How to Grow Pear Trees

About Growing Pear Trees in Your Yard

Home gardeners love to grow pears, partially because they are sweet-tasting, and perhaps the easiest fruit tree to grow. Many fruit trees have problems with insects. Many are highly susceptible to plant diseases. Pears have far fewer problems with either. They just grow and produce year after year, with very little fuss or attention. You will find growing pears to be a rewarding experience the first time you bite into a fruit growing in your own backyard!

Pears get far less attention than other fruits, too. Yet, they are sweet and tasty, and nutritious. Like apples, they are long keepers, if picked when still green. If kept in a cool location, they will last for months.

Almost all pear trees are deciduous. However, one or two species native to Southeast Asia are evergreens. Surprisingly, they are related to the rose family. There are over 800 species of pear trees. However, just a few are commonly grown in commercial orchards and home backyards in the United States. The most popular varieties in the U.S. are popular varieties are Bartlett, d’Anjou, and Bosc pears. The trees live up to 50 years. However, fruit farms replace them as peak production wanes.

Speaking of production, worldwide over 26 million tons of pears are harvested annually. Over 90 countries grow pears commercially. At about 55% of the worldwide harvest, China is the top producer. The United States ranks a distant second at approximately 585,000 tons.

Pear Tree Specifications

Flower Colors: White. A few species have tints of pink or yellow.

Flowers Bloom: Flowers bloom in the spring.

Fruit Ripens: Late August to mid-September.

Tree Height: Standard varieties grow 15 to 25 feet when pruned. And, 40 feet tall unpruned. Dwarf pear trees grow just 8 to 10 feet tall.

Light Requirement: Full sunlight.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.5.

Plant Hardiness Zones: 5 – 9.

Lifespan: Pear trees live up to 50 years.

Number of Species: Worldwide, there are over 800 species.

Botanical Name: European pear varieties are Pyrus communis. Asian pear varieties are Pyrus Rifolia.

Light Requirements

Select a planting location where your pear trees will receive full sun. This shouldn’t be a problem with standard varieties. However, keep this in mind when planting dwarf varieties.

Pear trees need 6 to 8 hours or more of bright, direct sunlight. The more direct sunlight the better. Sunshine directly affects fruit quantity and quality.

Pear Tree Propagation

Pears are grown from seed. It takes several years to go from the seedling stage to a fruit-producing tree. Most people let the garden nurseries start pear tree seedlings, and nurture them to a size that can be transplanted to your garden. The trees at your local nursery are a couple of years old. This small pear tree will still need to grow another 2-4 years to get your first fruit.

You can also graft branches from a pear tree onto other fruit trees.

Planting an Pear Tree

Select a location in your yard that receives full sun. Dig a deep hole. Add plenty of decomposed compost, if available. Mix thoroughly with regular garden soil. If the tree you have bought is inside of a decomposable peat pot, leave it in the container. It is helpful (but not required) to slit the container to allow roots to more easily exit the container. While making the slits, be careful not to cut the roots, as you can do more harm than good. If your tree is in a burlap bag, remove the bag. Gently spread the roots in the hole you have dug.

Bury the plant up to where it was in the container. Soak the soil thoroughly. Add more rich garden soil, if needed.

How to Grow Pear Trees

Growing pear trees is easy. Once your new tree is planted, it should grow well with little or no attention. After planting, we recommend staking the tree in its first year of life. Strong winds can bend the young sapling, causing the trunk to grow at an angle. Really strong winds might even cause the tree to sway and damage roots.

Tip: Fruit tree fertilizer spikes are a great way to boost the growth of your new pear tree. The spike slowly releases a fertilizer specifically formulated for fruit trees.

Established plants should not require any more water than what nature provides. Their roots run deep, to capture the moisture they need from the ground. However, in the first year or two of growth, water deeply around the tree during extended periods of drought.

The size and number of pears are dependent upon several things. Sometimes, mother nature pollinates a profusion of blooms. Sometimes frost nips a portion of the blooms. However, in a good year, so many pears may be on the tree, that the pears grow smaller. Growers can compensate for this, by removing a few of them early in the season. Should you do this? Probably not in your first few years of growth, as you do not have the experience to judge if there are too many baby pears on the tree. But, we do recommend removing any pears that are damaged by insects, leaving good pears to grow bigger.

Each spring, before buds open, apply a dormant oil fruit tree spray. This will kill a variety of insects.

Pear trees and their fruit are less susceptible to insects and disease than many other fruit trees. If you use insect and/or disease sprays, we recommend you follow the directions on the label carefully. And by all means, wear protective clothing and a mask when spraying.

Insects, Pests, and Plant Disease

Pear trees are less susceptible than most other fruit trees, to both insect infestations and disease. But, why give up some of the harvest to these problems!? We highly recommend a regular program of spraying for both insects and plant diseases. If you use insect and/or disease sprays, we recommend you follow the directions on the label carefully. And by all means, wear protective clothing and a mask when spraying.

Bees and wasps are attracted to the ripe fruit. So, be careful when harvesting the pears.

Harvesting Pears

Harvest fruit just before it turns completely ripe. Pears are ready to pick when they have just begun to soften. The fruit will still be hard, making it easier to handle and store without bruising.

You can eat ripe fruit or before it turns ripe.

How to Store Pears

To store the fruit longer, pick them when the fruit is still hard. Here are some ways to store peaches:

Store them in Your Fruit Bowl – Place the fruit in a fruit bowl and place the bowl on the kitchen counter out of direct sunlight. They ripen over several days. Discard any overly soft or rotting fruit, as they attract fruit flies. The fruit lasts several days, and perhaps for two weeks.

Store them in the refrigerator – You can store them for several days in the refrigerator for an extended period of time.

Make Jams and Jellies – This is a great way to preserve pears. You’ll love using them later during the winter months.

Canning Pears – It’s a great way to store them for a long period of time. The experts say you can store canned pears for 1 to 2 years. However, over time they lose taste and texture.

Also See:

How to Control Fruit Flies

Pruning Pear Trees

Like other plants, pruning established trees are healthy for them. It results in a bigger crop. Prune pear trees annually in the early spring, before the new year’s growth begins.

First, remove dead or unhealthy branches and limbs. Top off the main trunk and any suckers at a height that you can reach the fruit with a ladder. Also, prune in areas where growth is very bushy. This will increase sunlight and air penetration, to help the overall health and growth of the tree. You can also prune branches to maintain a shapely-looking tree.