Pear Tree Pruned Too Early - advice and rant needed!

Hi all,

I have a pear tree that I am very attached to. I'm new to gardening and have spent time researching about this tree and how best to care for it. I learnt that for my area (South Derbyshire, UK) harvesting should be late Oct/early Nov and pruning Jan to March. It is full of pears and I've been so excited to have them and give them to my baby this year.

Since having my baby, I haven't been able to get out much so my partner hired a gardener (much to my dismay!). He turns out to be more of a handy man and doesn't really have much knowledge on plants (his words). Today he cleared some weeds, as agreed, but then it turns out he pruned my pear tree. I found a pile of branches and dug out some of the fruit I could save and he has left about 6 pears on the tree.

So... the pears I have saved. Should I put them on the windowsill to ripen then eat/freeze or can I leave them in a cool, dark place and get some as I need some.

Also, I read pruning too early causes shoots to grow then be killed off by frost, resulting in gaps for bacteria to grow and ruin the tree. Should I fleece the tree come winter?

Why, why would you chop the branches off with fruit growing on them? I don't get it. Anyway, I'm sure it will all be okay, I'm just sad (maybe hormonally sad) as it was my little project/first successful fruit.

Thanks for listening!!

 

OMG I'm speechless. I'm so sorry for you. I think I would have cried and then, not that Im a violent person, I would have slapped him. Even non gardeners would have more of a brain that. I cant believe somebody would that??? I trust he is an ex employee?
According to Monty Don pears rarely fully ripen on the tree and do so once picked. I have done this and it worked well. So I would pop them on the window sill and wait but check regularly. They do bruise easily so I hope he didn't 'chuck' them on the ground.
I'm not too knowledgeable about frost damage but I'm sure somebody on here can help you. All I can say is I've pruned too early before and the tree survived but fruit production the following year wasn't very good. I gently stew the ones I don't eat fresh with a splash of lemon or lime juice and then freeze to use in yogurt or on porridge over winter. Good luck.

 

Thank you so much for that reaction, it is exactly what I needed!
I hope that by some chance he has at least pruned it well.
I'll ripen (if they will do!) and freeze I think as I also use them stewed and in yoghurt for breakfast. X

 

I often put them in a plastic bag to minimise the loss of water and stop them going soft before ripening.

 

I'm afraid it looks like he's done a rubbish job of pruning. It might just about be OK for a hedge, but not for a fruit tree.

 

Your tree will survive :-) Pears are less susceptible to disease than other tree fruits. In March/April, you'll need to thin out the weak shoots produced as a result of his handiwork, to leave a framework of main branches with short 'spurs' growing from them. I wouldn't let him near my garden again! It doesn't sound as though he knows a weed from a weigela :-))

 

The orchards where I worked always picked the pears far too early in my opinion, but apparently that is how supermarkets like them.
They were picking them a month ago.
They ripen off the tree, pretty well.

 

Not a great eater of pears myself, but if I do I like those yellow ones that are really ripe and full of juice.
Some people like them crunchy like apples.