Hi @janel
Firstly, welcome to the Garden Ninja community. It's great to have you here.
Ahh, the white spots on young fruit trees question. Firstly, don't panic, they are meant to be there. They are how the tree trunk breaths and are especially noticeable on younger fruit trees, where these white blobs on the trunk show up and people panic. These white spots on your tree are lenticels. Let me explain a bit more about what they are and why trees and shrubs have these little bumps, horizontal marks or white lumps on their main branches, trunks or side shoots.
What Are Lenticels?
Lenticels are small, spongy pores found on the surface of stems, trunks, branches, and sometimes even fruit. They appear as raised spots, slits, dots, or bumps and are often visible on young bark before it roughens with age.
Their primary function is gas exchange, allowing oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. Bark is waterproof and protective, so lenticels act as the plant’s breathing holes, especially important for the living tissues just beneath the bark.
Lenticels are completely natural and essential. You’ll often see them on:
-
Cherry, birch, or apple tree bark (they can appear as horizontal marks)
-
Young stems of shrubs
-
Certain fruits like apples and pears (those tiny dots on the skin)
They can range in colour from white to tan, orange, or dark brown depending on species, age, and health.
So don't panic and note that your tree is going fine and will be ready to produce fruit in the next year or so.
One thing to consider is winter pruning of your pear tree, you can watch my guide below or read my detailed blogs on how to prune fruit trees.
https://youtu.be/Fkh47o_764g
https://youtu.be/RMKWBu_Bxv4
All the best
Lee Garden Ninja
Hi @janel
Firstly, welcome to the Garden Ninja community. It's great to have you here.
Ahh, the white spots on young fruit trees question. Firstly, don't panic, they are meant to be there. They are how the tree trunk breaths and are especially noticeable on younger fruit trees, where these white blobs on the trunk show up and people panic. These white spots on your tree are lenticels. Let me explain a bit more about what they are and why trees and shrubs have these little bumps, horizontal marks or white lumps on their main branches, trunks or side shoots.
What Are Lenticels?
Lenticels are small, spongy pores found on the surface of stems, trunks, branches, and sometimes even fruit. They appear as raised spots, slits, dots, or bumps and are often visible on young bark before it roughens with age.
Their primary function is gas exchange, allowing oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. Bark is waterproof and protective, so lenticels act as the plant’s breathing holes, especially important for the living tissues just beneath the bark.
Lenticels are completely natural and essential. You’ll often see them on:
-
Cherry, birch, or apple tree bark (they can appear as horizontal marks)
-
Young stems of shrubs
-
Certain fruits like apples and pears (those tiny dots on the skin)
They can range in colour from white to tan, orange, or dark brown depending on species, age, and health.
So don't panic and note that your tree is going fine and will be ready to produce fruit in the next year or so.
One thing to consider is winter pruning of your pear tree, you can watch my guide below or read my detailed blogs on how to prune fruit trees.
All the best
Lee Garden Ninja
Lee Burkhill: Award Winning Designer & BBC 1's Garden Rescue Presenters Official Blog
