Pear Zones in Georgia: Click on thumbnail to see full-size graphic.Stephen Myers & Gerard Krewer, Extension Horticulturists; Paul Bertrand, Extension Plant Pathologist
Extension Horticulture, 224 Hoke Smith Bldg., University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
706/542-2861; EMAIL: ehorat@uga.cc.uga.edu
Pears are adapted to nearly all of Georgia. It is not uncommon to find trees as much as 50 years old that are still producing fruit. At one time pears were grown commercially on a large scale throughout the United States. However, because of the prevalence of fire blight in the humid eastern and southern states, most of the pear production has been relocated to the drier areas of the Pacific Northwest.
Pear Zones in Georgia: Click on thumbnail to see full-size graphic.
As with all fruit trees, sunlight is a key to maximizing fruit production. Pick an area where the trees will be in the sun most or all of the day. The early morning sun is particularly important because it dries the dew from the leaves, thereby reducing the incidence of diseases. If the planting site does not get plenty of sun, do not plant pear trees.
Certain varieties are self-fruitful; that is, they can pollinate themselves. Thus, if you want only one pear tree, a self-pollinating variety should be selected. Orient, Baldwin, Kieffer and Spalding are at least partially self-fruitful. Other pear varieties require cross-pollination. If you plant varieties that require cross-pollination, be sure to plant varieties that bloom at the same time. Those with a similar Pollination Code letter generally bloom together. Two varieties, Waite and Magness, produce sterile pollen. Plant Orient with them, or two other varieties with a similar pollination code letter to insure pollination of all varieties.
Asian pears will probably cross pollinate with more common Georgia varieties, but information on this is limited. As such, planting several Asian pear varieties together is recommended.
Hybrids between European and Oriental/Asian pears are most commonly grown in Georgia. These have better resistance to fire blight than most European pears, and some have a low enough winter chilling requirement to be grown in south Georgia.
| Pear Varieties Recommended for Home Use for the Different Zones of Georgia | |||
| Variety | Zone /1 | Characteristics | Pollination Code /2 |
| Hybrids | |||
| Orient | 1-2-3-4-5 | An excellent pear for most of the state. Resistant to blight. Flesh white; a good keeper. Very large fruit. | B,C |
| Carrick | 1-2-3 | Excellent for preserving. Trees resistant to blight. | B |
| Waite | 1-2-3 | An excellent pear for the northern half of the state. Resistant to blight. Pollen sterile. Plant with Orient. | C |
| Kieffer | 1-2-3 | Large; skin yellow. Poor quality. Subject to blight in wet years. Good for preserves. | A,B |
| Hood | 4-5 | Good quality but subject to internal breakdown if allowed to become fully ripe. Blooms early. | A |
| Flordahome | 4-5 | New release from Florida. Good quality. Blooms early. | A |
| Baldwin | 4-5 | An excellent pear for the southern half of the state. Resistant to blight. | A |
| Magness | 1-2-3-4 | Pollen sterile. Plant with Orient. Fruit excellent quality but not very productive. | C |
| Moonglow | 1-2-3-4 | Vigorous tree that produces fair to good quality fruit. Nearly free of grit cells. | C |
| Starking Delicious /3 | 1-2-3-4 | An excellent pear for the northern half of the state. Fruit excellent quality. Moderately vigorous. | C |
| Dawn | 1-2-3-4 | Good quality fruit. Almost entirely free of grit cells. Moderately vigorous tree. | C |
| Spalding | 3-4 | High quality fruit that ripens early. Subject to blight. | A,B |
| Warren | 3-4-5 | Very high quality fruit. Resistant to blight. | B,C |
| Asian (trial only) /4 | |||
| Shinko | 1-2-3-4-5 | Golden russetted fruit | Hosui |
| Chojuro | 1-2-3-4-5 | Brown orange fruit | Hosui, Shinko |
| Hosui | 1-2-3-4-5 | Golden brown fruit | Shinko, Chojuro |
| Kosui | 1-2-3-4-5 | Green yellow fruit | Hosui, Chojuro |
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/1 See Pear Zone Map at beginning of publication. |
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/2 Plant two or more varieties followed by a common letter. Multiple letters by some varieties indicate that they will pollinate other varieties followed by either letter. |
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/3 Starking Delicious is considered by many experts to be the same as Maxine. |
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/4 Asian pears have juicy, round "apple-like" fruit. Trees may be subject to fire blight in some areas. Trial planting only. |
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Figure 1. Click on thumbnail for full-size graphic.
