I’ve seen several species of fruit trees respond well to high density pruning techniques, although I have not tried this on Asian pears: Establish a tall leader – select and tie one up if it is not present Only remove total branches, and do not tip the remaining branches – remove one or two entire branches each year Tie down new laterals below horizontal, before June 20 each year Not sure if Asian pears respond to Apogee, but it might be worth a try
Be sure to take before and after pictures to see if this works! Let us know in a couple years…. Leslie [cid:[email protected]] Leslie Huffman 519-738-1256 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Weinzierl, Richard A Sent: August-01-14 10:13 AM To: Apple-crop discussion list Subject: [apple-crop] Planting density for Asian pears A new grower bought an Asian pear orchard that was planted a few years ago north of Peoria, IL. Except for pollenizers, it’s all ‘Shinko’, and apparently its resistance to fireblight is very good – I saw only one or two infections in hundreds of trees. They have planted trees at very high density (4 feet in-row by 12 feet between rows); the trees are at least 12 feet tall. Is anyone familiar high-density production of Asian pears? And if so, do you have any pruning recommendations? It’s obvious the density and prior pruning practices will not work together. The fact sheets and similar references that I’ve seen suggest much lower tree densities (218 to 242 trees per acre). Any general thoughts on managing the trees at high density … and what spacing would you recommend for the additional plantings they intend to make? Rick Weinzierl Professor and Extension Entomologist IL SARE PDP Coordinator Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois S-334 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Avenue Urbana, IL 61801 217-244-2126
_______________________________________________ apple-crop mailing list [email protected] http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
