The Callery Pear tree was introduced to the U.S. in the 1960s and quickly became one of the most popular street trees in the country. They are tolerant to many growing environments, have a fast growth rate, and are inexpensive due to their ease of cultivation, making them a popular choice fro many landscapers and homeowners. Unfortunately, these benefits also come with a few challenges. The Callery Pear is now considered invasive in many areas because of its fast growth and ability to cross pollinate with nearby pears of a similar species. It is also remarkably short lived if it is not properly pruned from a young age–Callery pears grow numerous competing branches that need to be cut back when they are young or the tree will inevitably start to break apart at 20-30 years of age. Despite some of its appealing features, we do not recommend choosing the Callery Pear if you are deciding on a new tree to plant. That being said, if you already have a beautiful Pear on your property that adds value to your landscape, make sure that it is being evaluated and pruned regularly to keep it in good shape.
Typical Maintenance
The Callery Pear needs regular pruning from an early age to promote a strong structure. If you see a multitude of branches originating from a similar spot on the tree that is a recipe for branch failure in the future.
Thinning and reduction pruning are a necessity for Callery pears, whose tendency is to grow way too many branches that get overextended and eventually tear–doing damage to the tree as a whole and opening it up to disease and decay.
Crown reduction of older Callery pears may help prevent branch failures and extend the life of your tree.
Pests/diseases
Fire blight is extremely common in Callery Pears. Appearing as brown, burnt looking sections of foliage dispersed throughout the canopy, the best way of dealing with this bacterial infection is to prune it out of the tree when it appears.
When it comes to the Callery Pear, we have two options that we recommend–remove it and replace it with a more easily managed tree, or maintain it regularly to correct its structure and control any offspring that pop up.