How To Grow Pears / RHS Gardening

Newly planted pear trees and those growing in containers need some regular attention to ensure they establish well and produce a good crop. Once established, trees growing in the ground need very little ongoing maintenance.

Watering

• Newly planted pear trees should be watered regularly during dry spells for the first couple of years after planting
• Trees in containers need a steady supply of moisture throughout the growing season, so water regularly in dry spells, aiming to keep the compost Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. evenly moist
• Established treesin the ground shouldn't need watering, except during very dry spells when the fruit is starting to swell

Try to water early in the morning or late in the evening to minimise water loss from the soil, ideally using stored rainwater.

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Mulching

Mulch Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings. pear trees growing in the ground each spring, spreading a thick layer of organic matter, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, on the soil around the base of the trees. This helps improve soil fertility, reduce moisture loss and suppress weeds. Just make sure to leave a small mulch-free circle immediately around the base of the trunk to prevent rotting.

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Feeding

Pear trees growing in regularly mulched soil shouldn't need any additional feeding. However if harvests are particularly poor, or your tree is showing signs of nutrient deficiency, apply a granular fertiliser to the soil in early spring. Use our page on nutrient deficiencies to work out what is lacking and apply the recommended feed, following instructions on the packet.

Pears growing in containers benefit from regular feeding. Either apply an organic, high potassium liquid fertiliser every fortnight through the growing season, or sprinkle a handful of a granular, general-purpose fertiliser onto the compost Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. each spring.

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Repotting

Container-grown trees need repotting every few years into a larger container of peat-free compost Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. ; this is best done in spring. Once it becomes impractical to move the tree to a larger pot, repot into the same one, removing and replacing any loose compost and lightly trimming the roots.In the years between repotting, topdress by removing the top layer of compost and replacing with fresh.

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Fruit thinning

Pear trees naturally shed excess young fruits in early summer, known as the June drop. However, if your tree is still carrying a heavy crop by mid-summer, it can be beneficial to remove some of the overcrowded fruits. This may seem like a shame, but it helps to ensure the remaining fruit develop and ripen well and limits stress on the tree, reducing the likelihood of biennial bearing.

It is easiest to thin out fruits on trained pear trees – with these, reduce the crop to one fruit per cluster, 10–15cm (4–6in) apart. On free-standing pear trees, if you can reach the fruits, thin them to two fruits per cluster, 10–15cm (4–6in) apart.

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