Stange Pear Tree

[Jerodequin]

Firstly, as this is my first post, hello

I was wondering if anyone might be able to help identify what is going on with one of my small pear trees -

I have 3 different varieties, two of which are doing great.

The third tree is rather odd - it almost appears to be two different types of plant rather than one (I can't remember the name of the tree now, but I'm pretty sure it's not meant to be this way!)

It has a very straight central branch which has one type of leaves growing on it (this looks like a standard pear tree to me) - but at the bottom it has a bunch of rather fast growing, crazy branches with totally different leaves, much more bush like and not similar to this or my other pear trees.

I'm wondering if this is something that is going to kill the central bit of the plant and just wondering what is going on!

Any advice is most welcome.

Here are some pictures of the tree in question:

This is the tree itself

This is the 'traditional' looking pear leaves on the central trunk

These are the other leaves

This is what the other more bushy branches look like

And here is a pic of the two types that seem almost grafted together...

[veggiechicken]

Hi Jerodequin and welcome to the Grapevine
I'm no expert but it look like the lower branch is coming from the rootstock below the graft. It may be a quince rootstock but is unlikely to fruit. You need to remove that branch and I'm sure an expert will be along soon to tell you the best way to do that.

[FB.]

The paler leaves are Quince leaves, from the rootstock. It's known as a "root sucker".

Dwarfing rootstocks often get them because the grafted parts are semi-incompatible which causes partial blockage of sapflow which reduces the exchange of water, nutrients and sugars between the two parts in order to slow their growth (hence dwarfing).
However, the bottleneck caused by the semi-incompatible graft often leads to the rootstock trying to bypass the graft and grow its own canopy - which is what is happening with your tree.

The sucker looks like it's a few years old, so might not be so easy to deal with. The normal procedure is to remove all suckers the moment they are noticed to prevent them building strength*.
Once they have built strength, removing a sucker can result in the plant sending up ever-more suckers (three or four in the place of each one removed) until the ground all around the base of the trunk is covered with emerging shoots.

The problem with your tree is that the sucker has been allowed to get far too large. The surgery required to deal with it may lead to a variety of further problems. My best suggestion would be to wait until winter, then cut off the sucker as close to the trunk as you can.
Then next year be vigilant for the plant retaliating with lots more suckers - "nip them in the bud" and keep removing any suckers which try to grow. Eventually, just as you want to give up fighting the plant, the plant will usually give up fighting you and stop producing suckers.


*
Some people let a sucker grow for a couple of years, then cut it off in winter in order to use it as a rootstock to graft another tree. Quince suckers often root fairly easily from the two-year-old base if pushed into the ground in a cool, damp, semi-shade corner for a few months.

[Jerodequin]

Thank you both for the very useful replies - I'll definitely take your advice and wait until winter before removing the extra sucker!

[FB.]

Thank you both for the very useful replies - I'll definitely take your advice and wait until winter before removing the extra sucker!

Normally, suckers can be removed as soon as they are noticed because they are quite small.

But in your case, the sucker is a substantial part of the tree and I would be concerned that its removal during the growing season would result in the death of half the root system which is relying on its photosynthesis - and the tree suffering shock as a result.

By removing in winter, the plant is mostly dormant and won't suffer the same degree of shock as it would if pruned while it has leaves on.

[Jerodequin]

Thanks - I also need to do quite a lot of pruning to one of my apple trees - a workman managed to snap the tree in half last year and it's made good progress in recovering, but unfortunately it's grown mostly outwards rather than upwards (it is still producing fruit) - I was hoping that if I prune back a lot of the outward growth later in the year then this might encourage it to continue growing upwards and outwards rather than just growing out!

[FB.]

If you prune while it has leaves on, you take a lot of the plants strength away.
The later in the season, the greater the loss of strength because when the leaves fall the plant stores those nutrients in the roots to fuel growth the next season.
Pruning a mature tree hard while it is in full leaf is one of the best ways to kill a tree. Hard pruning of any kind can upset mature trees; some cope better than others.

I suggest putting up some pictures of your apple tree for suggestions on how to get it to the size/shape you want.
Most likely it will be winter pruning required but without pictures there's no way to say for sure because each tree is an individual in its shape and growth, so needs treating as such. A few clever pruning cuts at the right time can transform a tree.

[Jerodequin]

Thanks - here is a pic of the Apple tree (not sure if I should start a new thread?)

It used to be over double the height until it sadly got snapped. As you can see, it's spreading out rather well despite the injury.

[FB.]

Ah, the apple is only a dwarf. The reason it is "recovering well" is because most of its energy was stored in the roots; removing branches during winter usually results in the plant quickly re-growing them the following year.

Dwarf trees will not appreciate being pruned while they have leaves because the loss of vigour may be too great for it to recover quickly.

I would wait until winter, take a picture from two or three different directions and post them up on here for comments on how best to get it back into shape. Most likely it will involve cutting back to an upward-facing bud, which should then grow in the direction required.
It might also involved considering grafting a new piece on top.

.