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Shropshire, United Kingdom Gb

I have a pear tree which i had given me about three years ago which i have in a twenty inch pot, The tree stands about six feet high, this year produced lots of fruit which dropped of all but half a dozen, The damn squirrel took four of those remaining, the other two have grown to about pullet egg size and have remained that size for a number of weeks,the tree itself has sent out lots of shoots,[ not from the base ] what should i do regarding these top and side shoots. thanks to all who respond




Answers

 

To be blunt what you need to do is plant the poor bloody tree in the ground! How can you possibly expect it to grow and fruit if it is in a pot! Plant in he ground and then consider how to prune.

30 Jul, 2010

 

Mm despite Moongrowers terse response it is possible to grow fruit in pots and many have done so in patio gardens and even balconies by root pruning and repotting.

All fruit trees shed to allow room for stronger fruits to mature - planting it in the ground will not stop the squirrel.Try hanging a nut feeder from your tree might leave the fruit alone .

30 Jul, 2010

 

Round about now you should be pruning those shoots off to within 3-4 shoots of the leaf axil (summer pruning). In February have a good look at your tree and fine it down more (winter pruning). 6 foot is very tall for a potted pear. Even pear trees in the ground play tricks on me. One has silly little pears, (that will get thinned next year) either at white bud time or just before June drop. Another pear that has been thinned has really large pears. So prune it, feed it, thin the crop out, maybe a bigger pot or in the ground. Fruit on limiting root stock cannot sustain big crops. quality rather than quantity.

31 Jul, 2010

 


I would love to be able to plant this tree in the ground as Moon grower suggests but after working on our garden for fifty + years we have filled it with other plants of many variety so space is very limited, hence the pot,
As you say Bonkersbon many fruit trees are sold specifically for patio pots,
Thanks for pruning advice Dorjac i will certainly give that a try,
Thanks to all for response

31 Jul, 2010

How do I say thanks?

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