Pear: how to grow a good harvest

Planting a pear

Pear seedlings with a closed root system (ZKS), that is, which are sold in containers, can be planted throughout the season – from April 10 – 15 (and if the spring is early and warm, then from the beginning of April) until mid – late October. If seedlings with bare roots, then planting is possible only in early spring (mid-April) and autumn (mid-October).

Pits for pears must be dug in advance. If planting is planned in the fall, then in the spring. If in spring, then in autumn (1). This is necessary so that the soil in the pit is ripe, beneficial microorganisms multiply there, which will help the tree take root better in a new place.

The dimensions of the pits for pears should have the following dimensions:

• diameter – 1m;
• depth – 70 cm.

Some summer residents do not particularly bother, they dig holes under pears with ZKS immediately before planting and are slightly larger than the container. They say the trees grow well. Yes, they will grow well if the soil on the site is fertile, for example, black soil. But if it is poor, the tree will take root with difficulty, because it will not have enough nutrients for active growth. That is why you need to dig large holes and fill them with fertile soil.

Before planting in a hole, you need to drive a strong stake, so that later you can tie a seedling to it. If this is not done, it can be “wound” by the wind, and it will either lie on the ground or the roots will be damaged.

And it is also important that when planting the root neck is at the level of the soil: it cannot be deepened and it cannot be higher.

Care of the pear

Pear care consists of two important activities.

Watering. During the season, the pear needs to be watered 4 times:

• early in the spring, in the first half of April;
• 2 – 3 weeks after flowering;
• 2-3 weeks before harvest;
• in October, after the trees have completely fallen off, this is the so-called moisture-charging watering, it helps to increase the winter hardiness of the pear.

The norm of spring and summer watering depends on the age of the pears (for one tree):

• up to 7 years – 50 – 80 l;
• from 7 to 10 years – 120 – 150 l;
• over 10 years old – 200 liters.

With such volumes, the soil gets wet by 40 – 60 cm – it is at this depth that the bulk of small pear roots that absorb water are located.

Moisture-charging irrigation should be much more abundant – the soil must be wetted to a depth of 1,5 – 2 m!

Feeding. Feed the pear during the season, as well as water it, you need 4 times:

• in the last ten days of April: 400 g of urea (about 3 cups) – scatter the fertilizer evenly in the near-trunk circle and rake into the soil, and if grass or lawn grows under the tree – just scatter and water;
• in the budding phase: 1 kg of superphosphate, 800 g of potassium sulfate, 2 buckets of mullein infusion – all this must be diluted in 200 liters of water, let it brew for a week, then water the trees at the rate of 5 buckets per plant;
• during fruit ripening: 1 kg of nitrophoska and 20 g of dry sodium humate per 200 liters of water – mix everything well and water the trees (3 buckets each);
• after picking the fruit: 300 g of superphosphate (1,5 cups) and 250 g of potassium sulfate (a glass on the hem) – mix these fertilizers and scatter around the perimeter of the pear crown.

In addition, once every 1 years, rotted manure must be applied under the pear:

• up to 10 years – 40 – 50 kg (5 – 6 buckets);
• over 10 years old – 80 kg (10 buckets).

pear pruning

You can cut a pear at any time of the year, but usually, when the tree blooms, and then the fruits ripen on it, it is a pity to cut it. Therefore, the best time is October. At this time, there are no more leaves, the crown is clearly visible, it is clear that there is too much.

You can prune in winter, at the end of February (2), but you must take into account the air temperature – it should not be lower than -5 ° C.

You can cut the pear in the spring, but it is important to be in time before the start of sap flow – it usually occurs in mid-April.

First of all, all dry branches need to be cut out from the tree – this is a hotbed of diseases, pests hibernate in them, and they thicken the crown greatly.

The second stage is all the shoots that grow inside the crown (they also thicken it) and at an acute angle (they often break off under the weight of the fruit and large wounds are formed with scuffs of the bark, which are difficult and take a long time to heal).

If the tree is too tall, you can reduce its height by cutting down the center conductor at a height of 3 – 4 m from the ground. The cut should be done just above the skeletal branch.

Pear varieties

Experts have calculated that in order to provide a family of 4 with pears, it is enough to plant only 2 trees on the site. And in order to eat fruits in the winter, it must be autumn and winter varieties. Of these, the longest stored:

• May Day – lies in the cellar until April, and sometimes until May;
• Winter cubarid – till March;
• Yakovlevskaya – till March;
• Belarusian late – until February, but it happens that it may not deteriorate until March, or even until April;
• Gera – until February;
• Extravaganza – until February;
• A miracle worker – until February.

As a rule, at the time of harvesting, these pears are oaky and tasteless. But after a month or two lie in the cellar, they become juicy and very sweet.

– If the place in the garden allows, you can plant one summer pear, – advises agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova. – It is more than enough to enjoy the fruits at the end of the season, and to make jam for the winter.

How to pick a pear

Pears are very delicate, so when picking (if the fruits are intended for storage), you need to be very careful and careful, and also take into account important points:

• harvest with gloves so as not to damage the skin;
• collect fruits in the morning, while it is not hot – at this time they are the most juicy and they have more benefits;
• pick pears along with stalks – without them they are not stored;
• harvest in dry weather – wet pears do not lie for a long time, they begin to rot, but if it rains heavily outside, then after harvesting, the fruits should be laid out in one layer and dried: in a draft or under a fan.

Pear storage rules

Winter varieties of pears are stored the longest (3) – in fact, this is what they are intended for.

In order for the pears to lie for their prescribed period, the temperature in the cellar must be strictly -1 ° C. At positive temperatures, they deteriorate very quickly. Optimum humidity – 85 – 95%.

It is best to store pears in wooden boxes with small gaps between the boards. The bottom and walls of the container should be laid out with 2 – 3 layers of thick paper. No more than 2 layers should be stacked in boxes. On top of each layer is paper. It is even better to wrap each pear separately in paper, but if the harvest is large, it is long and troublesome.

– Pears should be stored in complete darkness. If light enters the cellar, the boxes should be covered with black non-woven material (you can use something else, but it is important that it let air through – the fruits must breathe), Svetlana Mikhailova advises.

Pears should lie separately from vegetables, otherwise they will absorb odors and be tasteless.

And it is also important to inspect the vault as often as possible – about 1 time per week. This is necessary to track rotting fruits. Do not remove them in time – the entire crop will instantly rot.

Before serving pears to the table, after the cellar, let them lie in the room for 3-4 days – during this time they will become juicy and fragrant.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing pears with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Emelyanov F.A., Kruglova A.P., Kulikov V.A., Sazhin N.S., Gryazev N.D., Kinkovskaya N.I., Berkut O.D., Molchanov A.I., Khramov P .BUT. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1955 – 472 p.
2. Lavrik P.I., Rybitsky N.A., Gavrilov I.S. Gardener’s desk book // L.: Lenizdat, 1972 – 568 p.
3. Egorov V.I., Nazaryan E.A. Handbook of gardening // M.: Profizdat Publishing House, 1957 – 264 p.