Order Your Almanac Today!

How to Grow Pears: The Complete Guide

Botanical Name
Pyrus
Plant Type
Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Pears

Catherine Boeckmann
Print Friendly and PDF

Biting into a juicy pear is one of life’s joys. Growing pears is generally easier than growing apples, as they have fewer pest and disease issues. They are easy to fit into small yard spaces, too! Learn more about planting pear trees in your backyard.

When growing pears, note that two cultivars are generally needed for successful pollination and fruit set. Most pear trees are not self-pollinating. You can also grow pears in containers—and plant them at any time of the year. Make sure you purchase pears specifically bred for containers.

Be aware that pears can take a few years or more to begin flowering and bear fruit. But once they start producing, pear trees are prolific and long-lasting!

There are many different types of pears; some are best eaten raw, and some are best for cooking. Learn more about pear varieties in this guide!

Read Next

Planting

  • Plant pear trees in early spring. Order bare root plants in midwinter so that they arrive in time.
  • You’ll need full sun for the best fruit set, fertile, well-draining soil, and good air circulation.
  • If you live in the dry western regions, you should choose fire blight–resistant types and rootstocks.
  • Plan to plant at least two varieties of pear trees, as they will need to be cross-pollinated to produce fruit. Make sure the varieties are compatible with each other.
  • Space standard-size trees 20 to 25 feet apart. Space dwarf trees 12 to 15 feet apart.
  • For container-grown trees, remove the plant from its pot and remove any circling roots by laying the root ball on its side and using shears to cut through the roots.
  • For grafted trees, position the inside of the curve of the graft union away from the sun when planting.
  • Dig a hole that is a few inches deeper and wider than the spread of the roots. Set the tree on top of a small mound of soil in the middle of the hole. Be sure to spread the roots away from the trunk without excessively bending them. Do not add fertilizer or topsoil to the hole.

Check out our video to learn more about how to plant a bare–rooted fruit tree. 

Growing

  • Water the young trees well during dry spells to help establish the roots.
  • Apply a small amount of fertilizer early in the year. Add 1/8-pound of ammonium nitrate per tree multiplied by the number of years the tree has been set in moderately fertile soil. If you have highly fertile soil, use less fertilizer.
  • If the leaves are pale green or yellowish during the summer, use a little more fertilizer the following year.
  • If the tree grows more than 12 inches in one season, use less fertilizer the next year.
  • Be very careful when applying fertilizer! If you give your trees too much nitrogen, they will become more susceptible to fire blight and also may focus too much energy on producing foliage instead of flowers and fruit.

Pruning Pear Trees

  • Prune annually to keep the tree healthy. Generally, prune lightly to keep the trees looking their best and productive.
  • For dwarf trees, prune them to a central leader system.
  • Standard-size trees can be pruned to either a central leader system or a modified leader system, which is easier to maintain.
  • The central leader system features a central trunk with branches that spiral out every 5 to 8 inches, making sure that no branch is directly above another. The training for such a system begins in the early summer of the first year when you should remove any shoots that form within 18 inches of the ground. The end result should resemble a Christmas tree.
  • Use spreaders to help shape the branches of the trees. These help the branches to spread outward rather than upward. When the branches are small, you can use clothespins to push the branches away from the main trunk. For bigger branches, use wooden slats with a “V” shape notched into each end.
  • Remember to thin the fruit as well, leaving about 6 inches between each cluster of fruit per branch.
  • After your trees are established, water them regularly.

Types

  • ‘Bartlett’, which is the standard choice for pear trees. This tree type is average-size and produces medium to large fruits. These pears ripen to a yellow color. However, this variety is very vulnerable to fire blight.
  • ‘Kieffer’, which is resistant to fire blight. This type produces medium fruit and can be used in canning.
  • ‘Anjou’, which produces light-green fruit with a sweet flavor. This type is a good choice for late-blooming pears. Good for canning and fresh use. This type can store for up to 6 months with little loss in quality.

Harvesting

  • Harvest pears when they are mature but still hard. Ripen the pears at room temperature for the best quality fruits.
  • Mature pear trees produce a lot of fruit in a short window of time. Be prepared!
  • To store pears, pick them when they are fully grown but still very hard. You can keep them in the refrigerator; they should last for about 1 week. You can also keep them in containers in a cool (about 40°F), dark place; they should keep for 1 to 2 months.
  • You can also can the pears for longer storage.
Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

Wit and Wisdom

Pick pears when the fruit has a faint yellow blush but is still green.

Drop peeled pears in cold, lightly salted water, and they won’t turn brown.

Recipes

Open-Face Pear-Fig Pie
Individual Pear Cranberry Crisps
Hazelnut Shortcakes with Honeyed Pears
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

More Like This

Comments

Bon (not verified)

7 years 9 months ago

Hi, I was wonder if you have any suggestions for me. My pear tree is about 15 ft high, it used to produce too much fruit for us. Then last year it did not produce a single fruit, this year they made like half inch fruits and then they all fell off the tree. I've noticed rust spots in all the leaves. What should I do?

