Pear tree shooting too tall, prune mid-season?

[d000hg]

I planted a bare whip last spring and this year it has grown about 4 feet, it's now about 8 feet tall which is already taller than I want it to be... 6-7 feet. Is it appropriate to lop the top off now so it will branch out, or must I wait until winter? If I want it to end up 7 feet tall, how short should I trim it?

Any other tips welcome.

[orangepippin]

When planting a 1-year bare-root tree a common procedure is to cut it back in spring to, for example, 4ft, to encourage branching below that point. I don't think this will work if you do this now because there is not much time left in the season for the tree to start re-growing.

In any case the mature height is largely up to the rootstock. What rootstock has been used? If it is on Quince A, or Pyrodwarf, or Pyrus c. it is going to want to get much taller yet.

[d000hg]

It was only about 4 feet tall this spring, it's doubled in height in one year

If I cut the thing back to 4', surely that would stop the main trunk getting any higher? I was thinking one the top is lopped, it would 'crown' and spew branches out at that point?

So you reckon let it just grow as it wants for the rest of this year, maximise its ability to absorb sunlight on all those nice big leaves, then attack it when exactly - in winter or once it starts shooting in 2015?

I don't recall the rootstock. But from memory all the trees in the collection (I got a set of 2 apple, 1 pear, 1 plum and 1 cherry) are supposed to be smallish. It's for a small town garden so I'm planning it will need a fair amount of maintenance to force it grow into a good shape and size rather than let it do as it wishes.

[FB.]

I don't think this will work if you do this now because there is not much time left in the season for the tree to start re-growing.

Agreed.
I think that if a tree is pruned in August or later it won't put out many, if any, new shoots and may not grow well the following year. I have a suspicion that 'cordon pruning' catches them just at the time when the shoots which are cut back won't usually sprout new shoots but the buds near the pruning cut will become fruit spurs instead of branches.

[FB.]

If I cut the thing back to 4', surely that would stop the main trunk getting any higher? I was thinking one the top is lopped, it would 'crown' and spew branches out at that point?

Yes, the trunk height will then be set at 4ft and side branches will form around that level or several inches below.
However, most trees want to go upwards, so it will, in time, try to send out upright shoots which you'll need to remove.

I strongly advise pruning it when it is dormant in winter to set the trunk height (bearing in mind that several buds below the cut will form branches). In subsequent years you could consider some cordon-pruning or espalier-pruning methods once it has some main branches.

[d000hg]

Thanks. I shall leave it and see how high it gets this year then

[d000hg]

A follow-up question. I'm not sure what form I should take with this tree now it's growing well.

- It's some sort of dwarf(ish) stock but I don't know what exactly
- It's planted up against the south wall of our small (4x3m) garden, about a foot away from the wall
- The wall/fence is about 6 feet tall

The wall shades it from the midday sun but as our garden faces due south, we have a perfect sun-trap. However one reason I think it has shot up so tall is that as soon as it clears the top of the fence, it is in sun virtually 9am-6pm.

I'm wary about it branching too low down as not only will it block sun to the lawn, but all the branches will be on one side (since there's a wall in the way).

Ideally I would like it to send some branches over the fence and have sufficient trunk you can plant things at ground level around it, but I don't know if a Standard would be too tall. When I cut the trunk, will that then be the tallest part of the tree or will new growth go upwards... if so should I cut the main trunk at more like 4 feet so it ends up 6-7 feet and can reach over the fence without being too tall?