Cooperative Extension Service McCracken County 2025 New Holt Road Paducah, KY 42001 (270) 554-9520 Fax: (270) 554-8283 extension.ca.uky.edu

Horticulture News in McCracken County

FEBRUARY 2019

Although ornamental flowering pears are beautiful in the spring, they have several severe problems. Below is a portion of an article written by Sandy Mason, Extension Educator in horticulture based in Champaign, IL. Since this article was published in 2005, ornamental pear problems have escalated out of control with even many more municipalities banning their use.

Bradford's have a nasty habit of crashing just as they reach their glory at 15 to 20 years old. Its branching habit is to blame. It develops weakly attached branches with narrow crotch angles. Plus there are usually 6-8 branches coming from the same point on the trunk. They look like upside down umbrellas. Often large limbs are lost in wind and ice storms, but can also fall on a calm day. Typically limbs rip down the trunk and give the tree a very unsymmetrical look. The trees are doomed to a pruning cut at ground level…..

….Another problem with the "improved" pear cultivars, is that they cross pollinate with 'Bradford' pear. 'Bradford' pear was originally introduced as a fruitless tree. Suddenly 'Bradford' and other pears began to produce large quantities of marble size fruit. This fruit was carried, probably by birds, so that now hybrid Callery pears are showing up along roadsides and in forested areas where they will out compete and displace native species.

University of Illinois Extension Connection

For more information on trees to plant in place of callery and Bradford pears, please use the UK publication found here:

https://simpson.ca.uky.edu/files/trees_shrubs_ground_covers_and_vines_suitable_for_ky_landscapes.pdf

CALLERY PEAR BECOMING EXTREMELY INVASIVE!

I attended a UK workshop on trees recently—This information I want

to pass on. Kathy Wimberley

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