Planting pear seedlings in spring and summer

The pear is a fruit tree of the Rosaceae family. In the gardens of Our Country it is less common than the apple tree, due to the fact that this southern plant requires more attention and tolerates cold worse. At the same time, the pear is durable, can live and bear fruit for up to 100 years. Valued for the exquisite taste and aroma of fruits with juicy, tender, granular flesh and thin, delicate skin. A novice gardener needs to know the nuances of growing a crop – from the moment it is placed in the ground to wintering. Properly planting a pear is necessary for its health and better fruiting. Plant immunity, growth and yield depend on this.

When to plant a pear

Pear planting time varies by region. In the south, it is preferable to do this in the fall: a young tree will not suffer from heat, soil moisture and temperature conditions contribute to the rapid development of the root system and, accordingly, better survival of the seedling. In cold regions – in Siberia, in the Urals, a pear is planted in the spring. Frosts without snow cover are often there, and during winter planting, a tree can completely freeze out. From spring to winter, the plant will take root well and it will be easier for it to survive frosts. In the middle lane, the gardener has the opportunity to choose when to plant a pear – in autumn or spring. Both landing options are applicable subject to precautions. In the first case, a young tree needs careful shelter from the cold and rodents, in the second, regular soil moisture and protection from sunburn.

How to plant a pear in spring: a step by step guide

It is better to purchase planting material in the fall, at this time the choice of varieties and types of pears is wider. In this case, you need to choose seedlings with a closed root system. Before spring planting, pears must be stored:

• dig in the garden – dig a trench, water abundantly, install seedlings and cover with earth to the middle of the trunk;
• dip the roots in a clay mash, wrap in polyethylene and put in the cellar.

Buying seedlings in autumn is also preferable because they are dug up in nurseries during this season. In the spring it is difficult to determine how they were stored all winter.

Where to plant a pear on the site

The pear is extremely demanding on lighting – even in partial shade it will not bloom and bear fruit. The site should be closed from strong winds; for this, trees should be planted around in 2-3 rows. A pear can be planted on gentle slopes – southern, southwestern and western are suitable. Lowlands, where cold air and water stagnate, are unsuitable for pears. The root system of the tree grows deep, it is important that the groundwater lies at a distance of 3-4 m from the surface of the earth.

The soil for planting pears requires light, loose and nutritious – soddy, soddy-podzolic, light loamy, sandy loam. Well, if a lake or a pond is located nearby, the reservoir creates a microclimate favorable for the pear orchard. You also need to take into account the neighborhood: the pear grows well next to the apple tree and mountain ash, does not get along well with stone fruits, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, walnuts, lilacs, viburnum.

Site preparation

The site for planting pears should be prepared 1-2 years before planting. The soil is cultivated deeply, moving the top, fertile layer down, and the bottom – up. Add mineral and organic fertilizers. 1 m² 100-150 g of superphosphate, 30-40 g of potassium chloride are added, if the acidity is high, lime is added (the required pH level is ̶ 5,0-6,5).

From organic matter, manure (6-8 kg) or compost (7-10 kg) should be applied. On nutrient-rich chernozems, the amount of these fertilizers should be halved. For better pollination and fruiting in one area, you will need to plant 2-3 pear trees.

Preparing a pear seedling for planting in spring

When purchasing pear seedlings before planting, preference should be given to zoned varieties grown in local nurseries and sold in specialized outlets. Their age should not exceed 3 years. It is believed that in the south it is better to plant annual trees. A young plant with a height of no more than 1,5 m with 3-5 lateral branches or developed buds receives the least trauma to the roots and takes root more easily. It is easier for him to form a crown.

When choosing a pear seedling, you need to inspect the trunk, it should not be damaged or uneven. In a healthy plant, the roots are elastic, flexible, without spots, white at the cut site. Before planting, they should be cut, leaving 3-5 large ones 10 cm long, and a sufficient number of small ones. It is also useful to withstand the roots for 12 hours in water with the addition of “Heteroauxin”, “Epin” or another root formation stimulant. You can make a slurry of clay and manure and dip the roots into it. If the plant was sold with a clod of earth on the roots, you do not need to remove it. In the spring, you should purchase a pear seedling at rest – with unblown buds. It is not necessary to shorten the trunk when planting, recent studies indicate that this operation impairs rooting.

