There are many factors that may prevent your European pear tree (Pyrus communis) or Asian pear (Pyrus serotina) from bearing fruit. European pear trees grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. Asian pears can be grown in USDA zones 9 and 10. If you are having problems with your pear tree not producing fruit, there are several things you can do to change that.
Check your pear tree's variety's chill hour requirements against the chill hours in your area. Pear trees that get too few chill hours will not break dormancy, which means that they will not produce flowers that open. Pears require between 200 and 1,500 chill hours, depending on variety.
Consult a calendar to see when you planted the pear tree because pear trees may not produce fruit until the tree is 3 to 5 years old for semi-dwarf varieties or 4 to 8 years old for standard varieties.
Plant a second variety of pear tree that produces flowers at the same time as your original pear tree because pears are not self-fruitful and require a second tree for pollination.
Hand-pollinate the flowers with a cotton swab if cool weather or insecticide use keeps bees away from your pear trees. Touch the swab to collect pollen from the flower of one pear variety and dab it into the center of a flower from a second pear tree variety.
Cut off 20 percent of the tree's previous year's growth during the winter to open the canopy and to allow light to the branches.
Things You Will Need
- Second pear tree of another variety
- Cotton swab
- Pruning shears or saw
- Harvest to Table: How to Choose a Pear Tree for Planting
- University of California Davis: Thinning Young Fruit Trees
- University of California Davis The California Backyard Orchard Selecting Fruit, Nut and Berry for Home Gardeners in San Mateo and San Fransisco Counties
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Gardening FAQs: Why Does My Fruit Trees Fail to Produce Fruit?
- University of California: The California Backyard Orchard: Pear (European: Pyrus communis L.; Asian: Pyrus serotina L.)
- Grow Organic.com Chill Hours: What Are They? How Do I Count Them? And Why Do My Fruit Trees Care?
- University of Illinois Extension: European and Asian Pear
- IT Stock Free/Polka Dot/Getty Images