Description

Honey Pear™

Overview

The Honey Pear™ is a highly productive, grafted pear tree that produces medium-large, sweet fruit from mid-September through mid-October in central Pennsylvania. As the pears ripen on the tree, they develop outstanding sweetness while creating an excellent food source for both people and wildlife.

The original tree is an old roadside pear that we estimate to be more than 35 years old. Despite growing near other pear trees with significant fire blight, it has remained clean over many years of observation. That combination of productivity, fruit quality, and disease resistance makes Honey Pear™ an outstanding choice for wildlife orchards, hunting properties, and homestead plantings.

Deer Attraction and Fruit Production

Honey Pear™ produces abundant crops of pears year after year. As the fruit ripens, it becomes exceptionally sweet and quickly attracts deer and other wildlife. This pear produced very well in a year when there is heavy freezes during bloom and Post bloom.

Here in central Pennsylvania, fruit begins falling in mid-September and continues into mid-October. This extended drop period provides a dependable food source during the early weeks of the hunting season when your looking to have bachelor groups of bucks on you.

The fruit is large enough for fresh eating while also producing an abundant soft mast crop for deer, turkeys, bears, and many other wildlife species.

Disease Resistance For Honey Pear™

One of the most impressive characteristics of Honey Pear™ is its natural disease resistance.

The original tree has remained remarkably clean despite growing beside pear trees that regularly show heavy fire blight pressure. This long-term performance gives us confidence that Honey Pear™ is a dependable variety for wildlife plantings and home orchards alike.

Grafted Tree

Every Honey Pear™ is propagated by taking plant tissue from the original tree and grafting it onto vigorous rootstock. This process produces a genetically identical tree, allowing you to grow the same variety shown in our photos and described on this page.

Standard Rootstock

Honey Pear™ is grafted onto Pyrus betulifolia rootstock. This vigorous, standard-sized rootstock develops deep roots that anchor the tree well while improving drought tolerance and long-term performance.

Unlike dwarf rootstocks, Pyrus betulifolia produces a full-size tree capable of carrying heavy fruit crops for many years.

This rootstock performs well in many soil types, including:

• Acidic soils
• Sandy soils
• Lower fertility soils
• Former woodland
• Food plots
• Reclaimed ground
• Shale and upland soils

Although it adapts well to difficult sites, proper soil preparation will always improve growth and fruit production really poor ground will delay fruit production. We recommend performing a soil test before planting and making any needed nutrient or pH adjustments.

Pollination For Honey Pear™

Like all pear trees, Honey Pear™ requires another compatible pear variety for pollination.

For the best fruit production:

• Plant at least two different named pear varieties.
• Avoid planting trees with the same variety name.
• Choose varieties with overlapping bloom periods.
• Kieffer Pear and other pear varieties offered by Blue Hill Wildlife Nursery make excellent pollination partners.

Good pollination results in heavier crops and more dependable fruit production every year.

Tree Sizes Available

2-Year Tree (4-6 Feet, 5/8-Inch Diameter)

These two-year-old trees develop extensive root systems and often have multiple branches with a trunk diameter of at least 5/8 inch. Before shipping, we prune each tree to approximately 66 inches for safe delivery.

Features include:

• Extensive root system
• Multiple branches
• Minimum 5/8-inch trunk diameter
• Ships at approximately 66 inches
• Up to 15 trees per shipping box
• Free local pickup available

2-Year Select Tree (4-6 Feet)

Our Select trees are the largest grade we offer. They typically have superior feathering and trunk diameters approaching 3/4 inch.

Features include:

• Largest trees available
• Excellent branching structure
• Trunk diameter approaching 3/4 inch
• Ships at approximately 66 inches
• Up to 14 trees per shipping box
• Free local pickup available

Why Choose Honey Pear™?

Honey Pear™ combines everything landowners want in a wildlife pear: Medium-large, sweet fruit, dependable annual production, excellent disease resistance, and a valuable early fall drop period. Whether you’re planting a wildlife orchard, improving a hunting property, or adding fruit trees to your homestead, Honey Pear™ provides dependable production and outstanding wildlife attraction for generations.

SHIPPING/PICK UP

Shipping to Plant Hardiness zones 2 – 8 will begin in early March (you select your ship date) and continue until the last Monday in April. Dormant bare-root trees must be planted in the spring, while trees in your area remain dormant. You can select your ship date when you check out on the website. If you are looking for winter shipping, write me at ryan@bluehillwildlifenursery.com

The last week of March or the first week of April is ideal for planting in Pennsylvania. Free local pick-up is also available in the surrounding states. When you check out on the website, you can select your pick-up date. However, if you are unable to make the selected date, please call or message us to arrange an alternative appointment. 

We are open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, for tree pick-up.

For More Information click below, Visit:

• Pear Trees for Deer
• Tree Planting Guide
• Pollination Guide
• Rootstock Information
• Shipping and Pickup Info