How to plant a pear tree in spring

The best time for planting pears in open ground in spring is the last decade of April. Work must be done in cloudy weather. A hole 1 m wide and 0,7 m deep is prepared for a pear. This should be done at least a week in advance, ideally in the fall (the soil should be given time to sit down). They form drainage from crushed stone, make a pillow of sand, pour 20 liters of water, wait for complete absorption. Then 2-3 buckets of prepared fertile soil are poured out: the earth is mixed with humus, ash, 200 g of superphosphate and 150 g of potash fertilizer are added. Be sure to drive a stake into the center to tie the tree. The seedling is not buried, the root neck should be flush with the soil surface. When filling up the ground, the seedling should be slightly pulled up – this will help to avoid the formation of voids. Pear planting is watered abundantly. After subsidence of the soil, the voids are filled and compacted by trampling the foot around the trunk. Mulching with peat, rotted manure, vegetable humus, sawdust is beneficial for retaining moisture in the roots, and provides additional nutrition to the plant. It is unacceptable to introduce fresh manure, this will cause a burn of the roots. The frequency of watering the pear after planting is 3-4 times a week.

How far apart should pears be planted?

Planting density is an important point when growing pears. Their longevity, the time of fruiting, the quality of the crop, and partly winter hardiness depend on the correct placement in the garden. The distance between trees during planting depends on the type of pear: vigorous plants should be 3,5-4 m apart in a row and 5-7 m between rows, undersized plants should be 1,5 m and 4-5 m, respectively. Proper tree placement is essential to ensure adequate nutrition and lighting. Many gardeners prefer to plant columnar varieties of pears due to their compact size. Between such trees, a distance of 1 m will be sufficient.

Transplanting a pear to a new place in the spring

You can replant trees under the age of 15 years. This should be done as delicately as possible, the stress for the plant should be minimal. To extract a pear from the soil, the trunk is dug in within a radius of 70 cm, an earthen lump is formed. All roots sticking out of the coma are cut off, the tree is placed for an hour in a container with clean water. The timing and methodology are the same as for the spring planting of a seedling. After transplantation, the crown of a tree older than 3 years must be cut off so that the young pear gives all its strength to rooting. The plant needs to be watered every 2 weeks, apply nitrogen, phosphorus, potash fertilizers.

How to plant a pear tree in summer

Planting pears in the summer is not recommended. The tree does not tolerate heat and drought, immunity decreases, it becomes more vulnerable to infections and pests. If, nevertheless, there was a need to plant a pear in the summer, it should be a seedling with a closed root system. A clod of earth should be abundantly moistened, then plant a tree in a prepared hole. The trunk must be whitewashed, and the near-stem circle must be mulched.

Landing features in different regions

Differences in the principles of pear cultivation in different regions are associated with climatic conditions that determine the choice of variety, planting time, regularity of watering, harvest time and preparation for winter.

How to plant a pear in the Moscow region

The climate of the Moscow region is characterized by hot summers, cold winters and early first frosts. Frost-resistant varieties of early and medium ripening are preferred. It is undesirable to plant winter types of pears here, their fruits freeze before they have time to ripen. The most popular pear varieties for planting in the spring in the Moscow region are Dalikor, Carmen, Lyubimitsa Yakovleva, Medovaya, Tenderness, Severyanka, Bessemyanka, Rossoshanskaya beauty. The crop is planted in April-May or September-October.

How to plant a pear in Siberia

As a result of 100 years of breeding work, Soviet and agronomists have developed pear varieties that can grow and bear fruit in the northern regions of the Federation. They are adapted to long winters, severe frosts, short summers and daylight hours. The best varieties for Siberia are Perun, Svarog, Lel, Kupava, Severyanka, Lukashovka, Isetskaya juicy, Skorospelka Sverdlovskaya, Tayozhnaya. They are characterized by high productivity, early ripening and immunity to a number of diseases. In Siberia, pear trees are planted in the spring, after the danger of return frosts has passed. Seedlings dug out in autumn are stored in basements, not in a pit. A layer of logs is laid at the bottom of deep planting pits, which protect the roots from deep cold, then a drainage layer, and only then – a nutrient soil mixture.

How to care for a pear after planting

Care for a young pear after planting consists in regular watering, weeding and loosening of tree trunks, fertilizing. It is a practice to prune a tree immediately after planting in order to facilitate its root development. However, there is an opinion, confirmed by research, that the presence of a developed aerial part contributes to more active root growth, while pruning, on the contrary, slows it down. This is due to the fact that the rate and quality of pear rooting after planting are determined by the needs of the green mass.

