Do you want to know about an exceptionally cold-hardy pear with a heavenly sweet taste? The Flemish beauty Pear is a cultivar, introduced in Belgium back in the early years of the 18th century. The large round-shaped pears are yellow with red blushed skin. The trees produce a generous crop of sweet and fleshy fruit in September.
The plant is usually self-pollinated. However, another pear variety in the vicinity enhances pollination and fruit production. The fruit is excellent to be eaten fresh, packed or tossed into a fruit salad. Let us dive deeper into knowing the necessary details about growing a Flemish Beauty Pear Tree.
Flemish Beauty Pear Classification
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Pyrus
Species: Pyrus communis
Cultivar: Flemish beauty
Botanical name: Pyrus communis ‘Flemish Beauty.
Features of Flemish Beauty Pear Tree
- Pear trees may reach about 30 feet in height. While the dwarf cultivar of pears usually gets about 15 to 20 feet tall. The plant usually takes about 2 to 4 years to get mature and reach this height.
- The trees are strong and have vertical branches.
- Leaves are medium in size and deciduous.
- Pear-shaped or spherical fruit grows on spurs.
Flowers
- In season, the tree produces white and pink fragrant flowers which develop into the fruit.
Season and Ripening
- In the middle of the summer, the tree gets covered with fruit in large quantities. The fruit is usually not allowed to ripe on the trees. Yes, they are harvested around September and kept warm in storage to ensure even ripening. This is the place where they get the juicy sweet taste, famous all over the world.
Flemish Beauty Pear Care
These trees are hard to maintain, especially in the first two years of growth. Let us have a look at the basic requirements of the Flemish Beauty Pear Tree;
Water Requirements
In the initial years of plant growth, you need to pay attention to the watering. The basic strategy is to check the upper 2 inches of the soil with the help of your finger. Water right after the soil gets dry.
In fierce dry days of summer, water the plant about twice or thrice a week. Just soak the upper 8 inches of the soil frequently to provide adequate moisture. Deep watering helps root growth and expansion. Strong and deep-rooted trees get self-sufficient as they get the required water from the depth of the soil.
In the case of container-grown plants, water generously until it starts flowing through the drainage holes.
Rainfall helps a lot to provide the necessary water to the plants. On normal days, it would love a weekly dose of thorough watering, especially in the first growing season. This task can be done by a one-hour trickle at a slow speed.
Once established, the trees become hardy enough to survive on their own.
Sunlight Requirements
Just like many other fruit trees, the pear trees like to be in direct sun.
Temperature Requirements
These plants are hardy towards severe winters. This makes them suitable for the northern regions. In fact, these are found abundantly in these cold areas. Not as hardy as the apple trees, but they prove to be strong enough to face the cold days. The lowest resistible temperature is as low as -23 °C. On the other hand, the maximum temperature resistance for warm temperature is around 30 °C.
Humidity Requirement
The pear trees don’t need any extra effort to maintain the humidity. They will just go well with the normal humidity level of the growing zone.
Soil Requirements
The pear trees thrive in any well-drained and rich soil. The preferred PH is mildly acidic ranging from 6 to 6.5.
Fertilizer Requirements
In the initial two years, the plant needs frequent doses of fertilizers. To check for the nutritional needs, the soil can be tested to check for any specific deficiencies. Use any suitable fertilizer according to the deficiencies. For normal soil, you can use a general 10-10-10 fertilizer or any suitable fruit tree fertilizer for the plant.
You can select from a range of fertilizers like a slow-release, liquid fertilizer, organic, or synthetic one. The type of fertilizer depends upon the fertilizing routine and frequency.
Make sure you follow the instructions on the package. Never over-fertilize or apply unsuitably, as it may destroy your tree.
Pruning Requirement
Pruning of trees helps to remove the old and dead branches. This results in a fluffier tree with more energy for flowering and fruit production. Moreover, you can maintain the shape and size of the tree by regular pruning.
Replanting Requirement
No need to disturb the baby if the tree is at a suitable place with proper space, sunlight, and all other necessities.
How to replant a Pear Tree?
