Pears
Pyrus communis

Commercially grown pears are normally toughed skinned, under ripened fruits, because they suffer less damage during transportation in this state, pears naturally ripened in your garden will have a far superior flavour. There are numerous desert varieties which have sweeter, juicier, more succulent flesh which you rarely find in supermarkets because they damage easy and have a shorter shelf life. Pears are commonly grafted onto the Quince root stock, the helps them crop earlier and helps to reduce the size of the tree.
Pears can be trained into many shapes, bush, dwarf pyramid, central leader and in cooler areas a wall trained espalier would be suitable.
As well as producing tasty crops, the pears foliage being silvery green in colour, makes an attractive garden feature.
Pears can be divided into three groups according to their use.
Cooking, which are hard in texture, less juicy and less flavoured than desert varieties. There flavour can be improved with slow cooking and adding sugar. This type are particularly suitable in cooler northern areas and are usually prolific in cropping.
The second category is made up of pears which have a high tannin content. These are bitter in taste and are use for brewing alcoholic beverages. You will find these commercially grown in Cornwall.
The third category would be the desert pear, softer in texture and have a pleasant sweet aroma.

Site and soil
Being Mediterranean in origin pears thrive in warmer conditions, especially desert types, so in cooler areas give them plenty of shelter from cool winds. Because they blossom early frosts can be a problem, so avoid frost pockets.
Pears are more tolerate of dry soil conditions than apples, but these conditions are best avoided. Organic material can be added to the soil to improve water retention and spring mulching will help water loss. The ideal soil would be a deep heavy loam which is slightly acid and at least 60cms deep. A sign that the soil is too alkaline would be yellowing of the leaves.

Planting
Prepare the soil well in advance to planting, by incorporation plenty of well rotted organic material into the subsoil, compound fertilizer can also be added two weeks prior to planting. Autumn time is a good time to plant, take care to keep the scion union at least 7.5cms above ground level. After planting water the soil thoroughly, this will reduce the risk of the roots drying out.
Bush trees should be spaced at least 3- 4.5 metres apart, pyramids can be as close as 1.8 metres and pears grown against a wall should be allowed a minimum of 2.1 metres in height and 3.6metres spread.

Pruning an open centred bush
Most varieties of pear if correctly pruned carry their fruit in spur close to the main branches, so therefore more main branches can be allowed for each tree,say about twelve. Because young branches tend to be naturally slender and have a tendency to droop, prune the leading shoots on the main branches by about a third of the new growth, until the trees reach their allotted height and spread. This is normally when they are about eight years old, when leader pruning should cease. Leaders are pruned back for four reasons, to strengthen the branch, to encourage more side growth, to remove deformed or diseased wood and to remove branches in an undesirable direction. If none of these apply leader pruning does not need to be carried out.
Some pears are tip bearers, which means instead of producing fruit on short spurs, they are formed on the end of the branches. They should be pruned very lightly and for this reason they would not be useful for restrictive training.

After-care
Pears, particularly when they are young trees are very sensitive to water shortage. In dry weather, water thoroughly. Watering in late spring or early summer tends to encourage shoot growth, while watering mid and late summer will aid fruit swelling. Trees planted close to walls will be particularly vulnerable to drought.
Pears respond more than any other fruit tree to applications organic matter. For the first three springs after planting give an annual mulch of well rotted manure, at least 5 cms deep and keep the manure at least 15cms away from the trunk. Pears are nitrogen greedy, so a lawn around the base of the tree can reduce growth.

Spur and fruit thinning
Pears produce plenty of spurs and as the tree gets older they will become overcrowded. When this happens, spur pruning is beneficial, prune the oldest and least fruitful ones back to their base. Any spurs that are to long can be shorted by half. All spur pruning is best done in the winter.
Pears tend to produce a lot of blossom, if all was allowed to produce fruit this would exhaust the tree. Thin first in late spring, when the young fruitlets are about 2.5cms long. Remove and depose mis- shapen ones first, as they probably contain pear midge larvae.
A second thinning after the natural fruit fall in summer, should be done in mid summer. There should be a final spacing between the fruit of 12.5cms. This varies slightly according to health and variety of the tree, mature trees can carry heavier crops.

Havesting
Depending on the variety harvesting takes place between mid to late summer and are best eaten straight of the tree. As soon as the base skin colour begins to yellow or pale, they should be ready for tasting.