Topping Bradford Pear is a Bad Idea
![Bradford pruned 3 | Walter Reeves: The Georgia Gardener](https://t9e4s3i5.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Bradford-pruned-3-600x800.jpg)
Q: The company that services our subdivision entrance just cut back our healthy 20-year-old Bradford pears. Was this a good decision? Might they go into shock?
A: They will not go into shock. Pruning severely may prolong their life span a few years, but now they will need to be pruned every year to keep the limbs becoming over-weighted again.
I do not recommend planting Bradford pear in the first place, but if you already have them, try to prune by removing whole limbs, rather than simply shortening them.