Pear tree: care, calendar, diseases
Everything to care for a home pear tree: when to prune, graft, spot diseases, and ensure pollination.
pear tree care calendar
| Period | Task |
|---|---|
| February | Do the winter pruning if the weather allows |
| March | Add mature compost without touching the trunk |
| May | Keep watch on leaves, young shoots and fruit |
| September | Check ripeness and organise the harvest |
pear tree pollination
The pear tree is usually self-sterile: it needs another variety of pear tree, flowering at the same time, nearby. Learn more about pollination.
Pruning and grafting the pear tree
Prune
- Keep the short growths that carry the fruit.
- Avoid shortening all the branches in the same way.
- Gradually remove badly placed branches.
Graft
- The pear tree is usually grafted onto pear or certain compatible quinces.
- Check variety–rootstock compatibility before grafting.
- Watch for suckers below the graft point.
Some combinations with quince need a compatible interstem.
pear tree diseases and pests
Brown rot possibleThe browning and the pads on the fruit are consistent with a rot that spreads mainly throu…Scab possibleOlive-brown spots on leaves and fruit are consistent with apple or pear scab.…Aphids likelySmall insects, curled leaves and sticky honeydew point to an aphid attack.…Fire blightA serious bacterial disease of apple, pear and quince trees: shoots blacken as if burnt an…Apple and pear cankerSunken bark wounds with concentric ridges: the fungus slowly kills the branch.…Codling moth (apple, pear or walnut fruit worm)A caterpillar tunnels to the fruit's core: a small entry hole plugged with frass, fruits r…Chlorosis (deficiency, often iron)Leaves yellow between veins that stay green, mainly on young shoots: not a contagious dise…Scale insectsSmall fixed bumps on the bark or stems, sticky honeydew and a black deposit (sooty mould):…Collar rot (Phytophthora)A dark ooze at the base of the trunk and general decline: a soil fungus attacks the collar…Water stress (lack of water)Dry leaf edges, soft foliage in the heat and early leaf drop: the tree is short of water, …Pear rustBright orange spots on top of the leaves, with small brown outgrowths underneath: a rust f…Woolly apple aphidWhite cottony clusters on bark and twigs, with swellings: an aphid protected by woolly wax…
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