How to Enjoy Better Pear Production This Year
By Admin • February 10, 2019
Who doesn't love a juicy pear? Having a pear tree in your yard allows you to enjoy this luscious fruit at its freshest, but sadly, many homeowners are displeased with unproductive pear trees. If your pear tree has been producing few or no pears, don't dismay. Here are a few steps you can take to improve pear production this next growing season.
1. Mulch Around the Tree
Mulch has a number of benefits that help improve tree health and boost pear production. Mulch helps to:
- Protect the tree's roots from changes in temperature
- Trap moisture in the soil
- Reduce weed growth
- Impart nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients into the soil
Although wood chips are the most common type of mulch, you can really use any organic material as mulch. Pine needles, chopped leaves, and even grass clippings are suitable. Straw works really well for pear trees.
If your trees are not currently mulched, wait until the ground warms up, around June, to apply mulch for the first time. Be careful not to push the mulch directly against the tree trunk, as this can lead to rot.
2. Water Your Pear Tree
Many homeowners assume that once a pear tree is established, it does not require watering, since the roots are deep enough to extract water from far beneath the ground's surface. But this is not always the case. Pear trees are quite sensitive to watering, or a lack thereof, and a dry spell with little rain can reduce fruit production if you don't supply some supplemental water.
To water a mature pear tree, apply the water to the drip line, which is the imaginary circle created beneath the tree's outermost branches. Let the water flow slowly, but for several hours. Your goal is for the moisture to travel down 24 inches, which is where a mature tree's roots typically end.
3. Have the Tree Pruned
Pear trees that are never pruned do not grow well, and they don't generate new, fresh branches to bear fruit. Un-pruned trees are also more likely to suffer broken branches, and broken branches put them at risk for infections that can reduce fruit production.
The best time to have your pear tree pruned is in late winter while the tree is still dormant. There are a lot of intricacies involved with trimming a pear tree, so consider hiring an expert rather than attempting this maintenance yourself.
4. Spray the Tree
You may avoid spraying your tree because you want to grow your pears as naturally as possible. However, if your pear production is lacking or your pears are riddled with spots, you may have to resort to fungicide and insecticide sprays to boost production. Start spraying the tree in early spring, before the buds break, and continue spraying it approximately every 10 days until harvest.
5. Plant a Pollinating Partner
In order to produce fruit, the flowers on your pear tree must be pollinated with pollen from a different pear tree. If there are pear trees down the road or across town, your pear tree may be receiving some pollen from them — but you can boost pear production by planing a second pear tree, known as a pollinating partner, in your own yard. A pollinating partner won't improve tree health, per say, but it will improve fruit production.
Not all pear varieties pollinate each other well. If you know what type of pear tree you have, you can visit a local nursery and ask them to recommend a good pollinating partner. Here are a few examples of good pear tree pairings:
- Bartlett and Anjou
- Bartlett and Bosc
- D'Anjou and Comice
- D'Anjou and Seckel
- Comice and Bosc
- Comice and Bartlett
- Seckel and Comice
With the tips above, you can enjoy more pears than ever this coming year. Schedule your pruning appointment soon before temperatures start rising. Contact County Tree Service
if you're looking for a tree care service in the St. Louis area.
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