There are 3
Types of European Pear
Summer Pears
Summer pears ripen in early to mid summer and are meant to be eaten fresh or shortly after being picked. Summer pears do not tend to keep as long as winter pears, but are available earlier in the year and do not require storage to enjoy their best flavor and texture. When your summer pears start dropping from the tree they can be picked and allowed to ripen fully in a bowl on your countertop.
Winter Pears
Winter pears ripen late summer through fall and are meant to be picked while they are still hard and green. Most winter pears require some time in cold storage, at least a month at 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit, to develop their best texture and flavor profiles. Once they have matured in cold storage they will ripen from the inside out at room temperature over a period of 5-7 days. Winter pears have the advantage of unique flavors and textures unavailable in summer pears, as well as their ability to keep long after the harvest season is over.
Cider Pears
Cider pears, or "Perry pears", while not nearly as popular as cider apples, have been in cultivation in France and England since before the 16th century in areas cider apples do not grow well. Cider pears are often hard, tannin rich, and slow to rot - making them excellent for cider making as they can all be gathered and processed at the same time.
Identify the
Pollinating Partners
With few exceptions, European pears are not self-fertile trees and will need another variety of European pear tree nearby for cross pollination. Despite being related, Asian and European pears are not reliable pollinizers for each other due to a lack of an overlapping blooming period. Using the European pear pollination chart below to determine which pollinizer tree variety is the right choice will help ensure your orchard will be successful and productive. Asian pears in the same and adjacent flower groups will reliably pollinize each other.
The pollinizers should be planted no further than pollen carrying bees will fly, with no line of sight obstruction, to ensure proper cross-pollination. That distance varies with different bees, 100’ should be a good average distance.
Early Season Pollinating Partners
B Precoce Morettini
Bella de Giuno
Doyenne de Juillet
Gem
Spaulding
Stuttgarter
Ubileen
White Doyenne
Bartlett**
Conference**
Duchess d’Angouleme**
Mid-Season Pollinating Partners
Abbe Fetel
Arganche
Atlantic Queen
Hendre Huffcapp
Rescue
Johanthorp
Pound
Summer Blood Birne
Theilersbirne
Thorn
Warren
Yellow Huffcapp
Honeysweet**
Late Season Pollinating Partners
Ayers
Barnett
Beurre Super Fin
Blake’s Pride
Bosc
Butt
Harrow Delight
Highland
Maxie
Onward
Orcas
Red Clapps
Seckel
Shipova
Comice**
Where to Plant your Pear
Sunlight
European pears need to be planted where they receive at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight measured in early summer (late June to early August). Sufficient sun exposure triggers the initiation of new flower buds for the next growing season, without which there will be no fruit. Fruit ripening and flavor development are also benefited by the carbohydrate production stimulated by the sun, as well as it’s heat.
Soil and Ph
Asian pears tolerate a wide variety of soils so long as they are well drained and moderately rich with a pH around 6.3-6.8. Improve your soil where you intend to plant by mixing an inch or two of plant based organic matter(manures are best for vegetable gardens), peat, or coconut coir into an area 1 1/2 to 2 times the diameter of the needed planting hole and up to a foot deep. A 2-4” deep layer of mulch (straw, leaves, or wood chips)applied after planting will continue to improve the soil.
Give it Breathing Room
Allow sufficient space for both the top of the tree and it’s roots when selecting the planting location. Refer to size descriptions for each variety, keeping in mind these are generally managed or pruned sizes, not maximum potential sizes. If you are planting an orchard be sure to include enough space between rows for transporting supplies in and fruit out.
Growing in Containers
European pear trees generally grow too large to successfully grow in a container for more than a few years.
All plants have what are called a "chilling hour requirement" in order to flower and produce fruit. Chilling hours are defined as the cumulative period of time between 45 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit and vary from region to region. The majority of apple trees have a chilling hour requirement of anywhere from 500-1000 hours, with some requiring more and a few requiring as little as 200-300 chill hours to blossom and produce. Apples trees that require less than 600 chilling hours are considered "low chill" and are generally more resistant to more intense summer conditions than apples trees with higher chilling hour requirements. The general chilling hours available for you specific location can be found online or determined by your local extension office.
Watering
This is the most important and often the most difficult part of successfully growing plants. There are many factors, including the humidity, temperature, soil type, wind, and amount of direct sun that affect how much and how often water should be applied.
Spring
This is how you should water your pear in the springtime. We will give a more detailed description of what the plant will be experiencing in this season, and how that reflects it's water needs during this period of the growing season.
