Pear treeis one of the most commonly grown fruit trees in our home orchards. Juicy pears have a unique flavor and aroma, but their nutritional value is also worth appreciating. In this article you will learn what it looks likegrowing a pear tree in the gardenWe discuss the requirements of this tree and basic care, such aspruning pear treesWe also present the best pear varieties for amateur cultivationand we suggest how to protect them against diseases and pests.
Common pear - Pyrus communis
Photo. pixabay.com
Pear - nutritional value of fruit
Pear tree (Pyrus) is a tree belonging to the rose family (Rosaceae). Juicy and he althy pears are a source ofB vitamins , vitamins A, C, K, E and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and iron. They also contain boron affecting the work of the brain and iodine, positively influencing the work of the thyroid gland and rarely found in fruits.
There is also a lot of fiber in pears , which makes you feel full. In 100 g, i.e. one medium pear, there is only about 57-60 kcal. For this reason, these fruits are recommended to people who care about their figure. It is worth remembering, however, that the more ripe the fruit, the more sugars and less fiber in it.
Pear - varieties
Pear trees grown in our gardens , referred to as European pear or Western pear, are hybrids derived from thecommon pear(Pyrus communis) crossed with other pear species found in Europe.Particularpear cultivars differfruit flavor, size, harvest date or tree height. For your orchard, let's choose the varieties that we like the most, but let's also pay attention to whether they are resistant to disease and frost. Most pear varieties belong to the plant hardiness zones 6A or 6B.
Pear Faworytka (Klapsa)- the tree grows quite strongly, it starts fruiting after about 4-6 years after planting. The fruit is large, regular in shape, greenish-yellow with an orange-red blush. Tasty and juicy, the flesh is creamy-white in color. In the variety ' Red Faworytka ' the fruit is darker in color with a dark red blush and purple coating. They ripen in mid-August. The variety is sensitive to pear scab and is moderately resistant to frost. Pollinators: Bonkreta Williams, Consignment House, Conference, Bera Hardy, Trewinka.
Fruits of different varieties of pear
Fig. pixabay.com
Pear Tree Conference- trees with initially strong growth rate. They start bearing fruit early, usually profusely, but not always every year. The fruit is highly elongated with a green skin and russeting. The flesh is sweet and juicy, white-greenish. They ripen at the end of September. They stay fresh for a very long time, they can be kept in a cold store even until the end of February. Conference pear is a variety resistant to scab. Pollinators: Bonkreta Williams, Confectioner, Favorite, General Leclerc.
Fun fact!
The conference tops the list of the most popular pear varieties. She was bred in 1884 in England, and it was brought to Poland only in the early 1990s.
Bonkret Williams Pear Tree- initially the trees grow quite strongly, with time the growth rate slows down. It starts fruiting quite early, usually every year and abundantly. The fruit is large, greenish-yellow, with an orange-red blush. They ripen at the end of August.They are also suitable for preserves. The flesh is sweet, juicy and aromatic. The variety is not very susceptible to diseases, moderately resistant to frost. Pollinators: Bera Hardy, Favorite, Consortium.
Red-Bonkreta Williams' pear- a variety that grows strongly at first, then weaker. It differs from 'Bonkreta Wiliamsa' mainly in the taste and appearance of the fruit. It has a large, red-brown blush. The flesh is creamy, sweet and juicy. The fruits ripen in late August and early September. The variety is not very sensitive to scab. Pollinators: Bera Hardy, Favorite, Consortium,
Pear fruit mix- strong tree growth, fructifies annually but moderately. The fruits are large, greenish-yellow, partially russet. They ripen in late September and early October. The aromatic and tasty flesh has a creamy white color. The variety is resistant to scab. Pollinators: Bera Hardy, Favorite, Consortium.
