PEARS

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

.Home Orchard Spray Schedule & Supplies

P EARS

The plant nursery has closed for retirement.

We thank you for your pratronage through the last 26 years. Bill Ford is available for consultation and presentations. Please feel free to use the following pages for reference. Happy gardening!

Ayers

Newer to our pear collection, Ayers is actually an old southern favorite. The fruit are yellow with a red blush. The flesh is smooth and melting with a very sweet flavor. The tree is vigorous, upright and fire blight resistant. The blooms are partially self-pollinating, but better crops will develop pollinating with another high chill variety

like Bartlett or Blake's Pride.

Ripens late July to early Aug. Zones 6-8.

Kieffer

Do you remember having a hard, late season pear in your grandparent's back yard? Did it make the best preserves? Well, it was probably a Kieffer. It is a medium to large greenish-yellow pear, with crisp to hard white flesh. It is great for canning, preserves and pies. Partially self-pollinating. Very firm keeper.

Ripens late September. Zones 5-9

Moonglow

Extra large pear that is yellow with a slight red blush. Very smooth flesh, juicy and excellent mild flavor. Great for fresh eating, cooking or canning. Good tolerance to fire blight. Ripens mid to late August.

Zones 5-9.

Orient

Large, nearly round, firm pear. Flesh is juicy and only moderately gritty. Partially self-pollinating and a good pollinator for other varieties. Outstanding fire blight resistance. Recommended variety for Southern States. Ripens early-August. Zones 5-9.

Pineapple

Well suited for the deep south needing only 150 chill hours and is fire blight resistant. Self pollinating. The fruit is yellow with a red blush on one side, and has a pineapple flavor. Makes great preserves.

Zones 7-9.

Seckel (Sugar)

This pear sometimes goes by "Sugar Pear" because of its sugary sweetness. The fruit is small with a rich yellow-brown skin when ripe. The tree is vigorous, hardy and fire blight resistant.

Ripens early August. Zones 5-8.

Warren

A medium size dew-drop shaped pear with smooth but slightly russetted skin. Flesh is white, smooth and juicy with excellent flavor. Fire blight resistant. Good storage quality. Ripens mid August. Zones 5-9.

Planting Information

Fresh in the hand, canned in a jar, or made into preserves, pears are such a sweet juicy treat. Pears need full sun and moderately fertile soil. Most pears need another variety for cross pollination. All of our pear varieties will be on a standard rootstock. This rootstock is widely adaptable to different soil types and varieties. More dwarfing rootstocks are less accepting of different varieties. A more dwarfing size can be maintained with proper pruning.

Recommended spacing is 12-15 ft. apart minimum.

Set plants out with our Orchard Starter Tablets, and in later years avoid over fertilization which can make them more susceptible to diseases.

Spray each bloom period with Fire Blight Spray (streptomycin)

or Bordeaux Mix to head off any fire blight.

Bearing begins in 2-3 years.