Sand Pear
The sand pear, also known as Asian pear, is an excellent fruit tree for North Florida landscapes or edible gardens. Its showy white flowers attract pollinators while its fruit can be useful in the kitchen.
Characteristics
Sand pear trees (Pyrus pyrifolia) originated in China and Japan, where they grow in warm, rainy regions. They were first introduced to the United States in the early 1800s and have since gained popularity in Florida.
The fruits of these deciduous trees have tan skin with speckles of yellow and green. The pears are rounder and have a crisper texture than the European pears typically found in the supermarket. Since they can be gritty and tart, sand pears are best eaten cooked rather than fresh. People usually consume them in the form of pies, pear butter, jams or canned fruits. You can even cook them in a pot with sugar and cinnamon for a sweet snack.
The sand pear tree can grow 20 to 40 feet in height and 16 to 40 feet in width. Its lifespan can reach 50 years or more. Its white flowers bloom in the spring and can be an appealing addition to the landscape. In the fall, the leaves might change to yellow or brown before falling.
Planting and Care
Sand pears can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9 and prefer well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. Since fallen fruits can get rather messy and overripe pears often attract yellowjackets, it’s wise to plant the tree away from walkways or other trafficked areas.
Bare-root trees that are one or two years old are best planted during the dormant season, preferably late December through January to allow time for the roots to establish before spring growth. Container-grown trees may be planted at any time of the year. Grafted trees are recommended for best production.
The roots of a pear tree are close to the surface, so it is important to maintain a weed-free area from the trunk out to about 2 feet. You can hand-weed, do some shallow hoeing or mulch the area.
The type of soil and amount of rainfall will determine the frequency of irrigation. Generally, trees planted in sandy soil do best with frequent, light watering rather than less frequent, heavy irrigation. Sand pear trees are drought-tolerant once established, but irrigation might still be necessary every 7-10 days in the dry season for optimal health.
The tree should bear fruit within three years, if fertilized regularly. Controlled-release fertilizers are recommended. Once it starts bearing fruit, you can reduce the fertilizer application. Pears do best with a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Having the soil tested before planting and following the resulting recommendations is advisable.
Summer is the harvest season for sand pears in Florida. The fruit should be left to ripen on the tree and will turn yellow when ready. The pears should be easy to remove; if you have to twist or tug on the fruit, then it might be too soon to harvest. But don’t wait too long — once they turn yellow you want to take them down promptly, because they can get grittier the longer they are on the tree and will also attract small mammals and songbirds. Once you have picked the pears, they will not ripen further.
Pruning is recommended to remove dead or diseased wood, improve branch strength and reshape the tree to make the branches accessible when harvesting. Prune to a modified leader system to encourage the tree to spread out rather than grow upwards. This is done by pruning three to four upright main branches from the central trunk.
The recommended form of propagation is grafting. The most common disease is fire blight (Erwinia amylovora). Other diseases include rust disease, fungal leaf spot (Fabraea maculata) and Botryosphaeria canker. Pest insects include aphids, caterpillars and scale insects.
Make sure you are selecting the correct variety for Florida and that you understand the cross-pollination needs of sand pear. There’s a linked table listing recommended pear varieties at the very bottom of Ask IFAS publication “The Pear in Florida Home Gardens.”
Sand pear is an excellent candidate for a food forest, as it provides fruit for dishes and spreads. Not only that, its canopy provides shade and its white blooms can be a welcome display.
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This article, The Sand Pear – Pyrus pyrifolia, by Peter Del Tredici in Arnoldia, the quarterly magazine of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University is old, but worth a read.