Growing Pear Trees in Virginia

by Nancy Miller, Fairfax Master Gardener
pears European pears are the second most important deciduous tree fruit crop (after apples). Introduced to America by French and English settlers around 1630, they had been grown in Europe since prehistoric times. European pears are in the genus Pyrus and probably originated near the Black and Caspian Seas. Because they are tolerant of a wide range of climates, they can grow throughout most of North America, but commercial production is limited to the West Coast. The East Coast’s humid conditions make pears grown here susceptible to the bacterial disease fireblight (Erwinia amylovora), which can kill the trees. Pear production is possible in Virginia only because several pear varieties have been developed that have varying levels of fireblight resistance.

Fireblight-resistant varieties include ‘Harrow Delight’ (similar to ‘Bartlett’), and ‘Stark Honeysweet’ (patented in 1979 by Stark Brothers and similar to ‘Seckel’). For Asian pears, note ‘Shinseiki,’translated as ‘20th Century,’ the standard against which other Asian pears are compared, or ‘Kosui,’ ‘Good Water’ in English, developed and released by the Japanese National Horticultural Research Station in 1972. Please note that no pear variety is immune to fireblight, and these varieties had not been evaluated in Virginia as of 2025.

Fireblight on pear

There are two types of pears grown in the Commonwealth: European (Pyrus communis) and Asian (Pyrus serotina, Pyrus pyrifolia and Pyrus ussuriensis), native to China, Korea and Manchuria. European types (‘Bartlett,’ ‘D’Anjou,’ ‘Bosc,’ and ‘Comice’) are picked when mature, exposed to a chilling period, then ripened. The flesh of the ripe pear is usually fragrant, soft and with a sugar-acid balance. Asian pears (also known as sand, Chinese, Japanese and apple pears) ripen on the tree. They are best eaten after being refrigerated for a few days. Their flesh is usually white, crisp and without acidity.

In choosing your type, consider the following differences. It takes 4 years for Asian varieties to start bearing fruit, but some European hybrids can take as long as 8 to 10 years to begin. (There are certain growing techniques that might be employed to shorten that length.) Asian pears ripen in late summer; European hybrids ripen in late summer through mid-fall. European pears are 18 to 20 feet tall and 16 to 18 feet in diameter. Asian pear trees are 8 to 10 feet tall. Both require various growth-pruning and training techniques to achieve success and are susceptible to fireblight. Asian pears require more vigorous rootstocks than those used for European varieties.

Most pear varieties are slightly less winter hardy than apples, but can still withstand the low winter minimum temperatures most common in Virginia. Fully dormant pear trees can survive -20⁰ to -25⁰F, but because they bloom up to a week before apples, pear buds can be killed. Temperatures of 26⁰F or lower kill open blossoms. Requiring 1,000 to 1,200 hours below 45⁰F during the dormant cycle, pear crops are most reliable at higher elevations in Virginia. At higher elevations, there is less fluctuation in winter temperatures, so fruit trees tend to bloom later and avoid spring frosts.

Asian pears

Accepting these challenges, if you choose to grow European or Asian pears in your home landscape, you must also consider the variety of pear, type of rootstock and site. Trees require full sun—at least 6 hours, good soil drainage, sufficient growing space and good air drainage. Morning sun is very important for early drying of dew to reduce the incidence of disease. The site should be higher than its surroundings so that cold air will settle below the planting, avoiding frost damage. Frost protection is difficult even for the home grower and is often not successful, so choose a site that helps.

Growing pears requires labor, too; adequate pest control requires 7 to 10 pesticide applications per season (still less than what apples would require). You will also need to learn to actively prune and train either European or Asian trees regularly, as they have different growth patterns. It is also necessary to closely observe these trees during the growing season to catch any problems as early as possible.

Space is another important consideration. A minimum of 25 feet between standard pears and 12 feet between dwarf pears is recommended. Average life expectancy for standard trees is 35 to 45 years, and for dwarf trees is 15 to 20 years. Dwarfs will bear earlier, taking just 3 to 4 years compared to a standard’s 5 to 8 years, but dwarfs will only yield about .5 bushels per tree while a standard tree will yield 3 bushels. Pear flowers produce little nectar and are not as attractive to bees, so the home grower must rely on cross-pollination; plant your trees within 70 feet of each other and make sure bloom times are compatible.

Pear Blossoms

Once a site and type of tree are selected, contact your local county Extension office for a soil testing kit and send the sample to the Soil Testing Lab at Virginia Tech. The test results will be accompanied by recommendations for lime to adjust the soil pH to about 6.5. If possible, lime should be applied the year before planting because lime moves very slowly into the soil. In addition to pH, you must consider soil depth and drainage and choose your rootstalk to be compatible with your conditions.

All fruit trees sold in Virginia are imported from other states—there are no fruit tree nurseries in the Commonwealth. Garden centers usually import trees as bare-root, then plant them in containers to sell. While these trees grow well, the selection of varieties and rootstocks is limited. To get the best selection, purchase directly from a nursery specializing in fruit trees. Virginia Tech recommends choosing specimens 2 to 4 feet tall with a half-inch trunk diameter. Larger trees are usually more expensive, do not have sufficient root development and are a similar size to the smaller tree by fall. Growing from seed does not give you the same variety and the eating quality is usually unacceptable. To maintain genetic integrity, you must propagate vegetatively by budding or grafting onto rootstalk. Specialty nurseries do this for you before shipping.

This all sounds like a lot of work, but if you really love pears, growing your own is possible. Virginia Tech and other universities have lots of information to guide you, and you can while away your winter checking out specialty catalogs!

References

Growing Pears in Virginia, Richard Marini, Pennsylvania State University; Reviewed by Sherif Sherif and Alson H. Smith, Jr., Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Cooperative Extension, 422-017 (SPES-257P)
Home Garden Fruit Trees in Arkansas, University of Arkansas Extension
Pears, Jim Kamas, Monte Nesbitt and Larry Stein, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Yard and Garden: Growing Fruit Trees, Richard Jauvon and Willy Klein, Iowa State University Outreach and Extension
Asian Pear, David Parker and Greg Reighard, Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center
Home Garden Pears, Bob Wetherfield, Paul F. Bertrand and Gerald W. Krewer, University of Georgia Extension
Growing Fruits: Growing Pears in the Home Orchard, Becky Sideman, University of New Hampshire Extension
Growing Fruit, Chapter 10: Fruits in the Home Garden, Virginia Cooperative Extension Garden Handbook

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