Pear Tree - Advice on what's going on here

[Bunzena]

We bought and planted a range of Apple, Pear and Plum trees around 12 years ago.  

 

All came from a well-know UK nursery as 2-3 year old maidens and bushes.

 

We had a lot of issues with the order and would never use that particular nursery ever again.

 

Just one of the problems is that most of the trees were supplied on the wrong rootstocks - something we only discovered after a few years and they started exceeding their maximum sizes.

 

I have just got around to removing some suckers from the base of one of the Pears.  I have left this late [my fault]  - and some of the suckers are 1-2 feet high.

 

But what amazed me is that on one particular Pear is that the suckers are covered in thorns.  Long - like a Hawthorn or Blackthorn.

 

Does anyone have an idea on why this might be?

 

The suckers are unquestionably coming from the rootstock - below the graft union - but above the level of the soil.

 

Thanks in advance.

[tree_beard]

Pear trees are thorn bearing... Some more than others

[Bunzena]

Thanks tree beard!

 

Never knew that!  Guess the particular rootstock used for this tree was one of those.

 

Every day is a school day....

[Muddy42]

I've also had some suckers.  I suspect the rootstocks are from older more wilder versions of the fruiting tree above ground, cherry grafted onto a type of wild cherry for example.  More specifically, rootstocks are chosen for their vigour - dwarf/slow growing to vigorous/massive.  Personally I think dwarf trees look silly and would rather have vigorous growth. Yes you may have to prune more but you get more fruit quicker and can prune,  shape and deal with diseased bits.

[tree_beard]

I'll admit, I was several years into tree cutting before I noticed/discovered pears were thorny. I was 20' up one cutting and chucking branches at the time

[Mark Bolam]

We felled a dying one yesterday that was one of those proper bastards that wasn’t really thorny, but had just enough to make you swear now and again!

The thorns seemed a lot more prevalent on the younger suckers than the older growth up top.

 

Worst one I’ve dealt with is a weeping pear at my outlaws, proper nasty, and unchippable.

 

I’ll find a vid of how we dealt with that in a bit.

[Mark Bolam]

[Doug Tait]

And muttley filming it!

[Will C]

You won’t get pulled with that load, plod will assume your nomadic  🤣