom would have me cut out the dead branches” it always grew well and produces good fruit. I’ve not sprayed it once either, but I did cut out minor lower level dead limbs out of it three years ago, with a pole chain saw.
The first year we moved here I brought my Amish friend out and we picked off that tree for a big part of the day. I took him back home and gave him and his wife all the pears both of us picked. His wife sent me home with two pies and later gave my wife several jars of pear preserves 
.
It is my belief that what you are doing is working great, and i never change anything that is working better than the results everyone else are getting!
That would be great Clark. I will try remember. Thank you very much!
I have several trees on seedling rootstock that I’d like to graft over to something else. Farmingdale sounds as close to bulletproof as we can get, at least at this point.
Neighbors picking pears yesterday. The man basket is as high as it can go, 10 foot. The picking pole is extended as high as it can go about 12 foot. The man in the basket has an estimated conservative reach of 6 foot. That’s 28 foot and there’s still more tree with pears up top that we can’t harvest.
I would like your advise please. I’m again reconsidering tipping this beast.
This pear tree is unmanageable. What is the best time of the year to top it and how much can I or should I cut?
Thanks
