How to grow a pear from a seed: growing at home

Content

1 Is it possible to grow a pear from a seed?
2 How to grow a pear from a seed at home
3 Advice from experienced gardeners
4 Conclusion

Most gardeners grow fruit trees from ready-made seedlings. This method of planting gives confidence that in due time they will produce a harvest according to the varietal characteristics. But there are enthusiasts who want to grow a tree from a seed - to see how it sprouts and develops, to try to get a specimen that retains the characteristics of the mother plant. Is it possible to grow a pear from a seed and how to do it correctly will be discussed below.

Is it possible to grow a pear from a seed?

Like many garden trees, pears can be grown and propagated by seeds. From a planted seed, you can grow a tree with tasteless fruits or a tree that is in no way inferior to the mother plant, or even superior to it in varietal qualities. True, the probability of such an outcome is one chance in a thousand.On various forums you can find many reviews about the results of growing pears from seeds; gardeners note with satisfaction that the fruits obtained, although smaller in size, have a good taste. The factor of chance is very strong here: having planted a seed, you don’t know what will grow out of it. If the result does not live up to expectations, a young pear can be grafted with a bud or cutting from a tree that has already proven itself in terms of fruiting and productivity.

Most often, seedlings are grown from pear seeds, which will later be used as a rootstock. They are strong, frost-resistant and immune to many diseases. Without waiting for the fruits, they are grafted, turning the wild plant into a cultivated plant. This is how gardeners strive to grow a seedling of the desired variety on a rootstock that has undergone natural selection and hardening. There is also the practice of growing dwarf pears and bonsai from seeds for home decoration, then obtaining a harvest is not the goal.

How to grow a pear from a seed at home

In order to grow a healthy and strong pear seedling from a seed, you need to follow the sequence of actions when planting and provide the seedling with proper care.

Seed preparation

If you set out to grow a pear from a seed, you should be patient. The process begins with the selection of seed material and its pre-planting treatment. The final result largely depends on the quality and proper preparation of the seeds. It is preferable to select pear seeds of zoned varieties adapted to the local climate, then the chances of growing a healthy, strong seedling increase many times over.

Seed selection

To grow pears, seeds are harvested in late autumn.They are extracted by hand from ripe fruits grown on the periphery of the crown of healthy, high-yielding trees. The seeds should be full-bodied, dense, with shiny, smooth skin. First, they are immersed in cool salt water (30 g per 1 l), and those that float are discarded. Then they are washed in hot water, they are completely freed from fruit pulp and juice, which can serve as a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microflora when laid for stratification. Finally, the pear seeds are dried at room conditions.

Preparation for stratification

Stratification is keeping seeds under conditions of low positive or low negative temperatures in order to overcome the dormancy state. In order to grow a pear from seeds, this stage is necessary; without stratification they will not germinate. Before starting the procedure, pear seeds should be kept for 4-5 hours in a solution of potassium permanganate and 1 day in the growth stimulator “Epin”, “Zircon”.

Stratification

Stratification of pear seeds, which allows you to grow a healthy tree, lasts 3 months. Seeds are processed in one of four ways:

Mix with wet sand, peat, sawdust and transfer to a room with a temperature of + 3-5 ˚С. As the substrate dries, it is moistened.
Place in a linen bag, keep in a damp state for 2-3 days, remove, package in plastic bags and store in the refrigerator. Once a week, pear seeds need to be mixed and moistened when dry.
They are covered with earth, placed in a plastic box or bag and buried in the garden at a depth of 10-15 cm. The surface of the soil is covered with sawdust, spruce branches or special material.
Pre-winter sowing is carried out to a depth of 4 cm, followed by covering.Pear seeds, from which it is planned to grow a tree, are planted directly into the soil or placed in peat pots, which are dug in level with it. Sowing time is the onset of the first frost. Furrows in the ground are made in advance, before it has yet set into a crust, and they are covered with a dry mixture of sand, humus and ash, prepared in separate containers. Covering with mulch is a must. This is how natural seed stratification occurs.

Important! In the spring, when the ground thaws, the hatched pear seeds are planted in the ground under a film or in special planting containers.

Growing pears in containers speeds up its development and the onset of fruiting.

During stratification in the soil, pear seeds must be protected from rodents. To do this, they need to be covered with fine mesh. If some of the seeds sprouted too early, the entire batch is transferred to a room with a temperature of 0-1 °C. This will delay their further development while the rest ripen.

Selection and preparation of planting containers

By spring, the stratified pear seeds will hatch, then they need to be grown in greenhouse conditions. Special containers or cups for yogurt, sour cream, and ice cream are used as containers. Clay flower pots are also suitable - they need to be soaked in water for 24 hours before use. The container for growing pears from seeds must be washed with a disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate before sowing, holes must be made for the outflow of moisture and drainage made of pebbles or perlite must be placed at the bottom. When using peat pots, no preparation is required.