Watering pear trees in spring

After planting, a pear seedling needs frequent moderate watering to speed up the engraftment process. Preferably drip irrigation of the entire tree through special sprayers. If there is no such device, grooves 10 cm deep are brought to the trunk circle, through which the required amount of water is poured in several stages (at least 2 buckets per 1 plant). The frequency of watering should be commensurate with weather conditions – the pear does not tolerate stagnant moisture in the roots. With its excess, the immunity and winter hardiness of the tree worsens, the root system rots, which can lead to the death of the plant.

Loosening and weeding

Regular loosening is necessary to ensure oxygen access to the roots of the pear after planting. It is recommended to dig the near-stem circle onto a half-bayonet of a shovel the next day after watering – this will help to avoid the appearance of a crust on the soil surface. Timely removal of root shoots and weeds contributes to the economical use of nutrients contained in the ground.

Additional fertilizing

During the engraftment period after planting, the pear must be fed. The intensive growth of shoots and stems is facilitated by the introduction of ammonium, calcium and potassium nitrate, urea, chloride and ammonium sulfate into the soil. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers strengthen the root system, serve to prevent diseases. Organic and biological top dressings (EM – effective microorganisms) stimulate the development of soil microflora, increasing soil fertility. Popular drugs are Baikal-EM-1, Radiance, Gutamat, Gumasol, Vermisol. It is possible to enrich the soil after planting a pear with the waste products of domestic animals and birds, plant residues, and other organic waste. Traditionally applied:

• bird droppings: fresh – diluted in a ratio of 1:20, rotted – 1:3;
• manure: rotted – make 2 buckets for each plant, fresh – dilute 1:20;
• compost – 2 buckets per 1 m²;
• bottom peat – 3-4 kg per 1 m²;
• eggshell – 0,2 kg per 1 m²;
• ash – 0,7 kg per 1 m²;
• yeast – 10g per 10 liters of water.

During the entire growing season, the pear should be fed once every 2-3 weeks. Before fertilizing, you need to determine its acidity. Carbamide, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate are used on calcareous and neutral media, calcium and sodium nitrate – on acid ones. Before adding superphosphates, acidic soil must be limed.

Protection against diseases and pests

Spring processing of pears from diseases and pests is an important component in pear care. High-quality protection against insects and microorganisms is necessary for tree health, proper development, frost resistance, fruiting and productivity. Spraying with chemical or biological preparations in the first year after planting is carried out in April and May. The entire aerial part of the plant and the near-stem circle are subjected to processing. Solutions of Bordeaux mixture, copper sulphate, copper oxychloride, colloidal sulfur are effective against pear fungi. Spraying with insecticides (Karbofos, Aktellik, Fufanon) and biological products (Fitoverm, Akarin, Entobacterin, Dentrobacellin) are effective against pests.

Preparation for winter

Young pears are not yet strong enough, have reduced frost resistance, and therefore need special protection. Pre-winter care consists of several operations:

1. The root zone needs to be dug up, its diameter expanded to 1 m. This is necessary to protect the root system from excessive pressure of precipitation, if they are abundant.
2. Whitewashing the trunk – disinfects the bole, helps to more easily endure temperature changes, avoid sunburn and the formation of microcracks on the bark. The composition for whitewashing is simple – dilute 2 kg of lime and 1,5 kg of clay in a bucket of water.
3. Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers will give the plant the strength to endure the winter. Nitrogen fertilizers are excluded in the fall. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are applied in the amount of 1 tbsp. l per 1 m².
4. Watering is carried out until frost.
5. The soil around the trunk is carefully covered with mulch.
6. The trunk is wrapped with a fine, strong mesh to protect against rodents.
7. Branches are tied to the trunk so that they do not break under the weight of snow.
8. By the onset of frost, the tree must be covered.

What year does a pear bear fruit after planting

The start time of pear fruiting depends on the characteristics of the variety. There are varieties that begin to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting, and there are those from which the harvest will have to wait 10-15 years. When purchasing a seedling in a nursery, you need to ask when to expect the first fruits. The exception is columnar plants – the first harvest from them is harvested in the second year. The timing of fruiting is affected by the quality of the soil, compliance with the rules of planting and care, damage caused by pests.

Conclusion

The ability to properly plant a pear is a whole science that involves knowledge of many nuances. From competent planting, it largely depends on whether the seedling will grow into a strong, stably fruiting tree. In the first year, the pear is especially vulnerable to diseases and pests, it is difficult to tolerate changes in humidity and temperature, it has low frost resistance and therefore needs careful care. Subject to all the rules of agricultural technology, the seedling will take root safely and in due time will please the first harvest.