Pear Lukasówka- also known as "Aleksander Lucas", a tree that grows strongly, starts bearing fruit early.It yields profusely and annually. The fruit is large, irregularly shaped and has a thick, dark green skin. They reach their maturity at the turn of September and October. They stay fresh for several months in storage. The variety is susceptible to scab and not very resistant to frost. Pollinators: Bonkreta Williams, Favorite, Confectionery, Trewinka.
Pear tree 'Conference' is one of the most popular varieties
Fig. freeimages.com
General Leclerc pear tree- tree with strong growth, beginning to bear fruit early. It yields moderately profusely but regularly. The fruits are large and have a green-yellow, smooth, russet skin. They are suitable for harvesting at the end of September. They are suitable for preserves. The flesh is juicy and tasty. The variety is moderately sensitive to scab. Pollinators: Bonkreta Williams, Commissariat, Conference.
Parisian pear- variety with medium growth strength. Medium-sized fruit with dark green, often russet skin with white and juicy flesh. It is suitable for cultivation only in warmer parts of the country. Resistant to scab. Pollinators: Favorite.
Packham's Triumph- a variety that grows not too strongly, starts fruiting quite early, yields regularly, moderately abundantly. Fruits with juicy flesh are large, with a greenish-yellow skin with an uneven surface. They ripen at the turn of September and October, and are suitable for direct consumption several days after harvesting. The variety is susceptible to scab. Pollinators: Bera Hardy, Parisian, Bonkret Williams.
Pear tree fruiting in the garden
Fig. pixabay.com
Apart from the above-mentioned varieties of European pear trees, the Asian pear tree is also found more and more often in gardens.
Asian pear- also known as Japanese, Chinese or Eastern pear. It starts bearing fruit early and bears fruit. These pears ripen from mid-August to the end of September, depending on the variety. The spherical fruit looks like an apple and softens as it ripens. The skin is yellow-green or brown in color, the flesh is juicy and brittle.The fruit can be eaten raw and used in preserves. Recommendedvarieties of Asian pear treesare: Chojuro, Hosui, Shinseiki, Hayatama. They are quite resistant to frost, but are sensitive to spring frosts. Can be grown in zone 6A and warmer. Disease resistance is high, although some Asian pear varieties are susceptible to fire blight. The native 'Conference' can be the pollinator.
Asian pear tree 'Hosui'
Fig. freeimages.com
Pear tree - cultivation
For pear cultivation, the best isfertile, well-drained, moderately moist and well-warming soil. Areas with a high level of groundwater and places with frost stagnation will not be suitable for it. The pear tree is classified as a thermophilic species, therefore the south-western exhibition is the best for it. Pear flowers are exposed to frost in spring.
Remember thatpear trees are non-pollinated plants , which need pollen of other varieties to form fruits - the so-called pollinators. Therefore, at least 2 different pear varieties should be planted in the garden. Alternatively, you can check which pear varieties are growing right next to your neighbors. Perhaps these will be appropriate pollinators for the pear tree that we want to plant at home: -)
Pear tree growing in the backyard garden
Fig. pixabay.com
Autumn is the best time to plant pear trees.Trees planted in spring are more prone to drying out and require more intensive watering in the first period after planting. For natural fertilization, it is worth using compost or well-composted manure. It is worth fertilizing the soil with these fertilizers before planting the tree, and then use them every year in the fall.The greatest nutritional requirements occur in spring, when the pear tree is blooming and then it bears fruit.You can then supply the pear with mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen and potassium.
A good solution for small gardens isgrowing pear trees next to the trellis in the form of a rowwith horizontally bent side shoots. The cultivars grafted on dwarf rootstocks will work best here.
Pear tree - pruning
Pear trees tend to climb upwards , therefore, by appropriate cutting, they should be kept in check and stimulated to the development of fruiting side shoots.
Young pear trees are cut in the first spring after plantingto form the crown. All shoots are shortened, leaving approx. 30 cm sections. We only lower the guide a little bit.In 1-2 year old pears, choose 4-5 shoots that will be the base of the crown in the future. They should be strong and evenly distributed around the trunk. If they grow more than 60 cm in a year, we reduce their length by 1/3. We remove excess branches and shoots directed to the center of the crown.After the first fruiting, we shorten the conductor in the spring to strengthen the side branches.
