Wild pear (Pyrus pyraster)

Wild pear produces reddish pears

Image - Flickr / Ettore Balocchi

El Pyrus pyraster It is a large tree, which with some basic care can be really beautiful. And the best thing is that it does not matter if you live in an area where intense or weak frosts occur, since it is a very rustic and adaptable species.

It is also known as wild pear, and it is one of the most interesting options you have if you want to have some shade in the garden .

Origin and characteristics of Pyrus pyraster

View of the Pyrus pyraster

Image - Wikimedia / Baummapper

Our protagonist is a kind of Pyrus or pear native to Central and Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia. It grows both in open fields and in mountainous regions up to 800 meters above sea level. Reaches a height of 20 meters, with a more or less rounded crown formed by deciduous, aobavate or rounded, alternate leaves, with a size of 2 to 8 centimeters and a slightly serrated edge.

It blooms in spring, between the months of April and May in the northern hemisphere. The flowers are grouped in clusters of 3 to 9, they are hermaphroditic, and generally white although there may be pink. The fruit, the pear, ripens in autumn.

What are their cares?

Having a wild pear tree in a well-kept garden or orchard is not difficult. Here's how to take care of it:

Location

It is a tree that It must be outside, either in full sun or in semi-shade as long as it receives more hours of light than of shade. Likewise, it is important that it is placed at a distance of about 4 meters from pipes, walls, walls, etc. so that it does not cause problems and, incidentally, so that it can develop correctly.

Earth

Wild pear leaves are deciduous

Image - Wikimedia / Stefan.lefnaer

  • Garden: grows in sandy, loamy or clayey soils, rich in organic matter and with good drainage.
  • Flower pot: fill it with vegetable garden substrate (for sale here) mixed with 30% perlite.

Irrigation

It is necessary to try to maintain a more or less constant humidity level, but avoiding waterlogging at all times. The Pyrus pyraster it does not withstand drought, nor does it have standing water in its roots for a long time, so depending on the season of the year and the weather, you will have to water more or less often.

For example: if your area is very hot in summer (temperatures of 30ºC or more) and it hardly rains, you will have to water very often, about 3-4 times a week or so; On the other hand, if you live in an area where the climate is mild except in winter when it is cold with intense frosts, and it rains regularly, about 2 weekly irrigations during the summer season may be enough.

It is necessary to know a little about the climate of the place where you live, because in this way taking care of the plants will be much easier 🙂.

Subscriber

Throughout the growing, flowering and fruiting season, you must pay it with organic fertilizers, such as guano, compost, or others that you may have at home (more information in this link). Keep in mind that if you have it in a pot it is advisable to use liquids, as this ensures that the drainage remains good.

Multiplication

El Pyrus pyraster multiplies by seeds, which can be sown in autumn in pots with substrate for seedlings (for sale here). Put them as far apart as possible (the ideal is not to put more than 2-3 in the same seedbed), sprinkle sulfur to prevent fungi, cover them with a thin layer of substrate and finally water.

Placing the seedbed outside, in semi-shade, they will germinate throughout the spring.

Pests

Cydia pomonella

Image - Wikimedia / Olei

You can be attacked by:

  • carcocapsa: they are moths between 1,5 and 2cm long that cause holes in the fruits. See file.
  • Fruitfly: the damages are produced in the fruit, by the bites. The holes turn yellow or brown. See file.
  • Pear Psila: they are parasites that feed on the sap of the leaves, specifically the underside. In these you will see a sticky substance, which is the molasses that they excrete in their nymph state.
  • San Jose louse: it is a type of limpet-shaped scale that causes the appearance of purplish spots on leaves and reddish circular spots on the fruit. See file.

Management

It is sensitive to:

  • Mottled- Olive green spots appear on the leaves and fruits, which over time spread and turn brown as they dry.
  • Roya: reddish spots appear on the leaves, which end up drying. See file.
  • stemphylium: causes damage to the leaves, which dry out, and reduces the size of the fruits.

Rusticity

It resists without problems frosts of up to -18ºC, but it does not live in tropical climates since it needs to be cold and the temperature to drop below zero degrees to be able to grow, flourish, and ultimately live healthily.

What uses is given to Pyrus pyraster?

The wild pear is a fruit tree

Ornamental

In a garden it looks great as an isolated specimen or in groups. Plus, it resists contamination. It is also worked as bonsai.

Culinary

Pears can be consumed without problems freshly picked from the tree.

What did you think of this wild pear tree?


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.