Pear tree?

[js85]

I moved into my current house last October, and this spring/summer I was so pleased to find out that we have a pear tree! I was so excited at the potential.. only to be disappointed. We get plenty of fruit on it, but they seem to fall off the branches way before they're ripe. They aren't being attacked by anything, but they're half the size they should be and as hard as a golf ball. Is there anything I can do?

 

[Chuck]

I moved into my current house last October, and this spring/summer I was so pleased to find out that we have a pear tree! I was so excited at the potential.. only to be disappointed. We get plenty of fruit on it, but they seem to fall off the branches way before they're ripe. They aren't being attacked by anything, but they're half the size they should be and as hard as a golf ball. Is there anything I can do?

The variety you have is probably the canning and cooking variety. If so they will stay hard as a rock and never get much bigger than a small apple

 

[Jewell]

Even eating varieties of pears need to be picked when green. Mine are ripening now and if I want to use them have to pick them before they toss themselves on the ground. They will ripen on your counter to then make fruit butter, jam, etc. out of or eat. Even the small flowering varieties can make great jams/butters.

 

[js85]

Oh neat, I didn't even think of the difference. I'll run out and grab some to experiment with. Thanks for the tip.