Pear (Asian), 20th Century, Bare Root

20th Century Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Nijisseiki’)

20th Century, also called Nijisseiki, bears round yellow-green pears with crisp, very juicy flesh. It is a fresh-eating Asian pear that ripens on the tree rather than softening like a European dessert pear.

Key Characteristics

A refreshing pear with apple-like crunch

The fruit has smooth, relatively thin skin and a mild sweet flavor. Pick when it tastes sweet and juicy rather than waiting for the flesh to become buttery.

Thin early for better fruit

This cultivar can set more fruit than the tree can size well. Early thinning reduces crowding and helps protect branches from heavy loads.

Harvest ripe, then keep cool

Asian pears are usually picked ready to eat, making taste testing useful as the harvest approaches. Refrigerate sound fruit and monitor for fire blight and leaf or fruit spots.

Pollination Partners

Cross-pollination requires a different compatible cultivar. Options in our 2027 selection include Shinseiki, Hosui Asian, Olympic. Cross-pollination depends on overlapping bloom, not matching harvest months.

Rootstock and Mature Size

Standard Pyrus calleryana rootstock can produce a tree roughly 20–30 feet tall. The OH×F 333 option is more compact, roughly 12–18 feet with training and pruning. Allow room for the rootstock you choose, keep the graft above soil level, and remove any shoots arising below it.

Product Details

• Sun: Full sun to light partial shade; full sun is best for fruiting.
• Soil: medium to medium-dry, well-drained soil; avoid standing water.
• Mature height: Approximately 12–30 feet; see rootstock and pruning guidance above.
• Bloom: Early to mid-spring; white flowers.
• Fruit: Round yellow-green pears with smooth skin and crisp, sweet, very juicy flesh.
• Uses: Fresh eating, salads, juice, and refrigerated storage.
• Ripening: August–September
• Chill hours: Approximately 300–400 hours.
• Pollination: Cross-pollination with a compatible cultivar required.
• USDA hardiness: Zones 5–9.

General Pear Orchard Guidance

A good start

Choose well-drained soil and enough room for the mature tree. Water consistently while roots establish, mulch with space around the trunk, and keep vigorous grass and other competitors away from the young root zone.

Fertility and fruit-tree guilds

Use a soil test to guide lime and fertilizer rather than feeding heavily by default. Our Tree Planting Kit fertilizer blend is an optional planting supplement; keep concentrated fertilizer away from bare roots and avoid excess nitrogen.

Interested in permaculture and stacking functions around your fruit trees? Explore our fruit-tree guild guide for ideas on combining plants for flowers, ground cover, and mulch while giving your tree room to grow.

Practical pest and disease care

Train strong branch angles, thin crowded fruit, and avoid excessive nitrogen that produces tender growth vulnerable to fire blight. Remove diseased growth using appropriate pruning guidance and monitor for pear psylla and fruit-feeding insects. Pick European dessert pears mature but firm for indoor ripening; Asian pears usually ripen on the tree.