How to Grow a Bradford Flowering Pear From a Seed

Bradford pear trees, although fruit producers, are typically grown for their ornamental capabilities. As a native tree to China and Korea, Bradford pear was first brought to the west in approximately 1908. Believed to be an ideal tree for street planting the Bradford pear is highly susceptible to both wind and ice damage. Although Bradford pear is known for producing a great deal of litter and its flowers emanating a rather unpleasant odor, if you're looking for a fast-growing tree that also makes a good shade tree, then the Bradford pear is for you. You can plant Bradford pear from freshly gathered seeds once they have been properly prepared.

Things You'll Need

• Bradford pear fruit or seeds
• Knife
• Potato masher
• Bowl or glass
• Plastic storage bag
• Sand
• Spray bottle
• 1-gallon pots
• Planting mix
• Shovel
• Amendment

Instructions

Preparing and Planting Bradford Pear Seeds

1. Cut the Bradford pears in sections. Remove the seeds by crushing the pulp. You can use a potato masher to macerate the fruit.

2. Pick out the small black seeds from the pulp. Rinse the Bradford pear seeds thoroughly off under cool tap water to remove any leftover sticky pulp from the seeds.

3. Drop the Bradford pear seeds into a bowl or glass of water. Soak the seeds for 24 hours. Discard all seeds that are floating, but keep the seeds that sink. Floating seeds are not viable and will not sprout.

4. Place the Bradford pear seeds into a plastic storage bag that contains about 1 cup of moistened sand. Set the bag into a environment that will stay about 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 days. Remove the Bradford pear seeds after 60 days, and pot them up.

5. Scoop enough potting mix into 1-gallon pots so they are well filled to about 1 1/2 inches from the rim.

6. Plant five to six Bradford pear seeds into each of the 1-gallon pots. Keep each seed about 1 inch apart.

7. Cover the Bradford pear seeds with a fine even layer, about 1/2 inch, of potting mix. Mist the pots with enough water to dampen the top 1-inch of potting mix. Plan on keeping the pots moist but never soggy during germination which can take anywhere from five to 30 days at 68 degrees Fahrenheit. You can transplant the Bradford pear saplings into your garden once they are about 1 foot in height, or in about one year.

Growing Bradford Pears

1. Choose a sun-filled location when planting the Bradford pear saplings. Avoid planting near pools, fountains, walkways or driveways.

2. Create one planting hole for every Bradford pear tree you are planting. Each hole needs to be between 30 and 40 feet apart. Each hole should be the same size as the 1-gallon pots.

3. Amend the soil you extracted from each planting hole with approximately 1/2 cubic foot of leaf mold, aged manure or plant-based compost.

4. Tip a pot upside down to wiggle the pot free from the root system.

5. Plant a Bradford pear into its planting hole. Scoop soil around the tree until the hole is filled with soil. Water each tree with about 1 to 2 gallons of water.

6. Water Bradford pears during their growing season. Let the water run slowly on each tree so it has time to reach the entire root system. In summer, it may be necessary to water one to two times a week.

7. Prune Bradford pear trees every dormant season if necessary. See the resource section for information on pruning Bradford pear trees.

References

• Ohio State University: Information on Bradford Pear
• National Seed Laboratory: Growing Pears
• Plants for a Future: Bradford Pear
• Frederick County Master Gardener Program: Pros & Cons of Bradford Pears

Resources

• South Carolina Native Plant Society: Bradford Pear
• Walter Reeves: Bradford Pear -- Pruning