Site Selection and Soil Preparation

Our remarks on site and soil selection for apples (see Orchard Establishment) apply equally to pears. Maintain pear blocks in permanent sod cover. Use herbicides to keep grass and weeds away from tree trunks.

Pears are considered self-unfruitful under eastern United States conditions. Cross-pollination should be provided to ensure commercial crops. There is one case of incompatibility in pear varieties—the Bartlett-Seckel combination. If these two are planted, a third variety is needed to ensure commercial crops. Both Magness and Waite are pollen sterile. D’Anjou, Bosc, Highland, Flemish Beauty, and Clapps Favorite are excellent pollinators.

For chemical thinning, apply Amid-Thin W (NAAm) at 25 ppm during the period from petal fall to 7 days after full bloom. This schedule is particularly satisfactory for Bartlett and Bosc. Do not use later than 7 days after full bloom, or small, misshapen fruit will result.

Fire blight susceptibility may be increased by excessive nitrogen. Shoot growth over 18 inches annually indicates excessive nitrogen. It is recommended that no more than 0.01 pound of actual nitrogen per tree per year of age be applied annually up to 15 years old. After that, do not apply more than 0.225 pound of actual nitrogen per tree regardless of its age.