Kieffer Pear Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on September 7, 2022

Planting instructions

Site your pear tree where it will receive at least six hours of sun each day, in soil that drains well and is sheltered from prevailing winds. Unpot your sapling and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for a few hours before planting. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the tree in the hole, spreading out the roots. Holding it upright and steady, fill in around the roots with topsoil that’s been mixed with well-rotted compost or manure. Tamp down soil as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as bark chips, around the root zone to conserve moisture and hinder weed growth, but keep it from touching the trunk to avoid rot.

Watering and nutrients

When newly planted, water your tree every few days until you see robust new growth starting to appear on the branches. Then you can taper back to once-a-week watering. If you’re experiencing very hot or dry weather, increase watering as needed. There’s no need to water your tree after the first frost in fall. Fertilize your tree in spring with a product that is designed for fruit trees, applying as directions indicate. If your tree was planted in good, nutrient-rich soil, you may hold off on fertilizing until the tree begins bearing fruit.

Pollination

The Kieffer pear tree is self-fertile, meaning that a single tree can produce a crop of pears. The flowers are pollinated by bees and other insects, but a single tree does not generally have a high rate of pollination. To increase your crop, plant another cultivar nearby. Some good choices are Bartlett and D’Anjou.

Pruning

Prune out any dead, diseased, or damaged limbs whenever you see them. In early spring, prune for shape. Your pear tree will do best with a central leader shape, which means one central branch that arises from the trunk, with scaffold branches more or less evenly spaced around it. Prune out narrow, v-shaped branch crotches, as they can split, opting instead for branches with a wide angle to the central trunk.

Pests and diseases

Pests that may appear on your pear tree include scale insects, leafrollers, and aphids. A healthy tree can withstand mild infestations. Before using insecticides, consider releasing beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and lacewings, to control insect pests. Diseases of the pear include leaf and stem blight and septoria leaf spot. Remove any signs of disease as soon as you see them and dispose of them properly. Keep the area around the base of your tree free of leaf litter and other debris, and water at the base of the trunk, without wetting the leaves.

Harvesting

Unlike some fruits, pears are harvested before they are ripe, while they’re still hard and yellow-green in color. Wait until you see one or two pears drop from the tree, and then pull the fruit off by hand or using clippers. Place the harvested fruit in a warm spot — about 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit — and they should ripen within a week. Store the ripened pears in a cold spot, such as your refrigerator.

Achieving maximum results

Pear trees are one of the easiest fruit trees to grow, as they need less pruning and care than some others. When pruning, make sharp, clean cuts close to an outward-facing bud, Using clean secateurs or pruners. The lateral branches you leave should be spaced 4 to 6 inches apart, with growth that is more horizontal than vertical. Cut back about a third of each scaffolding branch each year in late winter, before bud break, to encourage new growth. Don’t worry if you think you’ve cut too much off your tree: The Kieffer pear tree is resilient and will respond well to all pruning, even if you’re not an expert. If your tree bears a heavy crop of fruit, prune out all but two in a single cluster to allow these to ripen more fully.

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