Even the breathtaking blooms and shiny leaves of the tree will beautify the yard environment. So we will discuss, or rather remind, how to grow, plant pears, pick their fruits and why it is useful to have this decoration in the garden.
Briefly: what are pears and what do they look like?
This question is probably funny to many, because pears (Pyrus), like apple or plums, grown in almost every garden. It is easily recognizable due to its tall stature (up to 20 m high), a deciduous tree that belongs to the thorny family (Rosaceae) for the family. Also a distinctive feature of the fruit tree are the small, 2-12 cm long, oval or lanceolate leaves, which have a glossy, green surface and a mostly gray hairy underside.
Simple flowers with a diameter of 2-4 cm have 5 white or occasionally yellow or pink petals, which bloom in Lithuania in April-May. And of course, at the end of summer, the fertilized flowers grow into fruits of various shapes, colors and sizes, which botanists call apples.
There are 60 known pear species in the world, but certainly not all of them are valued and grown for their fruit. Common pear is grown mostly in Europe, Australia, and North America, and the common pear in Asia is called Asian pear.
Types of pears
Common pear (Pyrus communis) – it is the fruits of this type of pear that we usually taste and use for food, because many well-known varieties have been bred from it (about 5,000 known in total). In fact, this cultural species is the result of other types of pears, obtained by crossing the sycamore, forest, Caucasian and other pears. The tree reaches a height of 20 m.
Wild pear (Pyrus pyraster) is a common tree in the forests of Lithuania, only rarely seen and protected. It grows to a height of 15-20 m, bears small, tart, apple-like pear fruits. It is a plant characterized by a wide conical crown, prickly branches, resistance and longevity (up to 200 years).
Prickly Pear (Pyrus ussuriensis) is a tree from Siberia and the Far East that grows up to 15 years old. It is said to be the most resistant of all pears, so it is more often used for crossbreeding. The leaves are dark green in spring and summer and turn dark red and gold in autumn. The fruits that grow to a size of 4 cm in diameter are not the most delicious, but after removal they taste better.
Asian pear
The Asian pear is not a separate species, but rather a category of pear fruit trees native to Asia called apple-pear hybrids. In the world, they are called differently, for example, Korean, Japanese, Chinese pear, under which a couple of Latin names are hidden.
One of them is Pyrus pyrifolia (called Japanese pear in Lithuania), where the fruit is usually round, with a brown or yellow skin. Pyrus × bretschneideri is also known, with a slightly elongated fruit shape (more like a common pear) and a yellow skin. In Lithuania, Asian pears are somewhat sensitive to our winters, but the harvest is extremely abundant.
Growing pears
Place. The ideal place for a pear tree is a sunny, protected from strong cold and wind, but sufficiently open place, such as a lawn, or a place near a wall or fence. Avoid planting in a place where there are often late frosts that “bite” the flowers. If you are growing standard tall varieties, you will need to ensure a large area of space for them, and if there is none, choose a dwarf, columnar pear or dwarf, potted varieties.
The soil. Although not demanding on nutrients, it has been observed that pears do best in loose, fertile, well-drained loamy soil where groundwater does not reach higher than 1.5 m from the ground surface. In more acidic soil, pears are planted with quince rootstock, other rootstocks require neutral or slightly alkaline soil. The ideal pH is 6.0-6.5, but it tolerates ranges between 5.0-7.5 with difficulty.
Growing a pear in a pot. Pears grow best in garden soil, but if you don’t have the right space, you can also grow a tree in a container. Having chosen a compact variety of pear, plant them in a 45-50 cm wide pot that is sufficiently heavy and stable. Move it to its final location in a warm, sheltered, sunny location before adding potting, peat-free substrate.
Planting pears
Pears are easy to plant and should establish quickly. The best time to plant a pear tree is when it is dormant, from autumn to spring. But due to sensitivity to cold, it is customary to plant seedlings in Lithuania in mid-April (before the buds have yet burst). Trees bought in pots can be planted at other times, but avoid doing so in hot and dry weather.
Before planting, trees in pots are well watered or pear seedlings with bare roots are immersed in a bucket of water for half an hour. If you are planting the fruit tree in the lawn, remove a circle of grass at least 1 m in diameter, then dig a hole 2-3 times wider and slightly deeper than the roots of the seedling. Fill the hole with well-rotted manure or garden compost.
If you are planting more than one tree, leave a distance of 5-8m from each other (if they are grafted onto a growing MA rootstock or expected to grow to standard size). Dwarf pears with MC rootstock are planted every 2.5-4.5 meters.
