Pears are delicious, juicy fruits and there is a satisfaction to enjoying one plucked straight from the tree. That feeling of fulfilment could be multiplied if you grew it yourself, which can be done by growing a pear tree from seed.
The seeds of homegrown or store-bought pears can be planted and cultivated into beautiful pear trees. However, it does take patience and there is no guarantee the seeds will grow into trees that produce the same fruits you removed the seeds from.
Most pears are commonly bought as grafted fruit trees, but attempting to grow a pear tree from seed can make an enjoyable experiment at home. To help boost your chances of success, we reveal seven simple steps to follow from collecting the seed to planting the fruit tree outside.
Can you grow a pear tree from seed?
Growing a pear tree from seed is possible, but is it worth it? I ask that question because there are, at least, two big drawbacks to growing a pear tree from seed.
One is that it requires patience as it can take 5-10 years before the tree flowers. The other is that when, or if, it produces fruit, those pears will not replicate the parent plant. The tree will have different characteristics from the original in terms of the size, shape, and flavor of the fruit.
Growing a pear tree from a seed can be a fun experiment and your patience will at least be rewarded with a beautiful pear blossom - but the fruits will be a gamble. If you are after a particular pear variety, it is advisable to head to your local nursery or garden centre and get a young fruit tree to plant.
How to grow a pear tree from seed in 7 steps
If you want to try to grow a pear tree from seed, here are seven steps to follow complete with some expert tips from an experienced horticulturist.
1. Harvest and clean seeds
It all starts with collecting the pear seeds from a fruit. You can collect seeds from either a homegrown or store-bought pear to plant. Cut open the fruit to extract the seeds from the core and soak them in a bowl of water for several hours.
Discard any seeds that float as they are not viable, before removing any remaining pulp from the seeds and patting them dry. Leave the seeds to air-dry wrapped in a paper towel for a few days before moving on to the next important step.
2. Stratify seeds
Pear seeds need to experience a period of cold to mimic winter conditions and help break their dormancy. This process is known as seed stratification, and it benefits germination.
Amy Enfield, senior horticulturist at Scotts Miracle-Gro, explains how you can stratify pear seeds easily at home using a resealable sandwich bag filled with moist potting mix.
‘Don’t overcrowd the seeds and put no more than 4-5 per bag - use multiple bags if necessary. The seeds should be covered by 2-3 inches of soil,’ says Amy. ‘Seal the bags and place them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for three months. They need to be kept at a temperature of around 40°F.’
Seed stratification can be done with moist peat moss in the sandwich bag, rather than compost. Check the seeds every two weeks to ensure the compost or moss has not dried out. If the material is dry, lightly add water to keep it moist but not soaked.
3. Prepare the seeds
After three months, remove the seeds from the refrigerator. The final step before planting is to soak the seeds again in warm water for 24 hours. This helps soften their hard shells and improves the likelihood of germination.
Amy Enfield offers an alternative method to help germination: ‘Some people will carefully nick the side of the seed with a knife before planting to help speed up germination, but this is not required. Your stratified pear seeds will germinate fine without doing this.’
4. Plant the seeds
Fill small containers with a well-draining potting mix. Use a potting mix designed for starting seeds or soil for container gardening, but never use garden soil in pots as it will sit too wet and risk the seed rotting.
Plant the pear seeds a half-inch deep into the soil. If you are planting multiple seeds, keep them well-spaced. Water the container and allow it to drain - the soil wants to be moist but not waterlogged as this can cause the seeds to rot.
This potting mix has a blend of organic ingredients, including sphagnum peat moss, peat humus, and perlite, and is specially formulated to grow seedlings and cuttings.
A pack of 12 biodegradable pots for sowing seeds. Simply transplant the pot straight into the bed when planting seedlings.
An 11-inch tall full-spectrum grow light provides seedlings with the light required to grow healthy and strong. Helps to prevent leggy or unhealthy seedlings.
5. Give warmth and light
Place the container in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill where it can get temperatures of 68-75 °F. Keep the soil moist and the first seedlings should start to appear within 2-3 weeks.
Once germinated, pear seedlings require consistent warmth and heat for healthy development. The seedlings want lots of bright, indirect sunlight and a consistent warmth of 65-75°F. A lack of natural light can cause leggy seedlings, so consider using grow lights on plants for 12-16 hours daily to supplement low natural levels.
6. Keep moist
Keep a close eye on when to water plants so the soil is kept consistently moist, but not waterlogged. Check the moisture levels an inch under the surface using your finger or a soil moisture meter, available at Amazon, and water seedlings thoroughly as and when required.
Avoid keeping the soil too wet, as the young seedlings can be killed by damping off and you may see mold on seedlings that indicates a problem with overwatering.
7. Transplant outside
Once the young pear tree has developed 3-4 sets of leaves, it is time to transplant seedlings into larger containers or plant the fruit tree outside in the garden, after a period of hardening off. The ideal time to plant fruit trees is in spring, after the last frost, to give the seedlings lots of time to develop roots throughout the growing season.
Plant pear trees in a sunny, sheltered position with a well-draining soil type. Individual pear trees want to be planted 20-25 feet apart and should be staked to protect against winds. Keep the young fruit trees regularly watered to help them establish in their new home and fertilize fruit trees annually for healthy growth and development.
FAQs
Can you grow a pear tree from a branch?
Pear trees can be grown from cuttings. The usual propagation method is via grafting, however, softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings can be taken if you want to grow an exact clone of a pear tree. It can be tricky to get right, so take several 6-8 inch cuttings and dip them in rooting hormone to increase your chances of success.
It will likely take at least five years for any pear tree to start producing fruit - and remember there is no guarantee the seed you planted will produce the same fruits you took it from.
However, some tactics will help get a pear tree to fruit to the best of its potential. It includes providing at least 5-6 hours of direct sunlight and feeding with a high-potassium fertilizer annually. These two important factors are on top of regularly watering fruit trees and pruning pears to stimulate growth.
