Pear - watering pear tree

Content:

• Pear tree origin
• Pear tree care and location
• Pruning a pear tree
• Fertilizing pear trees
• Watering pear tree

Pear tree origin

The culture pear (Pyrus communis L.) belongs to the rose family and originates from various West Asian and European wild pears as well as from the domestic wood pear.
It was already cultivated in Greece around 1000 BC. The Romans took over the culture and with the end of the Roman period its cultivation declined. From 600 AD onwards, monasteries and nobles began to cultivate it again.
In ancient Greece it was dedicated to the goddess Hera. It symbolizes love, fertility and growth.
Unlike apple trees, pear trees live relatively long. There are specimens in Germany that are estimated to be 180 years old.

Like almost all fruit trees, pears need a pollinator with the same flowering period nearby. The flowers are pollinated by bees and bumblebees.
The flowers are white and light pink and appear in April and May. The leaves are dark green, oval to egg-shaped and covered in felty hairs on both sides with a finely serrated edge.
Pear fruits are greenish-yellow or brownish and vary in shape and ripening time. Depending on the variety, they ripen between July and October. The flesh is softer and sweeter than that of an apple. Most pear varieties should be eaten or processed immediately after harvest. Some autumn and winter varieties, however, require longer storage until they are soft and their aroma has developed.

Pear tree care and location

Pears prefer sunny, warm, and sheltered locations. Planting in front of a house wall facing east or south in humus-rich and moist soil is ideal. Pear trees are naturally deep-rooted and can utilize water from deeper layers. The taproot typically reaches a depth of about 10 meters. However, many cultivated varieties have been grafted onto other trees, which, depending on the rootstock, can also produce shallow-rooted trees.

Pruning pear trees

To promote new shoots, pear trees are pruned between January and April from geschnittenAfter flowering, dry and inward-growing branches are removed. Water suckers and branches competing with the central branch are also removed. This thinning process makes the tree more productive.

Do you need to fertilize pear trees?

To better retain moisture and activate soil life, mulching with compost, bark mulch or lawn clippings is recommended.

Standard and semi-standard varieties with strong, deep roots usually do not require Fertilizer. With shallow-rooted varieties, the absorption of nutrients is lower, so fertilization is advisable. By creating a tree ring, the tree can absorb nutrients well. The area should be kept free of weeds.

Here you can find more information about Fertilizing trees. 

Water pear trees properly!

The most important care measure in the first years after planting is proper wateringYoung pear trees need plenty of water to develop strong roots, leaves, and fruit. Young trees generally require more supplemental water than mature trees. In addition, increasing drought and rising temperatures cause stress in trees. Depending on the location and climate, more frequent watering may be necessary than in previous years.
During dry periods, only a few new shoots are formed and the young plants suffer from the lack of water.

Pear trees should be watered once a week from spring to autumn. They like moist soil without waterlogging so that the Drip irrigation with a baumbad irrigation bag is optimal. With conventional watering, only a fraction of the water poured is absorbed directly by the tree. Large amounts of water only penetrate the surface of the soil and evaporate again. With tree bath watering bags, water is released drop by drop to the tree through two small holes over a period of several hours. This ensures that the soil is evenly moistened so that the roots can absorb the water well.
With a tree bath watering bag you not only save time and money, but also protect the trees in the long term and sustainably.
The bag is placed around the tree trunk like a jacket, closed with a zipper and filled with water.

Young pear trees should be watered with 75 to 100 liters per watering. Larger trees should be watered with 150 to 200 liters of water per watering during dry weather periods.