getting rid of old pear tree

[seneca]

I've an old pear tree that's not produced any worthwhile fruit for ages, so I was wanting to get rid of it. I can chop the thing down (tree is 4m tall and 3m wide), but was wondering if it was ok to shred the small branches and use them as mulch in a border. Could they be harbouring pests or diseases? The tree looks ok - knobbly bark, loads of leaves, but no fruit.

Also, I plan to cut the tree close to the ground, so I can pave over it. What is a surefire way to kill the tree, so no shoots will appear and disrupt any paving slabs?

 

[Richard C]

Not really answering your question but;

I’m in no way a tree expert but have recently had to learn a little due to buying a property with a very large garden with many trees, I had no idea they required maintenance but they do! Unless you want the space it’s occupying, it seems a great shame to remove such a tree which takes many years to mature. Your problem may just be one of pollination; single fruit trees, apparently, won’t do well unless there are others in the area. I had two very unkempt apple trees & one pear we inherited which must be at least 30 years old; some fruit but of poor quality. I pruned them back very hard & did not get any fruit for 2 years but this year it looks like a bumper crop.

 

[seneca]

I generally agree with what you're saying, but I already have 2 apple and 1 plum which do give bumper crops. The reasons for wanting rid of the pear is partly due to it not producing anything worthwhile (having tried many things for the past 4 years!) and being near the patio, it blocks half the view of the garden. I plan to plant a few more fruit trees, but smaller varieties.

 

[WabbitPoo]

No, dont use them as mulch as you get fungus growing on them and is bad for the plants. They also rob the soil of nitrogen as they rot, IIRC