Growing Pears

A pear orchard in full blossom in early spring

• Pears are so bland in the supermarkets because they are all the same couple of varieties, chosen so that they travel well; these are not the delicious pears you can grow in your own garden or buy from local farmer shops.
• Pear trees bear fruit for anywhere between 60 and 200 years so give some careful consideration to the variety of pear tree you choose to grow. 
• The factors involved in choosing a pear tree are size (controlled by the rootstock), taste and size (the variety) and pollination.
• Expect your first significant crop of pears after the trees reach 8 to 10 years of age.
• The majority of pear trees require another suitable variety nearby to enable fertilization to occur, although a few varieties such as Conference are self-fertile, but even they produce better crops when a matching variety is nearby.

• Pear trees, like other tree fruits, are produced by grafting the desired variety onto a rootstock. 
• Pear seedlings are commonly used as rootstocks and produce trees that are reasonably winter hardy and vigorous.
• They are normally spaced 4½ to 6 metres (15 to 20 feet) apart in the home garden. 
• Trees grafted onto seedling rootstocks can be quite tall, see picture right of a 150 year old pear tree.
• Dwarf pear trees are produced by grafting pear varieties onto selected dwarfing rootstocks. 
• Quince roots have traditionally been used to create dwarf pear trees. 
• The result is a tree approximately half the size of seedling-rootstock trees. 
• Quince roots aren’t as winter hardy as seedling roots and don’t tolerate either excessive soil moisture or drought well. 
• In addition, quince roots are very susceptible to the bacterial disease fire blight. 
• Dwarf pear trees are planted 2 metres (eight feet) apart.
• Newer semi-dwarfing rootstocks which are available for pear, should produce trees about 2/3 the size of standard trees. 
• These include OHxF 40, OHxF 333 and OHxF 87.
• Space semi-dwarf pear trees 4½ metres (13 feet) apart in the home orchard.

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• Purchase trees from a reputable garden dealer or nursery. 
• Tree quality should be the major consideration when purchasing trees. 
• Heavily branched, one-year-old trees usually grow better than smaller ones.

• Choose a planting site with full sun exposure and average to rich soil that has a pH of 6.0 of 6.5 (slightly acidic). 
• Pears will tolerate poorly drained soil better than most other fruit trees.
• If the planting site is especially gravelly or sandy it might be useful to incorporate organic matter from green manure crops or surface-applied sources such as compost. 
• The plant debris or surface-applied organic matter should be mixed thoroughly with soil before digging the planting hole.

• Normal sized pear trees are spaced 4½ to 6 metres (15 to 20 feet) apart in the home garden. 
• Space semi-dwarf pear trees 4½ metres (13 feet) apart in the home orchard.
• Dwarf pear trees are planted 2 metres (eight feet) apart.

• Plant pears trees in early spring, early to mid-May is ideal. 
• If the planting site isn’t ready when the trees arrive from the nursery, unwrap the trees and “heel-in” the roots in moist soil in a shady spot.
• Plant the trees before growth begins.
• Dig a hole large enough to allow the roots to be spread out completely. This usually will require a hole that’s much wider than it is deep. 
• Back-fill the planting hole using topsoil. Don’t use sod to fill the hole.
• Plant dwarf and semi-dwarf pear trees so the graft unions are 5 to 8 cm (two or three inches) above the soil surface.
• The graft union is the point where the variety was grafted onto the rootstock. Backfill the hole two thirds full, soak in 8 litre (two gallons) of water and finish backfilling. 
• Don’t leave a depression or water catching basin around the tree. 
• Remove any tags or labels attached to the trees, as they may girdle the trunks after growth begins.
• Don’t add fertilizer to the planting hole. 
• Trees may be fertilized after rain has thoroughly settled the soil around the roots (two to three weeks after planting) with 100 grams (one-quarter pound) of Growmore (7-7-7) or an equivalent amount of compost by spreading it lightly in a wide circle 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 inches) from the tree trunk.

• Once the tree is planted, it is a good idea to use a stake, as strong winds can cause the young tree to bend and grow on an angle.  
• With pear trees the support can be removed after four or five years although it will not harm it if left in place. 
• When the tree has established itself, feed the tree with a balanced fertiliser such as Growmore or Blood Fish and Bone if you prefer to be organic, or even better use a specially formulated fruit tree fertiliser.  
• When the tree starts to fruit, remove any pears that have been damaged by insects.

• When the pear tree is established, it will need pruning.  
• Regular pruning will result in more fruit.  
• Pear trees should be pruned each year in the early spring before new growth begins.  
• Remove any dead or unhealthy branches. 
• Prune the tree so that you can easily access fruit with a ladder.  
• Also prune areas that are very bushy as this will help sunlight and air to penetrate, improving the overall health and growth of the tree.  
• You can prune to maintain shape as well.  
• Be careful not to prune too heavily or strong unproductive vertical shoots will form.

• Pears should be harvested when they reach a mature size and still feel hard. 
• They should be light green in color and separate easily from the fruit spur (point of attachment). 

• Let them continue to ripen at room temperature for 5 to 7 days before eating them. 
• Depending on the variety, pears will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks and even longer at slightly colder temperatures -1º to 0º C (31º to 32º F).