Common Pear

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Common pear (lat. Pyrus communis) - fruit crop; a species of the genus Pear of the Rosaceae family. Another name is wild pear. The natural range covers territories from Eastern Europe to Western Asia. Cultivars are widely cultivated in temperate regions.

Characteristics of culture

Common pear is a deciduous shrub or tree up to 20 m high with a dense strongly branching crown and a straight trunk covered with wrinkled bark. Leaves are dark green, glossy, leathery, oval, rounded or oblong-rounded, pointed, finely toothed, sitting on long petioles. In autumn, the foliage becomes brownish-golden or yellow in color with dark dots. When dry, the leaves turn black. Flowers are white, white-pink or pink, single or collected in corymbose inflorescences of 6-12 pieces, located on pedicels of medium length (up to 5 cm), formed from last year's fruit buds. Abundant flowering occurs in May and lasts up to 15-15 days.

Fruits are round, oblong-rounded or pear-shaped, depending on the variety, differ in color, shape and size. Fruits ripen in August-September. The seeds are brown, medium-sized. The common pear begins to bear fruit in 3-8 years after planting. Important: all varieties of common pear are self-fertile; in order to ensure normal fruiting on the site, at least two mutually pollinating varieties must be planted. Currently, many winter-hardy varieties have been bred, but even they often shed flowers during spring frosts. Sudden changes in temperature also negatively affect flower buds. In severe winters, skeletal branches and wood often freeze.

Growing conditions

Common pear prefers sandy loam, loamy, gray forest and black earth, loose, fertile soils. Accepts silty-silty and heavy clay soils, subject to high-quality drainage. Peat-bog substrates are not suitable for growing the considered species. It develops normally on slopes and hills, in which case drainage is required. Negatively refers to lowlands and areas where a large amount of melt water accumulates in spring.

The degree of moisture plays an important role in the cultivation of crops; excessive waterlogging or increased dryness is highly undesirable. According to the pH reaction, the soil should be neutral or slightly acidic, on alkaline soils, plants are strongly oppressed, practically do not yield fruit and are affected by various diseases, including scab. Plants react painfully in areas with a close occurrence of groundwater. The common pear is shade-tolerant, but does not bear fruit well in shaded areas.

Reproduction and planting

The common pear is propagated by grafting. Ussuri pear, forest pear, irga, hawthorn, northern quince, hawthorn, chokeberry and mountain ash can act as rootstocks of cultivated varieties of common pear. On the last three rootstocks, pears are formed weakly, they give a small harvest already in the second year. Experienced gardeners consider such vaccinations to be short-lived, they delight with a good harvest of fruits for 6-10 years, after which breaking off can occur at the site of vaccination. This is due to the lack of compatibility of the rootstock with the scion. If irga or chokeberry is used as a stock, then the pear is grown in the form of a bush. Rowan ordinary can also act as a rootstock, in this case a pear stalk is grafted into the root collar of a mountain ash. The operation is performed in early spring before bud break.

It is preferable to plant pear seedlings in the spring; during autumn planting, young plants do not always have time to take root before the onset of cold weather and eventually die. The dimensions of the planting pit: depth 70-80 cm, width - 80-100 cm. The root collar of the seedling is not buried during planting, but is placed 6-10 cm above the soil surface. After planting, the soil in the trunk circle is slightly compacted, abundantly watered and mulched with organic material (peat, dry fallen leaves, humus, sawdust, etc.). The distance between vigorous varieties should be at least 4-5 m, between low-growing varieties - 3-3.5 m. When planting, humus or compost and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are introduced into the pit. If this procedure has not been carried out, feeding is carried out during the season (for 1 sq. M you need 20 g of potassium salt, 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 50-60 g of superphosphate and 3-4 kg of compost or humus).

Care

The first 2-3 years after planting, young plants need careful and timely care. The soil in the near-stem zone is kept free of weeds. Regular watering is a must, especially during prolonged droughts. Mulching is encouraged, this procedure will protect the roots from overheating and greatly simplify maintenance. Fertilizers are applied once every 2-3 years. With severe depletion, feeding is carried out once a year. Recommended doses for annual feeding: compost or humus - 3 kg, superphosphate - 10-20 g, ammonium nitrate - 15 g, potassium chloride - 5-10 g.

For the winter, the near-trunk zone is insulated with a thick layer of mulch, and the trunks are tied with spruce branches. Whitewashing of tree trunks is desirable, for young trees a chalk solution is used, for adults - a lime solution. Systematic shaping and sanitary pruning is required for the pear of an ordinary. Productivity and the nature of fruiting depends on a properly formed crown.