Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Care for a Pear Tree in Winter

...
pear tree image by samantha grandy from Fotolia.com

Most pear varieties are not as cold-tolerant as apple trees, withstanding only infrequent drops in temperature down to minus-15 degrees Fahrenheit. Late spring frosts and freezes can threaten your pear crop, so you’ll need to take special measures to protect your pear tree’s tender flower buds in late winter and early spring. Winter is also the time for a variety of maintenance and care tasks for your pear tree, including pruning, pest prevention and disease protection.

...
ladybug on blossom image by Laura Frenkel from Fotolia.com

Run a sprinkler beside your pear tree to keep the tree from freezing during late-winter frosts. Cover the tree at night with a light blanket to protect the pear tree, if the flower and leaf buds have already emerged. Remove the blanket during the daytime.

...
pear trees image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com

Prune your pear tree in mid to late winter each year, removing all damaged or damaged growth, watersprouts, suckers and any branches that are low-hanging or touching the ground, crossing or growing inward. Prune away all lateral growth to maintain the strongest “scaffold” branches on either side of the trunk.

  • Most pear varieties are not as cold-tolerant as apple trees, withstanding only infrequent drops in temperature down to minus-15 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Run a sprinkler beside your pear tree to keep the tree from freezing during late-winter frosts.

Cut away all over-wintering cankers on your pear tree that result from fire blight. Cut away all of the diseased tree tissue, as well as 6 inches beyond the infected growth to leave only healthy, disease-free wood.

Stop fertilizing your pear tree in midsummer to allow the tree to harden off and prepare for the dormant winter season. Also cut back on any nitrogen fertilizers that you’re applying the surrounding lawn or landscape.

...
reed aphids image by Adrian Hillman from Fotolia.com

Spray your pear tree with a dormant horticultural oil in late winter, just before bud-break, to kill off any over-wintering scales, mites and aphids. Follow the application directions on the label.

Rake away all fallen leaves and remove all old fruits from your pear tree throughout the fall and winter. Rake up and destroy all the leaves to control the spread of fungal diseases, such as pear scab, powdery mildew, fire blight and pear trellis rust.

  • Cut away all over-wintering cankers on your pear tree that result from fire blight.
  • Spray your pear tree with a dormant horticultural oil in late winter, just before bud-break, to kill off any over-wintering scales, mites and aphids.

Tip

Disinfect your pruning tools when you’re cutting away diseased wood from your pear tree. Dip the pruning tools into a mixture of one part bleach to nine parts water for about 30 seconds.

Warning

Avoid planting your pear tree in areas that receive frequent spring frosts or where winter temperatures are often below minus-15 degrees Fahrenheit. Pears bud and flower early in the season, so late frosts can severely damage the fruit crop.

Related Articles

How to Prune Dwarf Pear Trees
How to Prune Dwarf Pear Trees
What Does a Pear Tree Look Like?
What Does a Pear Tree Look Like?
How to Care for Redspire Pear Tree
How to Care for Redspire Pear Tree
How to Grow Pear Trees in Michigan
How to Grow Pear Trees in Michigan
What Could Have Eaten the Pears on My Tree?
What Could Have Eaten the Pears on My Tree?
How to Prune Old Pear Trees
How to Prune Old Pear Trees
How to Transplant a Pear Tree
How to Transplant a Pear Tree
Do Apple Trees Lose Their Leaves in the Winter?
Do Apple Trees Lose Their Leaves in the Winter?
Fire Blight Treatment for Pear Trees
Fire Blight Treatment for Pear Trees
How to Grow Persimmon Trees in Zone 5
How to Grow Persimmon Trees in Zone 5
How to Keep Squirrels Out of Pear Trees
How to Keep Squirrels Out of Pear Trees
Ayers Pear Tree Information
Ayers Pear Tree Information
How to Grow a Pear Tree From a Cutting
How to Grow a Pear Tree From a Cutting
Garden Guides
×