Advice! The viability of pear seeds before sowing is determined visually; they should be elastic, the cotyledons should be white, the shell should be strong, and when pressed roughly, they should be flattened and not crumble.

Soil preparation

The soil for germinating pear seeds must be nutritious. You can purchase soil specifically designed for these purposes, but ordinary garden soil enriched with fertilizers will also work. For 10 kg, add 200 g of ash, 30 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium sulfate and mix. It is recommended to disinfect the soil mixture - place it on a baking sheet in a layer of 1.5-2 cm and leave for 1 hour in an oven preheated to 125˚C. Then it is poured over the drainage, filling the container ¾ full.

Landing rules

To grow high-quality seedlings, the strongest sprouted seeds are selected for sowing. They need to be planted carefully so as not to break the sprouts, deepened by 1-1.5 cm. Deeper planting will lead to the formation of a non-viable plant that will die within 2-3 years. A distance of 5-7 cm is maintained between the seeds. Holes are made in pots for 4-5 seeds, furrows are made in large containers and sown sparsely. The soil is moistened with a spray bottle, the container is covered with glass or film and placed in a bright place - on a windowsill or insulated balcony on the sunny side. Crops need to be ventilated daily and watered as needed. Do not allow a crust to appear on the surface of the soil - the sprouts will not be able to break through it.

Sprout care

In a month, cotyledons will appear above the surface of the earth, and then true leaves. When their number reaches 4, the seedlings can be transplanted into separate larger pots.Carefully, so as not to damage the fragile roots, the seedlings are removed with a lump of earth and placed in pre-prepared holes.

Optimal temperature and humidity

Seedlings should be grown at a temperature of 18-20 ˚C and a relative humidity of at least 60%. Every day you need to ventilate the room several times a day for 5-10 minutes to harden the pear. Young shoots should not be exposed to direct sunlight or drafts in the room.

Watering and fertilizing

Watering pear seedlings should be quite frequent - daily in dry, sunny weather, every other day in cloudy, rainy weather. Crops need to be fed three times with a solution of ammonium nitrate, mullein or bird droppings in a ratio of 1:10. The first time - at the beginning of growth, the second - after the first shoots, the third - a month later.

Picking

When thickening, the seedlings need to be thinned twice - when the first true leaves form and after another 2 weeks. During this procedure, weak and crooked sprouts are removed, strong ones are transplanted into the vacant spaces. Picking is carried out after watering or rain. A third of the root is removed from the sprouts, dipped in a clay mash and planted at intervals of 7 cm.

Preparing for landing

Young pears need to be prepared for growing in open ground. A week before planting, the containers are taken out into the open air for half an hour. To make it easier to remove seedlings from the container, soak the soil in it.

Transplantation into open ground

Well-lit areas protected from the wind are suitable for planting young pears. The soil should be loose, water- and breathable. The seedlings are buried 3-4 cm, watered with warm water, and mulched with sawdust. Watering is carried out as the soil dries.The distance between plants is 8 cm, between rows is 10 cm. After planting, young pears need regular watering, loosening, weeding and fertilizing. During the first 2 months, the tree intensively forms roots, so it grows slowly. Caring for the plant before grafting is aimed at ensuring strong growth and the formation of an active, healthy cambium and bark. A strong rootstock allows you to grow a healthy, strong tree with proper attention.

Advice from experienced gardeners

There are many opinions on how to grow a pear from seeds - they relate to every stage, from stratification to placement in a permanent place in the garden. Some gardeners recommend storing seeds in a moist substrate until spring, others in dry sand. Many people prefer to sow seeds directly into the ground in the fall, believing that nature will best take care of selecting the strongest and most hardened samples. To grow a pear in greenhouse conditions in winter, some recommend bringing it to a permanent place or to a “school” in the spring, others - in September, when the seedling gets stronger, and others - a year later, which speeds up the onset of fruiting. All these opinions are based on personal experience, and a novice gardener will have to choose a planting method that will allow him to grow a pear tree from a seed.

Conclusion

Growing a pear from a seed is a long and labor-intensive task with unpredictable results. Experienced gardeners resort to this method to obtain strong frost-resistant rootstocks. Enthusiasts and experimenters strive to grow a dream tree from a pear seed, which will decorate the garden or home interior.To achieve a good result, you need to carefully care for the young tree - protect it from frost and rodents, protect it from parasites, feed it, loosen and weed the ground. Only by taking the necessary steps can you grow a full-fledged healthy tree from a pear seed.