Tutorial with instructions and pictures

Recommended styles and dates

The technical formability of a Rock pear inspires imaginative home gardeners too diverse forms of education. The blossom-rich fruit tree grows either as a shrub or tree in the garden and adapts flexibly to the available space. Tried and tested Types of cuts The following table summarizes the information on the advantageous date:

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Cut type	Goal / occasion	best date
Clearance cut shrub	Preservation of flowers and fruit yield	Late February to early March
Parenting tree	Education to the little tree	Late February to early March
Taper cut	Rejuvenate aged rock pear	Late winter (January to February)

Thinning out the rock pear bush every year

When it comes to the longevity of blossom wood, rock pears come out on top. In contrast to classic spring flowers such as forsythia or

Weigelia, on the rocky pear bark, even old branches carry a sea of white star blossoms. That reduces the incision care to one annual clearing cut, so that the shrub thrives in a light-flooded manner and has dense foliage deep into the center. You determine the circumference of the cut yourself. You can either completely remove individual ground shoots or just slim down heavily branched tips. How to properly prune a rock pear bush:

The best time is in February on a mild, frost-free day
With saw or two-handedLoppers Cut off at least two of the oldest ground shoots at the base
In exchange, let the two strongest, unbranched ground shoots stand
Shorten the remaining shoots from the rootstock from the previous year until they reach the roots
If necessary, cut back the remaining scaffold drives or use a derivation cut to slim them down

The figure below illustrates the incision on the older rock pear bush. In the first 6 to 10 years, the thinning is not necessary, because during this period a ground shoot remains blooming. The most magnificent abundance of flowers is borne by a rock pear on the two-, three- and four-year-old shoots. The blossoms on older scaffold shoots are still worth seeing until they gradually subside and make the first clearing cut useful.

Throw out the two oldest ground shoots every February. If strongly branched shoot tips lean to the ground, slimming takes care of relief. Derive these scaffold shoots to a further back, outwardly directed side shoot.

Correct the growth in height skillfully - this is how the derivative cut succeeds

Home gardeners are often tempted to control the growth in height of a rock pear by shortening the shoots at any point. As a result, strong budding takes place below the intersection points. Over the years, thick, massively branched broom heads develop on the shoot tips, which pull the entire branch to the ground. The formerly slender, upright flowering shrub is literally falling apart. Instead of quarreling with the unnatural appearance, you should treat your rock pear with one skillful derivation cut correct in height and optics. This is how the plan works:

After the thinning, prune the remaining ground shoots with strongly branched heads
Choose a young, outward-facing side shoot as the intersection
Cut old and young wood at the fork

A positive side effect of local rejuvenation and slimming is a professional height control without creating an unsightly gap in the shrub. A cut time in February also has the advantage that you can use the swelling flower buds can recognize to at these points not to cut.

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Responsible gardeners cut before the 1st March

Traditionally, early flowering shrubs are pruned after the flowering period if necessary. This does not apply to the profound clearing cut of a rock pear. When the furious flower show draws to a close in May, the breeding season of our birds has long since begun. In the near-natural garden, prudent gardeners are now leaving their scissors and saws to rest so as not to disturb their feathered friends when they start a family. That Federal Nature Conservation Act emphasizes this requirement by limiting extensive pruning to the period from 1. October to 28. February.

Rock pear educate to be a small tree

If you are patient, the rock pear will delight you in later years multi-stemmed small tree, without prior training. Given a leisurely growth rate of 20 to 25 centimeters per year, this process can take a long time. It is faster if you professionally raise a young shrub to become a tree. With this cut you can:

The best time is every year in February
On the day of planting, select the strongest shoot as the future trunk and tie it to a support post
Remove the remaining bottom shoots as well as the side branches along the central shoot
Guide the central drive on the support pole to the desired height and connect it regularly
Cut off competing instincts at the base
Cut back side branches sprouting from the central shoot until just before the bark

To initiate the branching to the crown, please wait until the Central shoot tip at least 4 buds above what is desired Crown base is located. The leading branches, which act as the basic framework for the crown, sprout from below the interface. Please note that the stem growth upwards is almost complete as soon as the top buds are no longer present.

