Published: 12 January 2026
Pruning helps pear trees stay healthy, productive and easy to manage. Done well, it improves light and airflow through the canopy, reduces disease risk, and encourages strong fruiting wood for reliable crops. Below is a clear, practical approach you can follow for Winter pruning — the same principles our Holker gardeners use.
When to prune
• Winter is best for shaping and structural pruning, typically late winter once the worst frosts have passed.
• For fruiting trees and trained pears, Summer is better (espaliers, cordons, fans) to control growth and encourage fruiting spurs
What you’ll need
Sharp secateurs, loppers for thicker branches, a pruning saw for anything chunky, and disinfectant (especially if you’re removing diseased wood). Clean, sharp tools make cleaner cuts and reduce the chance of infection.
Step-by-step: pruning a pear tree in winter (framework pruning)
1) Stand back and assess the shape
Before cutting anything, take a slow look. Aim for a tree with a clear, balanced structure — often an open centre for free-standing trees, or neat horizontal tiers for trained forms.
2) Remove the “3 Ds”: dead, damaged and diseased wood
Cut out anything obviously dead or broken, plus branches showing signs of canker or other disease. Make cuts back to healthy wood, and dispose of diseased material (don’t compost if infection is likely).
3) Take out crossing, rubbing or congested branches
Where branches rub, one will eventually wound the other. Remove the weaker or badly-placed one to reduce damage and improve airflow through the canopy.
4) Remove strong upright shoots that crowd the centre
Pear trees can throw up vigorous, vertical growth (“water shoots”). If they’re cluttering the middle, remove them at the base, or thin them to leave a few well-placed branches.
5) Shape the tree by shortening selected leaders (only if needed)
If your tree is still being trained to its final size, you can shorten a small number of main shoots to a bud facing the direction you want growth to go. Keep it measured: heavy winter pruning can trigger lots of vigorous regrowth.
6) Make good cuts
Cut just above a bud or side branch, leaving no long stubs. For larger branches, avoid tearing by using a controlled saw cut. If you remove a whole branch, cut back to the branch collar (the slight swelling at the base).
Need further advice? Visit our Gardens when we open for the season from the 18th March 2026 and our professional gardeners will be happy to discuss pear tree pruning with you.