Loosen the soil around the soil-grown tree and dig the soil twice deeper than the root mass. The hole should be 5 feet away from the tree trunk and 4 feet deep. Now gently pull out the root ball without destroying it and plant it at the desired place. Add some bark about feet away from the tree trunk to avoid rotting on being watered. Digging out the tree from the soil results in the loss of some roots. To combat this loss, just prune the tree a little after planting, to remove the stress on the tree.
In the case of container-grown trees, people usually transfer them to an open place after some years. Just lay down the plant horizontally and loosen the pot. Dig a hole about three feet wider and deeper than the container. Now plant the tree along with the soil in the center of the hole and firm the soil around. In this case, there is not root loss, so there is no need to prune.
Pollination Requirement
These trees are partially self-fertile. However, it is better to have a pear tree in the surroundings. This will ensure cross-pollination.
Growth Zone
The tree is hardy in USDA growth zones 3 to 9.
Flemish Beauty Pear Propagation
Rootstock grafting is the most common method of growing a pear tree. However, you can also grow a tree from cuttings in case you provide suitable care.
Season
Try propagating the Flemish Beauty tree in the spring season.
Propagation by Stem-tip cutting
- Take a sharp gardening sheer and cut a few cuttings from the newly growing branch tips (green stem). The branch cutting should be half or one-fourth of an inch with lots of nodes. The cutting of the dwarf variety should be 5 to 7 inches long. On the other hand, the tall tree cuttings should be around 15 inches. Cut by making a 45-degree angle of the stem and about ¼ inch below the node.
- Prepare the planter with a moist substrate. Vermiculite and perlite in equal proportions do pretty well. Make sure the excess water drains through the holes.
- Now, remove the bark from the lower quarter of the cutting. Then, dip it into the water for about 5 minutes.
- Dip the bark-less end into 0.2 % IBA rooting hormone and gently tap off the excess.
- Make a small hole in the growing medium and plant the barkless end into it. Make sure you plant the cutting at least 5 inches deep and firm the soil around.
- Plant a few cuttings at a distance of about 10 inches to maximize the chances of getting successful propagation.
- Use polythene or plastic bag to cover the cuttings by creating a mini greenhouse.
- Keep the setup in indirect light and consistently warm temperature (about 21 C) with no drafts. You can also use a heating mat to maintain the temperature level.
- Keep the soil moist by frequent watering. Make sure you avoid over-watering as soggy soil may make the cuttings root.
- Keep the set up warm for about a month until you move them out of the mat. The place should be warm and safe from drafts and direct sunlight.
Growth Timeline
Let us have a look at the estimated growth timeline to help you out with the growth process.
Month 1: The cuttings will remain covered and on the heating mat for the first month. Water the soil mildly and frequently to maintain the moisture.
Month 2 to 5: Remove the heating pad and the cover. Just let the cuttings grow into baby plants for the next three months. Shoot development will be seen around the mid of the second month.
Month 6: In suitable conditions, the cuttings will grow into baby plants. They will turn strong enough to cope with environmental stress. You can replant each baby plant in the desired container or your garden. Make sure you select a suitable place with plenty of space for root development and branch spread. Moreover, the place should be warm with good sun and aeration. Keep watering frequently right after the upper layer of the soil gets dry. The baby trees will need your care and attention for the first two years until they get strong enough to survive on their own.
Well, tree plantation is a time taking process. Just follow the Flemish Beauty Pear Care shared in the previous section. You have to wait for about 2 to 4 years until the tree becomes mature enough to give you the delicious fruit.
Flemish Beauty Pear Plant Problems
These trees are highly susceptible to pests like;
- Scale
- And, Fire blight.
Other pests like leaf rollers, blisters, mites, aphids, diebacks, scabs, and powdery mildews are also among the popular enemies.
Solution
Markets are full of a variety of pesticide sprays. Professional advice is preferable to get a suitable product to combat the issue. It is always better to have a close look at the plant. This will help you to knock out any possible disease before it spreads further.
Summary
Flemish Beauty is one of the most cold-hardy European Pears. The tree can bear a minimum temperature of around -30 °C. Moreover, it can be grown both in open ground and in containers.
The basic requirements include direct sun and moist soil. The thick-skinned yellow pears with reddish blush are harvested around September. The tree is highly vulnerable to the pest, Fireblight. If you want to taste one of the sweetest and tastiest pears, don’t forget to get the heavenly fruit, the Flemish Beauty Pear.
