Hello – I planted 3 pears and 2 apples on 7 Feb this year. Pears are Warren, Bartlett, Sirrine and apples are William’s Pride and Honey Crisp. All bare root and 1 year old except the Warren, which was 3 year old. The soil here seems to be glacial till, kind of orange/red hue. Lots of rocks and drains well. The apples seem to be growing very well. All the pears just put out about 3 inches of growth initially this spring and now I have noticed they have stopped growing. Is this normal? Anything I need to do?
Troy
Seattle, WA
If the leaves look OK and the pears appear healthy, I don't think it is time to worry.
My pear trees, with the exception of my Bosc, are much slower growing than my apple trees. They aren't as full and they aren't nearly as tall. They don't put out nearly as much new growth every year, and they don't set nearly as much fruit.
Are your pears on a more dwarfing rootstock?
Both my Asian and the European pears are slower than the apple trees.
My Bosc is a huge gangly scrawny monster, twice the height of the apple trees the same age. Like a very spoiled child, I allow her to do as she wishes, because she provides me with a large number of huge, gorgeous, delicious pears. She started bearing very young, and I thin and thin, but still the weight of the pears have pulled her skinny branches into all sorts of weird shapes.
My favorite tree. As long as she can sing and tap dance like Shirley Temple, I indulge her every wish.
I think the root stock used is comparable between apples and pears, at least that's what Bob Hartman told me when got them from him. The Warren bloomed, but no pears formed. The other pears didn't bloom. Too young I guess. All the pear leaves do look OK. I mean they are mostly green, but a bit chewed on by bugs...etc. We had leaf rollers a few times but did Bt spray, seems OK now.
The pears put on about 4-6 in of stem growth early on then stopped putting out new leaves and apparently stopped growing, at least above ground. The apples are still putting out new leaves and have about 10 in of stem growth. Maybe the pears switched to putting on root growth? I just fear something may be wrong with the pear trees, or worse, something is wrong that I could have easily prevented.
Maybe only option is just wait and see how it turns out?
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