Pear (European), Bartlett, Bare Root

Bartlett Pear (Pyrus communis ‘Bartlett’)

Bartlett is the familiar aromatic European pear that turns yellow as it ripens. It is an all-purpose choice for fresh eating, canning, and preserving where the climate and disease pressure suit it.

Key Characteristics

The familiar pear flavor and aroma

Its ripe flesh becomes juicy, soft, and fragrant. Pick mature fruit while it is still firm and let it finish ripening indoors rather than waiting for softness on the tree.

A useful kitchen crop

Bartlett works fresh, canned, sauced, or dried. Sort fruit by maturity so the ripest pears are used first and firmer fruit can finish gradually.

Choose pollination and disease care thoughtfully

Bartlett benefits from a compatible partner, and Seckel should not be relied upon to pollinate it. Fire blight can be a serious limitation in warm, humid regions, so match the tree to the site and maintain a care plan.

Pollination Partners

Cross-pollination requires a different compatible cultivar. Options in our 2027 selection include Golden Russet, Moonglow, Warren. Cross-pollination depends on overlapping bloom, not matching harvest months.

Rootstock and Mature Size

Standard Pyrus betulifolia 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: Green skin turning yellow; soft, juicy, aromatic flesh when ripened indoors.
• Uses: Fresh eating, canning, sauce, drying, and preserves.
• Ripening: August–September
• Chill hours: Approximately 500–600 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.