Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing

13 ft 1 in

In-row spacing

13 ft 1 in

Between rows

16 ft 5 in

Square-foot density

Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type

Fruit · Perennial

Botanical family

Mixed / other

Sunlight

Full sun, in a sheltered spot so the early blossom comes through unharmed.

Watering

Water steadily while the fruit swells, and do not let it run dry.

Feeding

A balanced feed in spring; too much nitrogen does more harm than good.

Frost tolerant

Yes

Flowering

April

Pruning

Prune in winter, and thin the fruitlets to 1-2 per spur.

Through the year

• Mar–Apr Bud Break
• Apr–May Flowering
• May–Aug Fruit Set
• Aug–Sep Harvest
• Sep–Oct Growing
• Oct–Dec Leaf Fall
• Jan–Mar Leaf Fall

Companions

Clover, Nasturtiums, Borage, Chives

Pests & problems

• Codling moth Codling moth grubs tunneling into the fruit
• Fire blight Fire blight, which blackens shoots as though they had been burned
• Rust Pear rust showing on the leaves
• Scab Asian pear scab marking leaves and skins
• Pear psylla on the young growth

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. ★ companion plant

• Bats Chiroptera
  Hunts Codling moth

  A single bat takes hundreds of moths and mosquitoes in a night, and the moths are the parents of your cutworms, corn earworms and hornworms. Put up a bat box on a warm south wall, leave a night-scented corner unlit, and never spray after dark.

  Plant nearby Evening PrimroseHoneysuckleNicotianaSummer Jasmine
• Parasitic wasps Braconidae & Trichogramma
  Hunts Codling moth

  Tiny, stingless wasps that lay eggs in or on caterpillars, aphids, and moth eggs — the white cocoons riding a hornworm are their calling card, so leave that caterpillar be. Umbel flowers with shallow nectar keep the adults fuelled.

  Plant nearby CilantroDillFennelLovageParsleySweet alyssumYarrow