Summer
This is how you should water your pear in the summer. We will give a more detailed description of what the plant will be experiencing in this season, and how that reflects it's water needs during this period of the growing season.
Autumn
This is how you should water your pear in the autumn. We will give a more detailed description of what the plant will be experiencing in this season, and how that reflects it's water needs during this period of the growing season.
Winter
This is how you should water your pear in the winter. We will give a more detailed description of what the plant will be experiencing in this season, and how that reflects it's water needs during this period of the growing season.
Fertility
For good steady growth and high productivity, your trees need to have adequate amounts of various mineral
nutrients. Some people are fortunate and have naturally rich fertile soil.
Use an all-purpose or balanced fertilizer. A couple of inches of well-rotted compost on the root zone can also
be an effective fertilizer. A generous leaf or straw mulch around your trees will not only conserve moisture and
help in weed control, but also keeps your soil healthy by building up humus,attracting earthworms, and
supporting beneficial fungal organisms. This encourages young trees to be strong, healthy and productive. Avoid
applying fertilizer after early summer, doing so can encourage lots of soft new growth that is much more likely
to be damaged by winter cold.Excessive use of fertilizer can in-crease disease problems on your plants and can
even kill them.
As a general guide, if your tree is producing about one foot of new growth or more a year and has healthy
looking foliage, it may not need much or any fertilizer.
To determine when your pears are ready to be picked, gently press near the stem; a slight yield indicates readiness. However, European pears often ripen best off the tree, so it's advisable to pick them when still firm. Store unripe pears at room temperature to allow them to mature, moving them to the refrigerator once they reach the desired ripeness. Refrigeration slows down the ripening process, extending their shelf life. Regularly check stored pears for ripeness, and once they achieve a slightly yielding texture, they are ready to be enjoyedmore and a few requiring as little as 200-300 chill hours to blossom and produce. Apples trees that require less than 600 chilling hours are considered "low chill" and are generally more resistant to more intense summer conditions than apples trees with higher chilling hour requirements. The general chilling hours available for you specific location can be found online or determined by your local extension office.
Pests and Disease
Pear Slug
Symptoms
Dark olive green slug-like larvae that skeletonize leaves. Especially common in summer months.
Control Methods
Insecticidal soaps (e.g. Spinosad). Pyrethrin, rotenone dust, or bioneem. Pick off and destroy by hand.
Comments
Trees can tolerate up to 25% defoliation with little harm. May also infest plum, cherry, hawthorn, or mountain ash trees.
Pear Psylla
Symptoms
Lots of tiny yellow/red insects which secrete honeydew, causing sooty mold.
Control Methods
Insecticidal soaps or rotenone dust, spray in spring. Dormant and delayed oil and lime sulfur. Superior oil sprayed 2-3 times through the summer.
Comments
Insects prefer soft, vigorous growth. Prune out suckers and manage fertilizer and pruning to minimize unnecessary vigor.
Blister Mite
Symptoms
Small, oval, pointed, and raised blisters on leaves. Russeted sunken spots on fruit.
Control Methods
Pick off and discard affected leaves when discovered, but take care not to defoliate tree. Oil spray with lime sulfur in October and November as well as in the spring when buds swell.
Comments
Orchards under good integrated pest management usually are not infested with blister mites. Blister mites often attack trees in abandoned or neglected orchards.
Fire Blight
Symptoms
Shoots wither resembling shepherd’s crook. Leaves die and turn black or brown, but remain on tree.
Control Methods
Prune out all infected shoots, cutting at least 12 inches below infection. Disinfect tools between cuts. Fixed copper spray in fall and early spring, or use Bordeaux mix.
Comments
Especially common on pears in warm wet springs, but may also affect apples in bad years. Plant resistant varieties. Prune to promote good air flow.
Deer
Symptoms
Browsed shortened branches. Leaves are obviously munched on or plants are pulled up.
Control Methods
Fences or cages at least 8’ tall. Plastic mesh, electric, or woven wire fences.
Comments
At Raintree, an 8’ woven wire deer fence has worked best. Repellents don’t work consistently and, aside from fencing, only trained large dogs patrolling the perimeter are effective.
Bird
Symptoms
Fruits disappear or have gaping holes in them. Strawberries, blueberries, cherries and filberts are most susceptible but most fruits suffer occasionally.
Control Methods
Reflective Bird Scare Tape can work well. Bird netting. Cages.
Comments
Blue Jays start harvesting filberts when ready to pick, and so should you. Nuts dropped by jays are usually empty.