Pear trees are deciduous and native to Asia and Europe. The fruits from a European pear tree are smooth, firm, sweet, juicy, and is shaped in the traditional Pear shape. The fruit from an Asian pear tree are still juicy and white fleshed, but unlike the european pear, they are round in shape and firm like an apple. Enjoy beautiful white spring blossoms, and an abundant summer harvest. Pears are known as one of the easiest fruit trees to grow. Our selection of Asian pear trees requires low chill. The fruit is ripe when it is firm but gives to gentle pressure. Eat pears fresh when the fruit is ripe, put them up as dried, juiced, and canned for later enjoyment. Use the juice in jams and jellies. You can also ferment pear juice to make a pear cider called Perry. Perry is to pears as cider is to apples.
It is important to install and plant the pear tree in a location with the appropriate sun exposure. Fruit trees need at least 4 -5 hours of direct sunlight. Indirect or filtered sun light is preferred in hot climates. Plant in well-draining soil. If the soil of the planting location does not drain water well, install drains or amend with sand if needed to improve drainage.
Dig the planting hole at least twice as wide, and as deep as the root system of the potted plant. Amend some of the native soil removed from the ground with high-quality organic planting mix and fertilizer to use as fill when planting. Place the tree so the top of the root system is level with the ground or slightly higher. Never plant a tree low. Create a watering well or berm around the root zone using the additional soil removed from the ground. This watering well will collect water to allow for deep watering.
Water your new tree deeply after planting. Fill this until it floods so that the soil moisture content reaches field capacity. Then, water once to twice a week in spring to summer until trees establish. Once the roots of the tree grow larger and the plant is established, irrigation needs are less frequent. Reduce frequency of watering in the fall as the pear trees lose their leaves. Fruit trees need little to no supplemental water in the winter while the trees are dormant.
Fruit trees need food to grow. This is called fertilizer and comes in different forms. Use organic manure, bone meal, blood meal, and humus based fertilizers. Apply fertilizers like manure along with a bone meal, humus based phosphorus fertilizer (1-2-2) NPK ratio in the late winter, right before spring growth. During the spring and summer growing season, reapply with organic high nitrogen (2-1-1) or fertilizers with a 1-1-1 NPK as directed by the label. Do not fertilize in the fall. The growth of your tree slows when temperatures drop.
Winter is the time to prune fruit trees. Cut the top and branches on the outer canopy to maintain the size and form of the tree. Remove any interior growth towards the center of the tree to encourage remaining branches to grow outward. Remove any dry twigs and branches. Cut off any new growth below the graft or low in the tree to direct the plant’s energy to its main branches. Thin your trees during the spring and summer seasons to ensure the plant’s energy is directed as desired. Summer thinning is important but winter is when the majority of pruning should occur. If the plant provides an overly large quantity of fruits for that branch, reduce the quantity of fruit so that what remains grows larger. This will also prevent broken limbs. Harvest ripe fruit to prevent undesired pests.
Use organic methods to manage the pests of edible plants. Horticultural oils, such as Neem oil, are great winter dormant sprays that prevent and control soft bodied insects. Use organic fungicides such as Bordeaux and Liqui-cop for fungi such as powdery mildew, leaf-curls, and rust. Use repellents and bird netting to protect your harvest from animal pests. Keep a clean environment, free of weeds and dropped fruit that host insects or attract animals.
Pear trees often need pollination by a different pear variety. When ordering, check to see if your tree requires a second for pollination.
We ship bare root pear trees throughout the U.S.