How are pears cared for?
Watering. Water newly planted trees regularly for at least their first growing season. “Older” pears rarely need to be watered except during long dry spells when the fruit begins to ripen.
Fertilization of pears. Fertilize in early spring with a high potassium general purpose, blood, fish or bone meal fertilizer. Too much nitrogen will promote wilting of the foliage, which will also open the way for foliar diseases to spread. Therefore, it is better to provide an additional amount of nitrogen to a pear growing in very poor or permeable soil.
Mulching. Each spring, spread a thick layer of mulch around the base of pear trees, such as well-rotted manure or garden compost.
Pear pruning. Like apple trees, there is a science to pruning pears, but with basic guidelines, you’re sure to get through this stage on your own. Pruning these fruit trees is similar to apple trees, only pears should be pruned in early spring, because then they will grow more luxuriantly.
Prune taller pears in the first half of summer by shortening tops and competing branches, thinning shoots, removing touching, dead, diseased branches. In August, you can cut out the excess of densely grown, steeply upward shoots, leaving horizontal branches. Other features of pear pruning will depend on what form of canopy or training technique you will use (hedge, cordon, pyramid, fan and others).
Pear propagation
By seeds. Trees grown from seeds grow much larger than those grafted onto the selected rootstock, and later begin to bear fruit, which may be of lower quality than the mother tree.
Cuttings. The same can be said about the propagation of pears by cuttings, which is not practiced because it gives the opposite result than you expect to maintain the variety.
Root shoots. The children grown from the roots are the offspring of the rootstock, so it may be useful to separate the offspring for their reproduction. In this way, it is useful to propagate non-breeding species, for example, wild pear.
Vaccination. This is the main method of propagation of pear varieties, when the characteristics of the varieties and not the rootstock are preserved. These are quite complex processes carried out by professional gardeners, but they are worth trying yourself.
Pear harvest: how to harvest and store correctly?
Pears should be picked a week before they are fully ripe (a sign of ripeness is when the flesh around the stem yields to gentle pressure). They should be firm and their skin should be slightly discolored. Special tools (telescopic fruit pickers) can be used to pick fruit from a tall tree.
Pears can be stored at room temperature (at least 18-20°C) until they ripen. Winter pears should be stored in a cool basement, in paper-lined boxes with good air circulation. Make sure all the fruit is uncovered, in a single layer and not touching each other.
Pear diseases and pests
Pears do not protect themselves from diseases that are not known in units. These would include powdery mildew, pear blight, pear rust (which causes the iconic orange spots on the leaves), brown fruit rot, bacterial blight.
And pears probably have even more pests, where the most damage is done by pear mites, pear tuber, brown aphid, pear sawfly, pear sugarworm and, of course, fruit-eating wasps.
Benefits of pears: fruit for food and medicine
Due to the high content of sugar, vitamin C, fiber, organic acids, pectins and other nutrients, pear fruits occupy a considerable part in cuisine and folk medicine. Juicy fruits are used in cooking raw, pickled, preserved, dried, cooked and otherwise processed. Pear recipes are not limited to making desserts (for example, pie with pears). These fruits are also added to salads, bread, used in dishes with chicken, pressed pear juice.
And if you are interested in the medicinal properties of pears, then these fruits improve intestinal activity, the phenolic compounds in them strengthen capillaries, treat inflammation and atherosclerosis. Fruit decoctions stimulate the release of bile and urine, dried pears are good for diarrhea.
Another use of pear
Pear can be used for human consumption “from head to toe”, that is, both wood, fruit and leaves.
Wood. Pear, characterized by extremely even and uniform wood, is used to make exclusive furniture, wind musical instruments and other interesting carpentry. Carvers love it because the wood resists warping and splitting. Wooden spoons, umbrella handles, measuring devices, decorative veneer are made, and the wood that is burned is used to smoke and flavor meat.
Leaves. Although pear fruits are more often used as a medicinal raw material, the leaves are also suitable for folk treatment. The leaves contain arbutin, which has disinfectant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it also stimulates the release of urine.
Decorativeness. Of course, the less commonly cultivated species, such as the willow or broad-leaved pear, are not to be avoided for their decorative apple-shaped fruits, flowers, glossy leaves or crown shape. There are varieties of pears bred not only for the fruit, but also for the shape of the bush, preserving the columnar crown of the pear or other features.
Sources:
https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kriause/
https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/pears/grow-your-own
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pyrus+ussuriensis
https://myperfectplants.com/blogs/grow-guides/grow-guide-for-pear-trees
