General Culture:

Grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Prefers sandy or clay loams, but is adaptable to a wide range of soils and soil conditions. Site in a location where periodic chemical spraying will not pose problems to adjacent areas. Needs another variety for cross-pollination.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Pears, like apples, are pome fruits. Pears are grafted onto rootstocks which, inter alia, control the size of the tree. This cultivar is available as grafted to standard rootstocks (15-20' tall) or as grafted to dwarfing rootstocks which produce smaller trees. The tree which grew at the Kemper Center was grafted to a dwarf rootstock which limits growth to 8-10' tall. Dwarf trees bear standard-size fruit but have the advantages of fitting into smaller spaces and of being more manageable (e.g., easier to spray, prune and harvest). Creamy white flowers in dense corymbs appear in profusion in early spring. Flowers give way to very large, greenish-yellow pears often with a red blush which ripen in early October (USDA Zone 5).

Problems:

Pears are generally difficult to grow in Missouri. Only cultivars with good fireblight resistance should be attempted. 'Comice' is moderately resistant to fireblight. Scab can also be a problem. Potential insect problems include codling moths, borers, aphids, scale, leaf rollers and mites. Cold temperature injury to flower buds and flowers from early spring frosts is not uncommon.

Uses:

Grown primarily for the fruit crop, but early spring bloom has good ornamental value. This dwarf pear is ideal for landscapes with space limitations.

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