QuestionI have a very old and large Bradford Pear and I don't know how to prune it. It has a chain at the base of its limbs that someone put around it before we bought our house. I have no problem with the chain since it gives the tree limbs strength. The problem is that it has so many heavy long limbs. I have pruned off several of the large lower limbs. My question is whether I can "prune" some other limbs by simply chopping them off half way down the branch to reduce the length of many of the limbs or am I required to take out the limb in its entirety at the trunk? I am speaking mostly of lower limbs that are very long, and head up in the air, but because of their weight and length sag again to about 5 feet from the ground. Thank you for answering peoples questions.
Answer Generally trees that bloom in early spring are pruned after they finish blooming--bradford pear fits into this category.
Bradford pears are a victim of their own vigorous growth. Every twig and limb seems convinced that it can head for the sky immediately after it sprouts. The result is many vertical branches crowded around the trunk, all reaching heavenward. Simple physics explains that the attachment of a vertical branch is weaker than one which extends at an angle more toward the horizontal. Though the upright oval form of this tree is attractive, the means by which it is achieved leads to weakness.
PRUNING OLD TREES An unpruned Bradford pear tree planted five or more years ago is likely to be a tangled mass of twigs and big limbs. With careful observation, you can still decide which limbs should stay and which should go. First to go are the thin vertical limbs in the center of the tree. They provide few blooms and impede air circulation through the tree. Next out are the major limbs that are spaced too closely together along the main trunk. When choosing between two limbs, keep the one that grows more horizontally. Remove the large limbs now, before green leaves appear and they become even harder to manage. Use the "three cut technique" described below to avoid tearing off bark below the limb.
THREE-CUT TECHNIQUE TO REMOVE LARGE LIMBS
You can seriously harm the tree (and yourself!) if a big limb is cut carelessly. If only one cut is made next to the trunk, the limb will sag before the cut is complete and strip bark off for a distance down the trunk. It is best to cut the limb once from below and then from above, a couple of feet from the trunk, allowing most of the limb to fall away. The stub that is left can be removed with a single cut just outside the branch collar on the trunk.
If you follow the steps lined above, you might be concerned about the mass of limbs that is piled on the ground after the job is complete. Ignore the shrieks from your spouse and the jibes from your neighbors. The clouds of white blossoms that grace your Bradford pear may be slightly diminished the season after pruning but in succeeding years the blossoms will return in full force. And the wails of your neighbors, whose unpruned Bradford pear limbs have fallen across their new SUV, will be music to your ears!
Here is a web link that illustrates with picture the three step method of pruning a large limb.
http://realestate.msn.com/Lawns/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=24677
