Pear (Asian), Olympic, Bare Root

Olympic Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Olympic’)

Olympic, also sold as Korean Giant, produces large russet-skinned Asian pears late in the season. Its crisp texture and good keeping potential extend fresh pear eating into autumn.

Key Characteristics

Large fruit with a firm, juicy bite

The brown-russeted pears can become quite large when the crop is thinned. Their flesh stays crisp when ripe rather than taking on the soft texture of Bartlett.

A later Asian-pear harvest

Olympic ripens after many summer Asian pears. Choose a site with enough growing season for the fruit to develop sweetness before autumn cold.

Useful fire-blight resistance

Olympic offers a helpful resistance trait for an Asian pear. Keep growth balanced and watch for symptoms because resistance is not immunity.

Pollination Partners

Cross-pollination requires a different compatible cultivar. Options in our 2027 selection include Hosui Asian, Shinko, Shinseiki. 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. 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 20–30 feet; see rootstock and pruning guidance above.
• Bloom: Early to mid-spring; white flowers.
• Fruit: Large brown-russeted pears with firm, crisp, sweet, juicy flesh.
• Uses: Fresh eating, salads, juice, and refrigerated storage.
• Ripening: September–October
• Chill hours: Approximately 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.