I have 6 Bradford pear trees in my yard. Of the six, four of them are fine, two of them are still loaded with pears and not as many leaves. Can you tell me if there is something wrong with these two or are they just late in losing their pears? Is there anything that I can do to make them look like the other four.

Reply to post by Barry Dupree, on April 21, 2002 at 14:26:38:

There ae now many cultivars of the Callery pear. Bradford was the original ornamental, but it is now supplanted by others. In fact, if your trees are bearing fruit, they are probably not Bradford, but one of the other cultivars.

Short of a research project on genetic testing of those trees, you probably can't be sure of which cultivars you have. Even within a particular there may be some differences in the genetic that can cause variations like fruit bearing and timing of foliation.

In short, there is probably nothing you can do to alter the timing of these trees. Accept that they are individuals, even if they were 'cloned' or propogated vegetatively.

Reply to post by Barry Dupree, on April 21, 2002 at 14:26:38:

I have some questions for you, Barry:
Do you know for sure these are 'Bradford' pear cultivar?
How big/old are the trees? (trunk diameter)
How large and what shape are the fruit?
Where do you live? (region)
Are the pears retained from last year?
Did the two odd trees have any other obvious problems last year?
Have these two trees looked different from the others over the years, or is this something new?

It is hard to give good answers without adequate information.
It may be possible that what you are describing is a sign that something is very wrong with these trees, as fruit that is retained into the spring may occur because of disease.
Sparse or late leafing, that is not usual for the particular tree, may indicate that the tree is stressed or diseased.
Or, if the trees are really not all of the same kind, they may simply be expressing their differences.
If you suspect the trees may be diseased, look particularly for cankers on the stems. Also, look at the root crown and try to determine if there is any sign wounding or disease there.

Reply to post by Mark Goodwin, on April 21, 2002 at 14:26:38:

When is the best time to prune my bradford pears? They have limbs that are alot lower than others and they have small limbs coming from the trunk of the trees. My trees are about 2yrs. old. Can they be pruned in the spring? Also how do you prune them?

Reply to post by Janice Grant, on April 23, 2002 at 12:02:34:

Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford' is only one of a number of ornamaental pears cultivars. Be sure you know what kind you have. If they were labeled and from a reputable nursery, you can be pretty sure of what they are.
There is also an "evergreen" ornamental pear species, but it doesn't tolerate as cold of winter conditions as the calleryana sp.
Many members of the rose family seem to have some problems with fire blight, including pears. This bacterial disease is most often associated with wet spring weather. It can be introduced in a number of ways, including pruning cuts, so pruning should be limited to warm dry weather. Probably June and July are best. Tool sterilization and disposal of any infected plant material is important, if your trees become infected.
'Bradford' is supposed to be more resistant than some others are to fire blight.
Otherwise, dormant pruning may be alright.
You said your trees are two years old. I suppose that you mean they are two years in your care from the nursery.
Young trees, in general, usually do best if minimally pruned during the first couple of years, while they establish roots in the ground.
'Bradford' pear has a tendency to produce many branches close together on the trunk. It also has a high incidence of co-dominant and narrow crotch branch attachments, which later may develop included bark and break away at their point of attachment.
To avoid these later catastophes it is important to choose nursery stock that does not already have these branching problems.
To some extent, you can correct for these problems by branch removals. The result you are looking for is a tree that has a dominant central leader, with side branches spaced well apart at their attachments, both vertically and radially on the main stem.
Eventually the central leader will lose its dominance, and the tree will have multiple scaffold limbs. You want these limbs to have solid anchoring on the trunk.
You should remove low branches before they get to be too large (no more than one to two inches diameter), if they are going to be too low for the area use when they mature.
Pruning should always have a purpose and intended outcome. Limit the amount of pruning in any single year as much as is practical, correcting first for damaged parts and structural flaws.
eliminate flawed branch attachments while they are still small.
If a branch with flawed attachment becomes large, consider subduing it rather than removing it completely.
Be sure that you understand correct pruning technique, including protection of the branch collar.
Use "thinning" cuts, rather than "heading" or stub cuts. Use sharp tools, sterilized when appropriate.
Remember that excessive pruning may exhaust the tree's energy reserves and stimulate excessive and unwanted sprouting.
Also avoid removing the small inner side growth on the branches. This may lead to "lion's tailing", a condition in which the leaves are concentrated at the end of long branches. The loss of feeder branches limits the diameter growth at the base end of main branches, which leads to future breakage.