A common reason that fruit trees fail to bear fruit is the lack of pollinator/pollination.

Another is excessive vigor: trees spend all their energy growing, not producing fruit because they have been over-fertilized (especially too heavy on the nitrogen) and too heavily pruned.

A late-season frost could be the cause of lack of fruit production. Flowers are very sensitive to temps; temps below 29 degrees F will prevent fruit formation. Even a very cold (minus 15 degrees F) winter spell can deter fruit formation.

Rust spots on/in the leaves is a signs of rust fungus (Gymnosporangium sabinae). Is your tree near a juniper tree (even one on a neighbor’s property)? This fungus needs both pear and juniper to survive; each are hosts. Separation recommendations range from 100 to 1000 feet; it’s that wide spread because it’s that little understood! Apparently care involves elimination of the galls/swellings on any/all juniper hosts before April 1—but the pear may have branch or twig galls as well that harbor the fungus through the winter.

This condition may be something you want to consult a tree expert about.

Ray (not verified)

8 years ago

Hi, I have a Bartlett Pear about 25-30 years old. Got out of hand cut back about 1/3. So far so good usually fruits so we shall see, did get flowers. 2 questions. What is best general spray to use. And you say you need 2 pear trees to pollinate. We only have one, except for many Bradford pears. Also have apple, peach and cherry which I spray with Biodine, which says not for pears. Thanks!

Bartlett pear trees are partially self-fertile; they perform better with a pollination partner of a different variety nearby. d’Anjou, Bosc, and Comice are good partners. It’s not clear what you mean re the Bradford pears. Whatever luck you have had may be due to the presence of the other fruit trees; we can not confirm that at this time and you might consider consulting your local cooperative extension (see here http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services  ) or a local nursery.

BONIDE is the spray to which you refer (Biodine is something else), and it appears from the label that it should not be used on pears, as you suggest; pear trees are not listed on the label. It appears from our research that pears require frequent spraying of organic oils. You can see a proposed schedule here: https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource005256_Rep7402.pdf (This is from the University of New Hampshire cooperative extension service. Using the link above you can find the service nearest you and see if they suggest other options for your area.)

Theresa (not verified)

8 years 1 month ago

Thank you for responding. I planted a Bartlett pear per your advice. Both pear tress are about 50 feet apart. Is that close enough for pollination? When does the fruit typically ripen in zone 6b? Do I need to pull and ripen fruit off the tree?

Many sources say that the two standard-size pear trees that bloom at the same time should be within a 50-foot distance for pollination. Dwarf trees are closer (about 15 to 20 feet). Ayres pears, which are for Zones 6 to 8, ripen late July to early August. Pears don’t ripen on the tree! They need to be picked before ripening or they’ll be mealy. It’s a bit of an art to know when to pick pears. The best way to tell if a pear is ready to harvest is by taking the fruit in your hand and tilting it horizontally (as opposed to its natural vertical hanging position). The mature fruit will easily come away from the branch at this angle . If it is not yet ready for picking, it will hold on to the branch.

Theresa (not verified)

8 years 1 month ago

Last year I planted an ayers semi dwarf pear tree in my backyard. We have ornimental aristocrat pear trees lining our sidewalk outside our yard. Will these ornimentals pollinate the ayers? Or do I need to plant another fruit bearing pear tree? If so, what type is best to plant to assure pollination with the auers?

We love the Ayres pear. Their fruit has a lovely smooth and very sweet flavor. The blooms are partially self-pollinating, but better crops will develop pollinating with another high chill variety like Bartlett or Blake’s Pride. In terms of your ornamental Asian pear, the question is whether the bloom time is overlapping. Generally, Asian pears are early bloomers and European pears are mid-season bloomers. Btw, those Asian pears lining your sidewalk are invasives and we’d discourage new plantings of this tree: http://mc-iris.org/callery-pear–a-bad-bad-plant-with-pretty-flowers.html

James Burns (not verified)

8 years 2 months ago

I currently have Simi Ayers, Bartlett, Keifer and Moon Glow trees. One of them blooms much earlier than the other. As in mid Feb. Flowers are gone and it's in full leaf by the time the other trees wake up. My chart says it's my Kiefer but my chart must be wrong. It must be the Bartlett but I'm not sure. Any thought about a very early blooming tree that I don't already have that I can use as a pollinator for whoever the early one is?

It all sounds lovely and promising, James—and more than we are qualified or experienced to help with. We suggest that you talk to someone in your area and recommend your local cooperative extension. Click on your state here for locations near you: http://www.almanac.com/search/site/cooperative%20extension The folks at these centers are extremely knowledgeable and well-connected.

best wishes!