Pear can be found very often in the gardens of our country. To get a sufficiently high yield from a tree, it is necessary to properly feed it. Usually fertilizing is done in spring or autumn. This article provides all the information you need on when and how to feed a pear.
When to fertilize
Experienced gardeners say that the pear needs to be fed periodically. Thus, the tree will be provided with good nutrition, which is necessary for obtaining an annual high-quality and plentiful harvest.
If the pear is fed correctly, then its fruiting will become regular. At the same time, experienced gardeners argue that top dressing should be done even if the fruit tree grows on fertile soil. This is necessary because even the most nutrient-rich soil depletes over time. And this can affect not only the fruiting of trees, but also their viability. Various substances can be used to restore soil fertility, depending on the type of fruit tree.
For a pear, soil replenishment should begin even before the moment of landing. This will prepare the ground for planting seedlings and their further successful growth.
Many gardeners recommend applying nutrients in the fall. Such fertilization will prepare the plant for hibernation and provide it with all the nutrients for proper wintering. Usually in autumn, feeding is carried out along the perimeter of the crown projection, which is a mirror image of the pear root system.
In autumn, the plant should be fertilized after harvest. In this case, the degree of yellowing of the crown should be approximately 30% of the leaves. Top dressing for seedlings of the second year of growth must be applied for digging.
In addition, in the fall, you can make certain preparations for top dressing in the spring. Preparation for the introduction of tree nutrients in the spring should be carried out when the plant grows on peat or clay soils.
Spring top dressing for pears is applied in the amount of 2/3 of the norm and is aimed at ensuring that the tree normally moves away from hibernation and is able to proceed to the next growing season with renewed vigor. Top dressing made in the spring will help improve the quality of the upcoming crop. Properly done top dressing in the spring will provide the tree with everything necessary for a bountiful harvest in the fall.
Gardeners recommend making the remaining 1/3 of the norm in early summer. Although some people neglect this recommendation, believing that the spring and autumn feeding is enough for the pear to not lack nutrients and give a normal harvest, and its fruits are tasty and juicy.
How to feed
Pear can be fed with various fertilizers. The main thing is to choose their type correctly. The choice of the type of pear feed should be made based on the following parameters:
- plant age;
- the appearance of the tree;
- time of year (spring or autumn);
- soil type.
In autumn, experts recommend applying potash and phosphorite fertilizers. 
They are added along the perimeter of the crown to a depth of about 40-50 cm. It is especially good to introduce such substances simultaneously with organic matter. Experienced gardeners believe that this kind of recharge should be done every 5-6 years. This is quite enough for the normal life of the plant during this time period. The dose of applied fertilizers should be calculated based on the age of the tree, as well as the nutritional value of the soil in the place of growth.
Separately, organic fertilizers should be applied under the tree every 2-3 years. At the same time, nitrogen fertilizers are also very important for the normal growth and fruiting of the pear. They are introduced in the spring when loosening the soil, as well as during the period when there is an increased growth of shoots.
In addition to these types of fertilizers, foliar top dressing is of no small importance in the pear situation. It is a solution of nutrients that act as a growth stimulator and help to increase winter hardiness, as well as the formation of tree productivity. This solution contains a 1-2% sulfate solution (it can be replaced with a 2-3% superphosphate solution).
The high efficiency of pear spraying with a solution of urea (0,5-1%) is also described. Such spraying should be done 9-10 days after flowering is completed. Re-spraying is allowed after about two weeks.
You can determine what you need to fertilize a pear by its external state:
- with a lack of nitrogen, underdevelopment of the leaves is observed. They are smaller and somewhat lighter in color;
- excess nitrogen in the soil is manifested by a decrease in the frost-resistant properties of the tree, as well as poor ripening;
- a lack of phosphorus can be detected by the abscission of the shoots on the lower part of the tree and the delay in the laying of flower buds. At the same time, the leaves also develop insufficiently;
- with a lack of potassium, the leaves turn brown and dry quickly. At the same time, they wrinkle;
- the lack of calcium in the soil is reflected in the leaves – they acquire spotting, which appears as a result of the death of tissue areas. To normalize the calcium content in the soil, it is advised to add wood ash under the pear.
All these fertilizers are macrofertilizers. Focusing on the season and the condition of the tree, they are introduced in strictly regulated proportions. The rate of fertilizers is taken based on 1 sq.m. for the trunk circle. Usually it is 1-2 kg.
But the pear fruit crop, in addition to macrofertilizers, also needs microfertilizers. They introduce such important microelements as iron, manganese, zinc, etc. into the soil. They need to be chosen based on the composition of the soil, as well as on the external manifestations of the lack of elements.
In order to provide the pear with all the necessary trace elements, professional gardeners recommend using manure that contains phosphorus (0,25%), potassium (0,4%) and nitrogen (0,5%). But in this situation, it is worth using organic fertilizers (mullein, etc.) more carefully so as not to lead to a severe burn of the plant.
In addition to the types of fertilizers already given above, modern horticulture uses complex dressings for pears: nitroammophos, ammophos, nitrophos, nitroammophoska, nitrophoska, etc.
Remember that the key to productivity and normal growth of a pear is the right type of feeding.
How to
The effectiveness of the fertilizer depends on how correctly the fertilizer was applied. Any type of top dressing has its own characteristics. For example, before planting, proper feeding involves digging up the earth at the place of the future landing and applying mineral and organic fertilizers to it. In the same way, fertilizer should be applied to the planting pit. In this situation, the use of potash and nitrogen fertilizers, which can damage the root system of the seedling, should be avoided. In this case, mineral fertilizers must be placed at the bottom of the pit.
When the fruit tree has taken root, fertilizer is applied throughout its life cycle by digging with the simultaneous application of the desired type of top dressing. A prerequisite for applying top dressing is the right dose. You should be especially careful when applying manure, which has many useful micro- and macronutrients. Therefore, it should be diluted with water and water the soil with the resulting solution.
It is also worth knowing that you should not use several types of different nutrients at the same time. So you can get a fairly serious burn of the root system, which will lead to the death of the plant or a decrease in its vital functions. In spring, autumn and summer there is a type of fertilizer that should be used for top dressing.
The right choice of fertilizer and its timely application will make your garden very fertile, and the harvest itself will be tasty and healthy. This statement applies not only to pears, but to all other fruit trees.
Video “Pear Fertilizer”
In this video, the expert talks about how to properly fertilize fruit trees and what exactly.