We cut the fruiting pear every yearto maintain a well-formed, not too dense crown, ensuring abundant fruiting. Moderate cutting of the shoots with flower buds stimulates the shoots to grow. Wolves, i.e. long shoots growing vertically, are cut in August as part of the summer pruning of fruit trees.
Good to know!
Cutting too much stimulates the development of "wolves" shading the crown. Cutting them all out causes them to grow again, so we only get rid of the strongest and leave the weaker ones.
In the case ofolder neglected pear treesfirst shorten the guide and let more light inside the crown, cutting out the shoots thickening it (except the lower limbs). The next spring, we continue the X-ray cutting so that the rest of them form an evenly distributed crown.We stimulate the tree to produce fruit-bearing shoots by shortening or cutting out the crossing shoots and some branches.
Always cut the branches just above the eyeletand spread the cutting wounds with garden ointment. We disinfect the cutting tools so as not to transmit diseases of fruit trees.
Pear tree - diseases and pests
Pear rust- fungal disease mainly damaging leaves with orange-yellow spots. With a high intensity of the disease, the quality of the fruit is also reduced. The intermediate host of the pathogen causing pear rust is the Sabine juniper, often planted in gardens. The spores of the fungus hibernating on it are transmitted in the spring with the wind to the pear trees, even from a distance of several km, therefore the fight against the pathogen is very difficult.
Pear rust
Fig. pixabay.com
To avoid infection, Sabinian juniper should not be planted in the garden, and if you already have one, check for signs of juniper rust.Infected juniper shoots are cut and the plant is sprayed with Saprol Hobby long-acting or Scorpion 325 SC. We use Magnicur Gold to spray the pear against rust during the pink bud period.
Pear scab- a fungal disease that affects both leaves and fruit. In spring, olive-brown spots with spores appear on the leaves. The leaves die and fall off. Pear scab on fruit manifests itself in the form of drying and cracking spots.
Pear scab
In home orchards, in areas where this disease is common, it is best to avoid planting varieties susceptible to scab. You can fight pear scab in two ways: ecologically, using extracts or decoctions of yarrow or field horsetail, and chemically, using: Miedzian 50 WP, Syllit 65 WP or Magnicur Gold. The fungus hibernates on fallen leaves, so in the fall they should be rake and best burned.The autumn spraying with a 5% solution of tree urea and fallen leaves will also be effective.
Fire blight- a very dangerous bacterial disease that attacks pear flowers and leaves. The flowers wilt and die, and the leaves with brown spots turn black over time, curl and remain on the tree. The name comes from the appearance of the attacked shoots as if they were burnt by fire. An infected tree must be removed. In spring, spraying with Miedzian is used as a preventive measure.
Reddish pear honey- a bug about 4.5 mm long, turning orange in summer and brown-red after wintering. Adult pests in early spring suck the sap from the leaves, which leads to stunted growth and the formation of distortions on the leaf blades. In the next stage, they are transferred to the shoots. Natural preparations are helpful in combating honey extracts: Limocide, Emulpar 940 EC, Siltac EC.In case of a strong attack of the pest, you can use the insecticide Mospilan 20 SP.
Pear beetle- a mosquito-like fly, about 2 mm long. Young leaves attacked by the pest on shoots and root suckers do not develop and deform, and then turn black. In order to reduce its occurrence, root suckers and unnecessary shoots should be removed. Mospilan 20 SP can be used as a chemical spray.
Pear skin- these are mites invisible to the naked eye, whose feeding can inhibit the growth of young trees, and also fruiting in older trees. Yellowish bubbles appearing on the surface of affected leaves turn brown after some time (note - symptoms are often mistaken for pear rust !!!). Infected leaves should be removed and, if necessary, sprayed in the green and white bud phase with Ortus 05 SC.
Monika Glory
