its all about crotch angles and included bark ...

in other words.. its genetic ...

ken

I know people that are very proud of the way they prune and manage it to minimize the possibility that it will split.

Some of it is about crotch angles and included bark, but that's definitely not all! Bradfords are also genetically programmed to grow lots of branches close together. If you look at where the branches leave the trunk at lower levels on the tree, you can see that the branches grow so close together that sufficient supportive wood is not produced around each branch. On most types of trees, wood is grown around each branch so that, as the tree gets larger, the base of branch is further and further embedded into the trunk. With Bradfords, this can happen to a much lesser degree.

As Esh_ga mentioned, callery pears are sometimes trimmed to eliminate these closely spaced branches. It takes planning and persistence to produce a Bradford that is not prone to break apart at an early age. Instead of the nursery's pruning causing the problem, it's actually that lack of pruning leads to the situation we have come to expect from these trees.

Lots of them around, some of them pretty tall. Not every poplar falls apart either. But every Callery pear smells.

brandon7, but see what I'm saying is that the Bradford grows all those branches close together because that's how the nursery wants them to grow. Do ones in the wild look like that? From what I've seen Googleing them, it doesn't appear to be the case. Many of the wild grown ones seem to have much better spacing in nature, with better crotch angles too.

Are the wild "Bradfords" really some new strange hybrid that can evem have thorns?

Also, I have a Bradford left by the previous owners. Now that the big silver maple is gone from over and east of it the Bradford is getting thicker. So I wonder if wild tree line Bradford hybrids are benefitting from some shade or sun competition.

There, a while post and I managed to say nothing mean about them. I hope anyone who reads it finds my other posts lol.

So in the US, the wild (invasive) Bradfords are the result of offspring of the different types of Callery pear cultivars cross pollinating. The Bradford is supposedly not self fertile. A true Bradford is a genetic clone of one original plant which will always grow dense upright branches (silly lollipop), the "desirable" feature it was originally propagated for. The wild ones are genetically variable, due to the cross pollinating and are displaying the "wild type" Callery pear characteristics. I am assuming that most wild Callery pears in China do not branch in a way that leads them to explode in winds or snow, as this probably isn't an evolutionary advantage.

Well, so you're telling me that a freshly cloned Bradford automatically will grow straight up, 4 or 5 feet, with no branches, and then suddenly plume out from there? I find that a little difficult to believe...

It shouldn't be. Look at practically any conifer. Their natural growth is extremely neat, tidy and symmetrical.

Also, there are a fair number of wild, early succession trees that *do* tend to get so big then fall over. They continue because they reach fruiting age long before they get old enough and big enough to self-destruct. There is also another set of trees that often naturally grow in monocultures, so the outermost ring of trees is the only one that isn't sheltered from the wind. Planted single specimens can have problems.

Yes, conifers are tidy, but they don't grow 4 or 5 feet without branching at all.

I mean, come on people, its obvious that the lolipop and the splitting that results because of it is a *human* caused problem.

Yes, its a human caused problem. All cultivated pears called "Bradford" are clones of one tree, that is genetically disposed to grow with branch angles prone to splitting. If you never ever ever ever prune a Bradford, it will grow branches at angles and densities resulting in a tendency to spit. Regardless if it is branched to the ground or not.

Do you have an example to prove it?

No example. I suspect as a fast growing grafted tree, they hardly ever have branching to the ground. My point in the last post was it's not the location of the branches on the trunk but the angles and density that make them prone to breakage.

What is the level of the graft with most Bradford's? Its not obvious to me from looking at most of them. Anyway, reason I ask is that, if the graft is not at 4-5 feet (i.e. just below the crown), then there really is no reason the tree should have no branches below that level. Even a fast growing tree must have buds along the branch which would naturally grow after the first season... unless removed by the nursery.

The imoroved Bradfords seem to sucker more often in casual observation.

Think of the acer rubrum clones. They all look very similar.

I bet if you take out my genetic material and clone me the resulting offspring would largely look the same. Unless you left one in full sun 24/7 365 for a decade and hid another in the forrest. ;)

"brandon7, but see what I'm saying is that the Bradford grows all those branches close together because that's how the nursery wants them to grow."

"Instead of the nursery's pruning causing the problem, it's actually that lack of pruning leads to the situation we have come to expect from these trees." The close-branching characteristic is genetic, not a result of pruning.

Ugh... If there were any specimens around here I'd be able to show my point visually... because I think most of you aren't getting it.

famartin, about 25 years ago I was at a local nursery and was given 4 Bradford whips that I took to be one year from cuttings. I planted them in different places with NO pruning. All grew exactly like Bradfords do, with a congested bunch of limbs at about 3 feet. Interestingly once they initially branched, they then grew straight up. I still have 3 in good shape after all those years. The nurseries don't have to 'prune' Bradfords' to get that green lollipop, they do it all by themselves!

We had our bradford for 15 years and it was fine. It made through Hurricane Sandy without a problem. Then with the early snow storm a week later the tree was left with just 2 branches. I have wondered if it would have survived had I had it pruned. It was fairly full and tall.