Question: My Bradford pear tree has branches that are yellowed and slow growing. Why?

Answer: Bradford pears, along with a few other varieties of these popular spring-flowering trees, have ultimately poor branch angles. You’ll notice that the major limbs are clustered together like flowers in a bouquet. The problem is that they trap moisture and debris within those angles as they grow larger over the years. The unions are very weak, and the conducting tissues aren’t very efficient. You need to train the tree to the strongest possible branch angles. Bradford pears often develop serious structural problems within 8 to 10 years if the poor branching isn’t corrected early in the trees’ lives. Without further warning, those trees split down their middles. Varieties like Aristocrat have stronger branch angles and are probably better investments.