August 27th then store in dry place allow to ripen the skin start to yellow in about 2 weeks flesh soften an sweeten. Keep checking pears with pads on fingers with lite presser. Remeber if leave pears on tree deer and squirell pick fruits deer stand on back legs to pick pears as height as 15 feet and drop on ground to eat later after come down off back legs. I had bartlet that was out bed room window watched this happen just before dark in evening date was around 10th september. university Georgia gives date pick pears and store as August 27th they want be mealy if pick at this time.

Gator rider2:

I'm not sure if you are having computer problems, but you seem to be dropping words, and I don't quite understand what you were trying to say.
Are you saying in Georgia it's August 27th? For what kind of pears? I know different kinds get ripe over a 2 or 3 month period.

Carla in Sac

Picking date would vary from season to season anywhere. The picking date tends to follow a fairly consistant pattern based on days from bloom but this is not completely reliable by any means. Pears are difficult to time for the home grower if it's a variety that doesn't ripen well on the tree. Bartletts are ready when they are enjoyable as a crisp fruit. Any pear should have some sugar before it is picked in my experience. Most pears will break away cleanly when twisted slightly once they are ripe.

I've never had deer go anywhere near the heights described here. As I keep writing, never assume that the behavior of your wildlife will be duplicated at a different site. Diets and eating habits and methods vary from animal to animal and from group to group. At one site I manage the bucks will butt the trees to make ripe fruit drop but I haven't heard of them doing this elsewhere and they clearly don't do this in my orchard 30 miles away.

Any suggestions for determining when my 1st and only Seckel fruit is ripe?

The ground color will change in a seckel from green to yellow before it is ready to pick, at least in an open pruned tree. It can be eaten anytime from crisp to luscious soft drippy juicey.

Here in southeastern ny z 6ish they begin to ripen first week of Sept most years. They are the most coveted of fruit by squirrels, so good luck.

Momma s,
I developed a system for figuring out about when to pick unidentified pears. Here is what I do: 1) I pick them in intervals of three days starting the 1st of August. 2) with each batch that I pick I label them by taring a slip of paper and writing the date of picking on it and sliping it over the stem (like a tag). 3) I leave a few of each group on the counter to ripen till there soft to the touch and I also stick a few of each group into the crisper drawer for the "fridge method of ripening". That is were I stick a pear in the crisper drawer of the fridge for two weeks to finnish ripening and then pull it out to soften on the counter. Some pears improve by leaps and bounds after a stint in cold storage while others do not. By picking them in batches this way you cover all your bases. Then just record which batches you like best and that will give you a year to year ball park as to when to pick. If you happened to remember or have recorded a bloom date then you can get very specific as Harvestman mentioned by using a days from full bloom index to know when to harvest in the future. Hope this helps.

Scape

Thanks, thanks, THANKS!!!

I was just about to post this question.

DL

I am fairly new to pear culture. I planted a Moonglow and a D'Anjou four years ago. The Moonglow has been bearing for two years now. When do you pick these pears??

My D'Anjou tree is equally large and healthy but has never blossomed in the springtime . The two trees are 12 feet apart. I have recently added a third pear tree; a Stark variety which is supposed to be a good pollinator of everything. But without Anjou blossoms, that will not solve my Anjou problem.
Next question. The D'Anjou tree I purchased from a reputable nursery was supposed to be a semi-dwarf. It is now twenty feet tall and reaching for the clouds. Can I prune this back to the height I want it, within reason, without damaging future fruit production. I have been trying to cut it back each year to a single leader, but countless other leaders develop and all grow a foot or two each seson. Frustrating!
Can anyone recommend a usefeul pruning book or website for pears? Thank you.