Pear

Tree facts

Scientific name

Pyrus spp.

Origin

Europe and western Asia (European pears); China, Korea and Japan (Asian pears)

Tree size

15–30 ft; 10–15 ft on dwarfing rootstock or with pruning

Growth rate

Medium

Sun

Full sun

Soil

Tolerates heavier, wetter soil than most fruit trees, but grows best in deep, well-drained loam

Soil pH

6.0–7.0

Pollination

Most need a second compatible cultivar blooming at the same time; plant two

Cold hardiness

Dormant trees are very hardy (European pears well below 0°F); late frosts can kill the blossoms

USDA zones

4–9 (low-chill hybrids into 9b)

Years to first fruit

3–6

Season

Jul–Sep

Water

About every 10 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young

Feeding

About every 120 days, Mar–May

Pruning

Jan–Feb

Taste

European pears are buttery and sweet when ripened off the tree; Asian pears are crisp, very juicy and mild; sand pear hybrids are firm and slightly gritty

Nutrition

Good fiber (much of it in the skin), vitamin C and potassium

Is pear safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

• Ripe fruit, raw or cooked, skin included

Toxic parts and cautions

• Take care: Pear seeds contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide when crushed or chewed. A few swallowed whole seeds are harmless, but don't eat chewed seeds in quantity or blend whole cores into juices and smoothies.

Pets: Ripe flesh is fine for dogs and horses in small amounts. Seeds, leaves and stems contain cyanogenic compounds and are a risk to dogs, cats and horses, so remove the core.

How to eat and enjoy pear

• Fresh, with cheese
• Poached in wine or spiced syrup
• Pear preserves and pear honey from sand pears, a Southern tradition
• Grated Asian pear in Korean bulgogi marinade
• Tarts, crisps and baked pears
• Canned pears

Pear varieties (10)

• 20th Century · also Nijisseiki, Twentieth Century

  A classic smooth-skinned, yellow-green Asian pear, crisp and refreshingly juicy.

  Origin: Japan, 1888 · Taste: Crisp, juicy, mildly sweet · Season: Aug–Sep · Size: Medium

  Thin the young fruit hard or it stays small.

• Bartlett · also Williams, Williams pear

  The classic European pear: juicy and buttery-sweet, for eating fresh and canning.

  Origin: England, 1700s · Taste: Sweet, buttery, aromatic · Season: Aug–Sep · Size: Medium to large

  Needs about 800 chill hours, so it won't fruit in most of Florida. Very prone to fire blight in the humid South.

• Flordahome

  A low-chill UF pear bred to pair with Hood, with juicy, crisp fruit best eaten soon after picking or cooked.

  Origin: Florida (UF) · Taste: Juicy, mild · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Medium

  About 150–200 chill hours. Hood and Flordahome pollinate each other.

• Hood

  A large, early, low-chill pear that's among the best for Central and South Florida, crisp and mild when fresh.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Mild, sweet, slightly gritty · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Large

  About 150–200 chill hours. Plant with Flordahome or Pineapple for pollination.

• Kieffer

  A tough, heavy-bearing European × Asian pear hybrid grown across the South for well over a century, mainly for canning and preserves.

  Origin: Pennsylvania, 1860s · Taste: Coarse, firm, mildly sweet · Season: Sep–Oct · Size: Medium to large

  About 350–500 chill hours. Resistant to fire blight and partly self-fertile.

• Moonglow

  A soft, juicy European-type pear bred for fire blight resistance.

  Origin: Maryland (USDA), 1960 · Taste: Sweet, juicy, mild · Season: Aug–Sep · Size: Medium to large

  About 700 chill hours; for the upper South.

• Orient

  A large, round, russeted sand pear hybrid with firm flesh, excellent for canning.

  Taste: Firm, mild · Season: Aug–Sep · Size: Large

  About 350 chill hours; suited to North Florida and the Gulf Coast. Resistant to fire blight.

• Pineapple

  An old Southern sand pear with a faint pineapple flavor, prized for canning, preserves and baking.

  Taste: Firm, mildly sweet, pineapple-like · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Medium to large

  Low chill, about 150–200 hours. Pollinate with Hood or Flordahome.

• Shinko

  A golden-russet Asian pear with rich, sweet, crisp flesh.

  Origin: Japan · Taste: Sweet, rich, crisp · Season: Aug–Sep · Size: Medium to large

  One of the more fire-blight-resistant Asian pears.

• Warren

  A green European pear with a russet blush and smooth, buttery flesh, valued in the South for dessert quality plus strong fire blight resistance.

  Origin: Mississippi, 1970s · Taste: Sweet, buttery, smooth · Season: Aug–Sep · Size: Medium to large

  About 600 chill hours.

Pests and diseases to watch for

• Fire blight

  Blossoms and shoot tips turn black as if scorched; shoot tips bend into a shepherd's crook.

  What to do: Prune infected shoots 8–12 inches below the damage in dry weather, disinfecting tools between cuts.

• Scale insects

  Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

  What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

• Mealybugs

  White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

  What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

• Aphids

  Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

  What to do: Spray off with water.

• Sooty mold

  Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

  What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

• Spider mites

  Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

  What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.