When
you are growing pears, you will find that pear trees are among the
easiest fruit trees to produce organically because their fertility
requirements are not high. They will adapt to a wide range of climates
and soils and do not have as many pest problems as other fruit trees.
There are many varieties of pear trees. The Asian and European pears
can pollinate each other, but the Asian pears often finish blooming by
the time the Europeans get started. When you cross-pollinate between
pear species avoid matching early bloomers like the Asian-Seuri and
Yali with late bloomers like the European-Comice and Ublillen. Some
early European bloomers are the Bartlett, Beth, and the Conference
which will cross-pollinate with most Asian pears. Even though you
can grow pears from seeds, there is no guarantee as to the quality of
the resulting fruit. It is best to purchase known good stock from a
reliable nursery.
Pears can grow hardy
in any open, sunny area, as long as they are not exposed to strong
winds. They can grow in most soils, but prefer a moderately rich, well
draining soil that is neutral or slightly alkaline. Very rich soils
will encourage rapid leafy growth that can be disease sensitive so you
there is no need to add lots of organic matter unless the soil is very
poor quality or excessively free draining. European pears are
grown by grafting the variety on to a root stock. Seedlings of European
pears (often from Bartlett pears) are usually used for root stocks.
When you plant standard sized trees space them 5-8m (16-26ft) apart and
dwarf trees 3-4.5m (10-15ft) apart. There are some varieties that
always need cross-pollination, and some are reliably self-fertile.
Asian pears are slightly less cold hardy then European types and may
suffer tissues damage at temperatures below -20 degC (-4degF). Also
most Asian pears bloom slightly earlier than the European varieties and
could lose some blooms or buds to freezing in areas that are
susceptible to late frost. Asian pears will grow a heavy fruit
crop, which will need hand thinning of young fruits soon after bloom to
ensure a good crop. If thinning is not done it will effect the fruit
size and quality.
Pruning pears
involves cutting off unnecessary branches so that light can reach all
parts of the tree, and it is best to keep the tree levels low to make
it easier to pick the fruit. Most varieties of pear trees ripen usually
in early fall, but the Bartlett pear ripens in the summer. European
pears will only ripen to perfection when they are removed from the
tree, so they are picked when they are still green and hard. On the
other hand Asian pears will ripen on the tree and do not have to be
picked and cured like the European pears. Once they have colored up
they should be sweet enough to pick.
A problem that can
cause serious damage to pear trees is fireblight, which is greatly
favored by young, succulent tissues and it is better to try and limit
the growth to avoid this. You should never try to compensate for rapid
growth rates by pruning, as this will only induce the production of
more vulnerable soft tissue growth. By not using manure, and not
applying large amounts of fertilizer and avoid growing clovers and
other legumes around the tree will ultimately yield better results. A
good start is to choose fireblight resistant pear cultivars to limit
the spread of this disease, but cultural controls are best way. Asian
pears are slightly more resistant than European pears, but once
fireblight infection has taken place there is no spray or other methods
that will minimize the damage. The best thing to do is to cut out the
newly effected limibs and if cutting is done during growing season it
should be removed at least 10cm (4in) below the last point of visible
infection and burned. After eac cut the hand pruners should be
disinfected in a disinfectant solution. The best way to deal with
insect pests is to encourage natural predators such as lacewings around
your pear tree.
