Can a Pear Tree That Split Be Saved?

Cultural Cause

• The natural growth habit of pear trees -- in which the branches develop from deeply V-shaped crotches -- makes them highly susceptible to splitting into half. This is, however, less common in fruiting pears. In these trees, splitting is more frequently caused by insufficient fertilizer and irrigation. According to Anna Pavord in "Growing Food," it is the starved pear tree that often splits.

Genetic Flaw

• The flowering or Bradford pear splits less under poor cultural management than due to a natural genetic flaw in the tree. It is rare to see a Bradford pear reach maturity without splitting. Trees usually self-destruct by splitting anytime after the age of 10 years. The split trees cannot be saved. Even if the tree is cracked or damaged in a way where a portion of the tree is intact, it is still recommended to remove the tree entirely. The remaining portion will grow like a cripple and will never attain normal form.

Reducing Splitting

• Since splitting occurs when there is excessive weight of the branches on the sharp crotches of the tree, making sure that this weight is continually thinned helps to reduce chances of splitting. Prune the tree aggressively when young and remove the very closely grouped branches. This minimizes risk of splits either due to the natural tendency of tree or to the pressure of wind or snow at these points.

Pruning Recommendations

• It is a misconception to assume that topping the tree will help to reduce tree weight and reduce risk of spitting. Tree topping is strictly discouraged as this disrupts the natural hormonal balance of auxin in the tree. Reduced auxin leads to poor shoot growth and heavy sprouting occurs at the pruning cut sites. This actually creates more weight on the tree than the topping was supposed to reduce.