Recognizing dead branches / Tree maintenance recommandations

[XaviC90]

Hello everyone!

I was wondering if you could give me a few tips on how to make sure that I do not mess up my tree by cutting a good branch.

For a bit more context I have an old pear in the middle of my garden which is definitely the highlight of the property, so as you understand I am quite scared of damaging it.

Since I acquired the house, a bit more than one year ago, one of the branches never gave any leaves or signs of life, which I guess means that it is dead? However it is not a small branch, which makes the decision to cut it quite difficult.

Otherwise regarding tree maintenance, how should I proceed to cut the twigs that are out of reach, is it possible to climb fruit trees even if I am on the heavier side?

Thanks a lot in advance and have a nice day!

Xavier

 

[Seachaser]

Break or cut the branch every few inches until you get to green wood or the trunk. Our pears are popping. You should see the buds beginning to swell on good branches.

 

[Del_]

Welcome!

Dead wood removal is easiest when the tree is in leaf.

Read up on Fire Blight transmission in pears before you do any pruning.

 

[XaviC90]

Break or cut the branch every few inches until you get to green wood or the trunk. Our pears are popping. You should see the buds beginning to swell on good branches.

Thanks a lot for the information! I will try to do so, it is not exactly a small branch and the top part is slightly complicated to access.

 

[XaviC90]

Welcome!

Dead wood removal is easiest when the tree is in leaf.

Read up on Fire Blight transmission in pears before you do any pruning.

Thanks for the recommendation, I am trying to desinfect my tools every time I prune, but I will try to find information on how to detect the disease, it will help for sure!

 

[BrentStir]

Hello everyone!

I was wondering if you could give me a few tips on how to make sure that I do not mess up my tree by cutting a good branch.

For a bit more context I have an old pear in the middle of my garden which is definitely the highlight of the property, so as you understand I am quite scared of damaging it.

Since I acquired the house, a bit more than one year ago, one of the branches never gave any leaves or signs of life, which I guess means that it is dead? However it is not a small branch, which makes the decision to cut it quite difficult.

Otherwise regarding tree maintenance, how should I proceed to cut the twigs that are out of reach, is it possible to climb fruit trees even if I am on the heavier side?

Thanks a lot in advance and have a nice day!

Xavier

Fireblight is easy to recognize, the wood looks scorched. It is also highly infectious so drop all twigs on a tarp and send to landfill, don’t burn. And clean your tools with bleach after every cut. And oil well at end.
You are a bit heavy? I climbed most trees until I retired, weighing in at 275 lbs.
How tall is the pear? Consider putting an extension ladder up, climb up and secure the ladder, before anything else. 2nd take an extra rope with you, and after you are secured tie off the dead limb as high as possible so when you cut the branch the limb can have a controlled descent, that doesn’t knock you or the ladder away.
How do you know what’s dead.?
Bark peeling, bark a grayer colour than live wood, no buds or dead buds, exceptional brittle branches. Pear often gets a lot of little dead branches yearly, so trimming can be time consuming.
Pear is a strong, normally straight grained wood capable of holding a lot of weight (all those pears) so climbing shouldn’t be an issue.
Be aware pears can grow to 70 feet or more, so you might want to keep the top shorter, reducing the height be less than 30%each year.
Hope that helps