At planting, prune the trees back to single whips 24 to 30 inches from the groundline. After a single growing season, your tree should look similar to the tree in Figure 1. Prune off any limbs that are less than 18 inches from the ground, leaving four to six limbs to be the scaffolds (main fruiting limbs on a mature tree). Figure 2 illustrates what Figure 1 should look like after pruning.
Figure 2. Click on thumbnail for full-size graphic.
After the second season, the lower scaffolds should be tied down to a 45-degree angle to help open up the tree to light. Prune out crossing, broken and/or diseased limbs and also vigorous upright (vertical) sprouts that may develop along the limb.
Figure 3. A 2-year-old tree properly trained with strings on scaffold limbs in the dormant season. Train limbs to a 45-degree angle. (Click on thumbnail for full-size graphic.)
Pruner's Note: Pear trees are extremely susceptible to fire blight, a disease that kills limbs and sometimes whole trees. Diseased branches should be removed as soon as they appear. When pruning out a diseased limb, cut at least six inches below the area where any infection appears. After each cut, dip the cutting surfaces of your pruners in rubbing alcohol or a 1:9 chlorine bleach: water mixture. Burn the diseased prunings or have the garbage collector haul them off.
If the trees are heavily pruned, reduce the amount of fertilizer applied in relation to the severity of pruning. Heavily pruned trees most likely will not need fertilizer for a year or two. Also, if the pear trees make too much vegetative growth, reduce the rate of fertilization for the next year. Shoot growth on bearing pear trees should average only about six inches annually.
One measure of maturity are the fruit lenticels. These are the small 'dots' or indentations on the fruit's skin. Lenticels of immature pears are white; however, as cork cells develop the lenticels become brown and shallow. The brown in the lenticels is a good indication that the fruit is ready to be picked and will ripen without shriveling. Color between the lenticels also becomes lighter green than at the lenticels.
Fire blight is a disease that you should learn to recognize if you plan to grow pears. The disease can attack pears throughout the growing season, but it usually begins during bloom. Blighted tissues become water soaked then quickly wither and blacken. The disease moves down the branch from the point of infection. The tissue under the bark of the most re-cently killed leaves or flowers will be darkened and moist in appearance. During periods of high humidity or rain, the blighted areas will usually ooze a milky fluid. This fluid becomes reddish brown as it dries. Pear trees can be protected from fire blight by a spray program beginning at bloom and continuing through the summer. Once a tree has been infected, the diseased portions should be cut out and burned. Sprays will not control the disease in infected branches. Make cuts 6" to 8" below any dead tissues. After each cut, soak the clippers for a few seconds in a solution prepared by adding 1/2 cup of household bleach to five cups of water. When cutting is completed, rinse clippers in running water and oil lightly.
Many other conditions such as nutrient imbalances, winter damage or drought stress can cause pear leaves to blacken and die. In these cases, the tissue under the bark in the afflicted area will remain green or have a dry brown appearance.
Pear leafspot begins as small purplish-black spots on the leaves or fruit. The spots gradually enlarge to form brown lesions about 1/8" to 1/4" in diameter. A small, black blister may appear in the center of these spots. Leafspots can only be controlled with a spray program beginning as the first leaves appear and continuing through July.
Damaging insects are apple tree borers, red spider mites, scale, aphids, and fruit worms. Circular 522, Disease and Insect Control in Home Orchards, outlines spray programs for the backyard fruit gardener to protect their apples, pears, and other fruits. Leaflet 10, Fire Blight of Apples and Pears, and Leaflet 72, Pear Leafspot Control, are also available and give detailed information on fire blight and pear leaf spot. You can get these from your county Extension office.
Circular 742/Revised 1999
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