Planting a pear tree in the Orchard

Planting a Pear Tree in the Orchard

The Orchard is apples and pears, mulberry and quince, and roses growing up the trees. Pears do well on slightly wetter, heavier soil thanks to their vigorous rootstocks, so we choose pears for wetter areas and put apples on higher, drier ground. I'm planting pear 'Winnal's Longdon' (1790s) to suit the historic space, bought bare root.

How to Plant a Pear Tree

1. Take up the top inch or so of turf in a rough circle to prevent grass around the trunk from competing with the young tree.
2. Dig a hole. Ideally you don't want to dig deeper than the topsoil, so if you reach the subsoil (change in colour and texture), double-check how deep the tree roots are.
3. Use a spade across the hole to check the level with the tree in place.
4. Plant so the soil level is just above the roots - not up near the graft join.
5. Mix organic matter, e.g. homemade compost, in with the topsoil you've taken out. Adding organic matter opens up the structure of clay soil and adds bulk to sandy soil.
6. Backfill with the mix of soil and organic matter - overfill the hole, as it will sink down.
7. Lift the tree in and out slightly to settle the soil down among the roots. Do this for anything you plant bare root, like roses.
8. Firm down the soil with your fists, checking the tree remains upright. This is to ensure roots are in contact with the soil, without compacting too much.
9. Put a bit more soil on top if needed. You want to put back in all or almost all of what you've taken out.
10. Do a final firm with fists to make sure there are no air pockets.

Staking the Tree

After planting, it's important to stake the tree to hold it upright while it establishes. Because it's bare root, you can put a vertical stake in next to it, but this still risks damaging roots. You can also stake with two stakes either side of the rootball with a tie between them.

I use a single stake at a 45° angle. We make and use cleaved chestnut stakes, which are very durable.

1. Put the stake on the side of the tree that the prevailing wind comes from, so the wind pushes the tree away from the stake, preventing rubbing. It doesn't matter which way you angle the stake, but keep the direction consistent if you're planting several trees.
2. Hammer the stake in as far as you can. If it's too long, you can saw it off beyond the point where the tree is tied in.
3. Secure the tree to the stake. You can use a rubber tree tie - position the buckle between the tree and the stake to prevent any rubbing, and tighten. I prefer to use hessian - it's cheap, easy and lasts several years. It's not tight like plastic/rubber ties, so there's room for the tree to grow and move slightly in the wind, which allows the tree to build strength.
4. Put the hessian in a figure of eight around the stake and trunk. Check the tree isn't rubbing on the stake. If you want more cushioning, you can loop the hessian round the middle of the eight again to create a collar between the trunk and stake.
5. Tie off the ends and cut off any excess length.
6. Use a hammer and two nails to secure the hessian to the stake and prevent it from sliding.
7. You'll be able to remove this in about 18 months.

Watering and Pruning

• Water the tree in with a full can. It will need this about once a month while it establishes.
• If you can't keep coming back to water it, or if you don't wish to disrupt the greenery around the planted tree, use a watering bag such as Treegator® - a bag that sits round the base of the tree, which you fill with water and it gradually seeps out.
• If the tree has one terminal bud, but you want several stems, cut it off just above a bud. This removes dominance from the terminal bud and encourages it to branch.

Mulch

• A thick layer of mulch around the tree gives it a better start by retaining moisture and slowing down the ingress of grass.
• Homemade compost or leaf mould both work well.
• Leave a small collar around the trunk so mulch isn't right up against it, to avoid rot.

Choosing the Tree

There's a suitable tree to enhance every size of garden. Don't be tempted by trees that aren't right for the place. Think about:

• Height - what's right for your space and the feeling you want to achieve.
• Flowering time - if in a colder area, you may not want an early-flowering variety.
• What you want to do with the fruit - e.g. cooking vs. eating raw.

I would always choose to have a tree, even in a small garden. It adds an extra dimension, and so many things play off that tree - sun, pools of shade, things that grow up it.

Further Reading

• RHS guide to planting trees and shrubs
• RHS guide to trees for smaller gardens
• 10 award-winning (AGM) flowering trees for small gardens

Plant Directory

Cydonia oblonga

Quince

Hardy deciduous tree

Rosaceae

Malus domestica cultivars

Apples

Hardy deciduous trees

Rosaceae

Morus nigra

Black mulberry

Hardy deciduous tree

Moraceae

Pyrus communis cultivars

Pears

Hardy deciduous trees

Rosaceae

Pyrus communis 'Winnal's Longdon'

'Winnal's Longdon' pear

Hardy deciduous tree

Rosaceae

Rosa species and cultivars

Roses

Hardy deciduous shrubs or climbers

Rosaceae

Glossary

Club hammer

A small, heavy, short-handled hammer with an evenly balanced, symmetrical double-faced head. The heaviest hammer that can be used with one hand.

Graft

To fuse one plant variety onto a rootstock of another variety, often used for producing roses and apples. This can give the plant certain properties such as ultimate size, and allows nurseries to produce more plants from a small amount of material.

Maiden whip

A one-year-old tree with a single, straight, unbranched stem.

Rootstock

A plant onto which another variety is grafted. The rootstock makes up the roots and base of the stem, while the rest of the plant is the variety that has been grafted on. The rootstock determines properties of the plant such as its vigour, ultimate height and spread, and cropping potential.

Standard

A tree that has a single, straight trunk with no branches for at least the first 1.8 metres from the ground.

Subsoil

The soil layer below the surface soil (topsoil) and above the rock layer (bedrock), which usually contains more clay, stones, minerals and metal compounds than topsoil and less organic matter.

Topsoil

The uppermost layer of soil, which is high in nutrients and organic matter and in which most plant roots are found.

Treegator®

A watering bag used for irrigating newly planted trees. The bag is filled with water, wraps around the trunk and slowly releases water into the root zone.

Water table

The level below the surface at which the ground becomes permanently saturated with water - an underground boundary between the soil layer and the groundwater that lies beneath. A 'high water table' means this boundary is close to the surface, which means the topsoil can become saturated during wet periods.