Pear 'Conference'

Where to Plant
Choose a sheltered position in full sun, avoiding obvious frost pockets where possible as pear blossom can be vulnerable to late spring frosts. Plant in fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil and avoid sites that become waterlogged.

Planting Your Bare-Root Tree
Plant while the tree is dormant, avoiding periods when the ground is frozen or waterlogged. Unpack promptly and soak the roots in a bucket of water before planting. Dig a hole wide enough for the roots to spread naturally without bending or crowding them.

Position the tree at the same depth it was previously growing, using the soil mark on the stem as a guide and keeping the graft union above soil level. Spread the roots naturally, backfill with soil, gently firm and water thoroughly. Stake the tree if needed to keep it secure while the roots establish.

Watering & Feeding
Water regularly during the first growing season and during prolonged dry spells. Consistent moisture is particularly important while the fruits are developing. Feed in spring with a suitable fruit tree fertiliser and mulch around the base with well-rotted compost or organic matter, keeping the mulch clear of the trunk.

Pruning
Prune during the dormant season to develop and maintain a healthy, well-balanced framework. Remove dead, damaged, diseased, crossing or badly positioned branches and remove any shoots growing from below the graft union.

Do I Need Another Pear Tree?
Not necessarily. 'Conference' is partially self-fertile, so a single tree can produce fruit without another pear nearby. However, planting a compatible pear with an overlapping flowering period can improve pollination and help produce a heavier crop.

Pollination Group 3
'Conference' belongs to Pollination Group 3. If you'd like to grow a pollination partner, choose a compatible pear that flowers at around the same time.

Spring Blossom
Clusters of white flowers appear in spring before the fruits begin to develop. Bees and other pollinating insects visiting the blossom help with fruit set, so the flowers are an attractive as well as useful part of growing your own pears.

Developing Fruit
Long, bell-shaped fruits develop through summer, with green skin that often becomes attractively russeted. If the tree produces a particularly heavy crop, thinning some of the young fruits can give the remaining pears more room to develop and reduce the weight carried by the branches.

Top Tip:
Don't worry if your young tree doesn't produce a large harvest straight away. Give it time to establish its roots and framework and cropping should increase as the tree matures.

When to Harvest
'Conference' is a late-season pear, with fruits generally ready to harvest in autumn. Rather than allowing them to become completely soft on the tree, pick the pears when they're mature but still firm and allow them to finish ripening afterwards.

How to Tell When Pears Are Ready
Gently lift a fruit in the palm of your hand and give it a slight twist. A mature pear should come away from the branch easily without needing to be pulled. If it resists, leave it on the tree a little longer.

Ripening After Picking
Allow freshly harvested pears to finish ripening indoors. As they ripen, the firm flesh becomes softer, juicier and more melting, developing the sweet flavour 'Conference' is known for.

Storing Your Harvest
One of the advantages of 'Conference' is its good keeping quality. Store sound, undamaged pears somewhere cool and check them regularly, bringing a few into room temperature at a time to ripen. In suitable conditions, fruits can keep into January.

Top Tip:
Don't wait for the whole crop to soften before picking. Pears are best harvested firm and ripened afterwards, allowing you to enjoy your harvest gradually rather than having everything ready at once.

Fresh from the Fruit Bowl
Allow 'Conference' pears to ripen until the flesh becomes sweet, juicy and melting, then enjoy them just as they are. They're also delicious sliced into salads or served with cheese.

For Cooking
The firmer fruits are excellent in the kitchen. Try them poached, baked or added to cakes, tarts and puddings, where their sweetness and pear flavour work particularly well.

Make the Most of Your Harvest
Because the fruits store well, you don't have to use your whole crop at once. Keep the best undamaged pears somewhere cool and bring a few indoors at a time to finish ripening as you need them.

Top Tip:
To check whether a pear is ready to eat, gently press the flesh close to the neck of the fruit. A slight give is a good sign that the pear has softened and is ready to enjoy.

Bare-Root Trees
Your tree is supplied bare root while dormant, without a pot or compost around its roots. It will usually arrive with a woody stem and branches but little or no foliage. This is completely normal and fresh growth will begin as the tree comes out of dormancy in spring.

On Arrival
Unpack your tree promptly and don't allow the roots to dry out. If you can't plant immediately, keep the roots moist and the tree somewhere cool and sheltered until you're ready to plant.

Grafted Fruit Trees
Pear 'Conference' is grafted, combining the fruiting variety with a rootstock that helps determine how strongly the tree grows. You'll usually be able to see the graft union towards the base of the stem. Keep this above soil level when planting.

Quince A Rootstock
'Conference' is grafted onto Quince A rootstock, producing a medium-sized garden pear with moderate vigour. Its eventual size will vary according to growing conditions and how the tree is trained and pruned.

What to Expect After Planting
Your young tree won't look like a mature fruit tree straight away. During its first few years it will establish its roots and develop its framework of branches, with cropping increasing as the tree matures.