Digression

Central drive cut at the right time - you should pay attention to this

In the plant kingdom, the law governs Top funding, which gives the gardener security when pruning a rock pear. A central shoot continues to grow unabated as long as it has its tip bud. Because this is where the direction of sunlight is the fastest, the rock pear pumps most of its nutrients there. Buds placed lower down are left behind. Only when you cut off the tip of the central shoot does the branching to the crown begin, because the sap pressure is now more evenly distributed. So please think carefully about when to cut off the top stem bud. At least 4 buds, or 20 to 30 centimeters, should be between the tip bud and the desired crown attachment when the scissors are used.

Rejuvenate old shrub or tree

Without a clearing cut, the rock pear turns into a dense, balding network of overaged, rotten branches. Since the massively thickened shoots shade each other, leaves, flowers and fruits are in short supply in the wood. A rigorous taper cut turns back time and paves the way for rebuilding your rock pear. How to do it right:

Clear out all dead wood in advance
Two to three quarters of the remaining scaffolding shoots were found Astring cut off
Shorten the remaining ground shoots by a third or half by deriving them

As the figure below illustrates, successful rejuvenation is a combination of thinning and trimming by means of derivation. The subsequent shoot provides an excellent basis for rebuilding your rock pear.

frequently asked Questions

I read in a forum for hobby gardeners that the berries of a rock pear are slightly poisonous. Is that correct?

The berries of a rock pear are definite not poisonous. Rather, you can not only prepare the black-blue fruits for fruity jam or refreshing compote, but also nibble fresh from the bush. Among experts, the berries of the Saskatoon variety (Amelanchier alnifolia) are even traded as a superfood due to their high content of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Only the seeds should not be chewed and swallowed, as they contain glycosides, which in large quantities can cause nausea. Whole, the seeds pass through the stomach and intestines without causing discomfort, similar to apple seeds.

Does the real rock pear thrive as a shrub or a tree?

For a real rock pear (Amelanchier rotundifolia ssyn. Amelanchier ovalis) is a multi-stemmed shrub. Within the genus rock pear, this is the only native species and is accordingly robust and hardy. Over the years, the flowering and fruit trees reach a height of 300 centimeters with slightly overhanging branches. The popular copper rock pear (Amelanchier lamarckii) stretches 600 centimeters towards the sky and becomes just as wide. Over time, the large shrub thrives as a multi-stemmed, small tree. Refined varieties, such as Amelanchier Princess Diana rock pear, are available in nurseries as a shrub or as a fully developed one High trunk available. The non-native tree rock pear Amelanchier arborea, which is native to North America and reaches a height of 6 to 8 meters, thrives naturally as a multi-stemmed tree.

Is the rock pear self-fruiting or do you need more specimens for the shrub to bear fruit?

All types and varieties of the rock pear thrive as self-fruiting fruit trees. As a solitary plant, the shrub gives you numerous black-blue berries in autumn. By establishing a second variety in close proximity, the yield can be increased significantly.

The 3 most common mistakes

A bald, rotten rock pear with broom-like shoot tips is the result of typical misunderstandings in pruning. The following table lists the three most common cutting errors, indicates characteristic damage patterns and gives tips for prevention:

Cutting errors	Damage image	prevention
never exposed	bald growth, few flowers and berries	Carry out annual clearing cut
too long shoots arbitrarily shortened	Broom-like branch heads, the shrub is falling apart	always shorten using a derivation cut
Central shoots trimmed too early in the upbringing cut	puny high trunk	Cut the tip bud on the central shoot no earlier than 4 buds above the crown base

Tips

If the first rock pear decorates the garden, there is no need to purchase additional young shrubs. Head cuttings cut in early summer take root within a few weeks in a nursery pot or in a partially shaded, protected propagation bed. Just in time for the best planting time in autumn, the offshoots have turned into vital rock pears that you can plant at the intended location.