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Growing Pears – Crop Nutrition 101
Growing Pears – Crop Nutrition 101
What you need to know about pear fertilization, best practices, and more
Crop Nutrition Information for Growing Pears (Pyrus communis L.)
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Pears grow well in fertile loam soils with pH of 6-7, sunlight in the canopy, warm days, cool nights and adequate irrigation.
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Pruning and removing suckers is a valuable tool to managing the amount of leaders, sunlight to ripen fruit, and nitrogen demand.New plantings have a higher percent as high density orchards, which increases nutrient demand per acre.
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Irrigation frequency/timing plus good calcium nutrition can affect tree growth, yield and fruit quality.
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Nutrient and water management that helps to consolidate bloom is beneficial for more uniform harvest.
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Pears grown in higher pH, calcareous soils need iron. Drip or micro-sprinklers are the main irrigation method, with overhead sprinklers used in June/July to cool the canopy and water cover crops between the rows if they have them.
Key Nutrients:
- Boron is critical for flower bud formation.
- Low potassium and nitrogen can reduce fruit size.
- High N is detrimental to fruit quality.
Nutrient Requirements:
Nutrient balance is key to quality yields. For Pears, fertility recommendations are based on general fertility guidelines and tissue analysis.
N = 15-60 lbs lbs. per acre 1.65 to 2 lb N per ton of crop per acre per year (#N/t/A/yr)
Role of Nutrients:
- Low potassium and nitrogen can reduce fruit size.
- Excess N can decrease fruit quality.
- Low potassium and nitrogen can reduce fruit size.
- Excess N can decrease fruit quality.
- Calcium and potassium are important for fruit quality and storage.
- Boron is critical for flower bud formation.
- Pears grown in higher pH, calcareous soils need iron. Boron is critical for flower bud formation. Deficiency of boron can go unnoticed for several years before symptoms are observed. WSU recommends 0.5 lb of actual boron per acre applied as a foliar at prepink or postharvest (fall when leaves are still green to build up good flower bud formation) plus a surface broadcast soil application every three years or when soil tests are below 0.5 mg/kg. Pears grown in higher pH, calcareous soils need iron.
Different nutrients can influence your harvest quality and yield.
+ = improving
– = decreasing
+/- = different results, depending on the rate of nutrient applied
At the right rate and time: N++, P+, K++, Mg+, Ca++, S+, B+
Pear Orchard
Pears For Harvest
Q&A
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Granular Polysulphate in the spring banded or broadcast along the tree line along with fertigation of Agrolution pHlow 15-6-27+3.3Ca.
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Irrigation frequency and timing, as well as good calcium nutrition can affect tree growth, yield and fruit quality. Drip or micro-sprinklers are the main irrigation method, with overhead sprinklers used in June/July to cool the canopy and water cover crops between the rows if they have them.
Balanced nutrition is provided by the soil, tree and root reserves, and fertilizer. Nutrient and water management that helps consolidate bloom is beneficial for more uniform harvest.
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Deficiency of boron can go unnoticed for several years before symptoms are observed. WSU recommends 0.5 lb of actual boron per acre applied as a foliar at prepick or postharvest (fall when leaves are still green to build up good flower bud formation) plus a surface broadcast soil application every three years or when soil tests are below 0.5 mg/kg.
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Balanced nutrition is provided by the soil, tree and root reserves, and fertilizer. Dry fertilizer can be broadcast along the tree line or banded ~12″ deep into the soil. During the season nutrition is ideally fertigated through drip irrigation. Foliar applications are applied as needed by tissue analysis or to supply boron for flower production.
We recommend Granular Polysulphate direct broadcast along tree line, or banded, with Agrolution pHlow via fertigation and foliar application of Nova Pulse at fruit set.
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