Training Espalier Pear Trees

[Hereford fruit grower]

Does anyone have a book or website which they can recommend on training these? I know exactly how it's supposed to work. I'm aiming at an espalier with three or even four tiers, i.e. adding one per year. I've trained an apple in the distant past and it went OK.

However, I need to find some advice on what to do when the tree doesn't behave as expected!

Specifically, it's in its second year of training and the vertical has been cut back, i.e. expecting enough buds to break as a result to give two more horizontals to choose from. These should form the second tier.

However, it is now August. No buds have broken on the vertical stem that was cut back. In contrast, the horizontals from last year continue to grow steadily and will soon be longer than I have room for.

So, I basically need some more vigorous vertical growth from it but I have more than enough horizontal growth. See, I told you it was awkward...

The variety is Jargonelle, the rootstock is quince C. The soil is a rich fertile loam, i.e. almost as good as it gets.

All I can think of is watering the tree more heavily to encourage more vegetative growth. It's so far had no effect.

[nickdub]

Sorry to be negative but I have grown Jargonelle over a few years and at least as far as the one I have is concerned I'm not impressed with it - to my mind the flavour is ordinary and the crop all tends to ripen at once - so I'm contemplating grafting mine over to other varieties - it is possible that others have a different experience of this variety, if so I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on it.

Can't help on the web sites you want, but I do think the leader will make new growth next year BTW.

[Lardman]

My pears are the same - they just refuse to listen to what they're told to do. This appears to be consistent across all the varieties I have.

I've been brutal with mine this season. I've notched above the buds I wanted to break, fed heavily with chicken poo, watered ridiculously, dropped side branches down to 90 degrees and tipped them to reduce rigour and competition. I've had mixed success, lots more vegetative growth but not necessarily where I wanted it. I re-notched about 3 weeks ago.

I have no problems with my apples but pears do appear to want to grow true to shape and are resistant to my training at least. I've not found any "when it goes wrong do this" websites - everyone else appears to have very well behaved trees.

[Hereford fruit grower]

I planted Jargonelle because it's an August pear and I like fresh pears.

There aren't a huge number of August pears. I'd welcome suggestions of others to grow.

I grow Doyenne d'Ete which is ripe in July. All of mine have been eaten and although they're small they're good. *

I grow William's Bon Chretien which is perhaps the first 'normal' pear and crops heavily and regularly, also on quince C. Delicious ... but ripe in September not August.

* The only problem is PyroDwarf aka Pyrovigour rootstock = a menace. I've started ring-barking the four trees nearly completely; summer pruning isn't enough. I want to get my four 'incompatible' varieties budded onto quince C or A ASAP with an intermediate scion. Anyone volunteer to help me re-bud them? I'm hopeless at it.

[nickdub]

"I planted Jargonelle because it's an August pear and I like fresh pears. "

much the same reasoning by me, though I planted mine 30+ years ago - my main quarrel with it is that I don't much like the flavour - which of course is a subjective thing anyway.

[Lardman]

I want to get my four 'incompatible' varieties budded onto quince C or A ASAP with an intermediate scion. Anyone volunteer to help me re-bud them? I'm hopeless at it.

The bark is slipping very well here, I did some T budding last week - give it a try if you've struggled with chip budding (which I also fail miserably at) . Otherwise graft them with a scion in spring '20 you wont have lost any more time.

[TrixC]

Citron des Carmes is a really good early pear.

[Hereford fruit grower]

Citron des Carmes is a really good early pear.

Do you rate it better than 'Jargonelle'? The catalogues list them both as 'August' pears.

The old Scotts catalogue, before they closed, also listed
'Alexandrina Bivort', late July or early August
'Beurre Bedford', late August or September

as well as Doyenne d'Ete and Jargonelle.

It didn't suggest that any of them are as good as later varieties but a fresh pear in July or August is a scarce item and from about mid September to late November one has a wide choice.