Nashi pear

Nashi pear: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Pear tree of 4–8 m with a crown about 4 m across.

Leaf

Alternate, ovate, 7–12 cm, long-pointed, sharply toothed with bristle-tipped teeth, glossy; fine red autumn colour.

Bark

Greyish-brown, later cracked into small blocks.

Flower

White flowers (3 cm) in clusters, April, with the leaves.

Fruit

Round, yellowish-brown (with pale speckles) or greenish-yellow pears (6–10 cm), crisp and very juicy, August–September.

Difference from pear

The common pear has finely scalloped, roundish leaves and pear-shaped fruits that soften after picking.

Difference from apple

Apple has leaves felted underneath, pink buds and true apples.

Flowering: April · Harvest and fruit: August–September · Pruning: July–August and December–March

Identify by feature: Red autumn colour · White blossom

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Pear Pyrus communis: finely scalloped, roundish leaves and pear-shaped fruits that soften after picking. Difference from pear
• Apple Malus: leaves felted underneath, pink buds and true apples. Difference from apple

Why grow it?

• Crisp, juicy pears picked ripe from the tree in August–September.
• White blossom in April for bees, and a fine red autumn colour.
• A compact fruit tree for an ordinary garden.
• An ordinary pear nearby can act as a pollinator.

Nashi pear: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and a sheltered spot: there the fruit ripens sweet.
• Fertile, well-drained soil that doesn’t dry out.
• Allow about 4 m across; as an espalier or spindle it can be narrower.
• For pollination: another nashi or a pear that flowers at the same time, not too far away.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

6 m tall, 4 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Pear: An ordinary pear that flowers at the same time can pollinate the nashi: together you have soft and crisp pears.
• Apple: A fruit tree with similar care and pruning, for a small orchard.
• Quince: Another fruit tree from the rose family, with large flowers in May and fragrant fruits in autumn.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• A second pear variety within 50 m, for pollination: nashi pear

Best kept away from

• Can pass on fireblight (not right next to fruit trees): rowan, hawthorn, swedish whitebeam, whitebeam, medlar, quince, firethorn, photinia

Nashi pear: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March; a container-grown tree can go in all year, except in frost or drought.
2. Choose two varieties that pollinate each other, or plant it near a pear that flowers at the same time; check with the nursery.
3. Well-known varieties are ‘Nijisseiki’ with greenish-yellow and ‘Hosui’ with brown fruits.
4. Keep the graft union above the soil, stake the tree and water well.

Care

Pollination

Most varieties only crop well with another nashi or a pear nearby that flowers at the same time.

Thinning

In June, thin the fruitlets to one per cluster, otherwise they stay small.

Watering

Water in dry spells in summer, while the fruit is swelling: it then grows large and juicy.

Harvest

Pick in August–September, when the fruit has its final colour and comes away easily; taste one. They keep for a few weeks in the fridge.

Tip: Let a nashi ripen on the tree and taste regularly: it doesn’t go soft like an ordinary pear, so its colour and flavour tell you when it is ready.

Nashi pear: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August and December–March.

When: In winter (December–March), with an optional summer prune in July–August.

How:

• As for pears: keep the crown open and remove water shoots.
• In winter, shorten overlong branches and keep the short fruiting spurs.
• A summer prune in July–August shortens the new shoots: the tree stays compact and light reaches the fruit.

Caution: Prune in dry weather and disinfect your secateurs if you suspect fireblight.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Grafting

A variety is propagated by grafting a scion in winter or budding in summer onto a rootstock.

Nashi pear: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• The blossom in April can be frosted by late frosts: cover a small tree with fleece when frost threatens.
• Winter is the time for formative pruning, while the tree is bare.

Diseases and pests

• Fireblight: Flowers and shoots suddenly wilt and turn black as if scorched; shoot tips bend over like a shepherd’s crook. Cut affected branches back well into healthy wood and disinfect your secateurs.
• Small fruit: Too many fruitlets per cluster. Thin to one per cluster in June.
• No fruit: No pollinator nearby, or frosted blossom. Add another nashi or a pear that flowers at the same time.
• Wasps and birds: Ripe fruit gets eaten into. Pick in good time; a mesh bag around the fruits helps.

Through the year

• January: Winter pruning: keep the crown open, remove water shoots.
• February: Winter pruning; planting possible.
• March: Last winter pruning; planting.
• April: Flowering: bees; cover in night frost.
• June: Thin the fruitlets to one per cluster.
• July: Summer pruning: shorten new shoots; water in dry spells.
• August: Harvest begins; finish summer pruning.
• September: Harvest.
• November: Planting.
• December: Winter pruning can begin.

What can you use it for?

Food and drink

Crisp, juicy pears to eat fresh; pick them ripe from the tree in August–September.

For wildlife

Blossom for bees.

Caution: Host of fireblight. Most varieties need another nashi or a pear nearby for pollination.

Edible and useful

Fruit (August–September)

Pick nashi pears in August–September, when the skin turns from green to yellow-green or golden-brown (depending on the variety), the fruit smells sweet and comes away from the branch with a gentle twist and tilt. Nashi pears ripen on the tree and do not get sweeter after picking, so do not pick too early. They are crisp and juicy but bruise easily: pick by hand, handle them gently and do not stack them too high. Taste one: it should be sweet, juicy and crunchy. Eat them fresh or use them in compote, salad or chutney.

Storing

Nashi pears keep for a few weeks, sometimes up to two months, in the fridge or a cool cellar, each wrapped separately in paper so they do not bruise. Compote can be frozen. Chutney keeps for six months and dried chips for three months.

Caution: Do not eat the pips or the core: the pips contain traces of amygdalin, which releases hydrogen cyanide. Throw away fruit with brown, soft or mouldy patches. People who are allergic to pears or birch pollen may get an itchy mouth from raw nashi pears; cooked, they are often easier to tolerate. Do not pick from sprayed trees or beside busy roads, wash the fruit and never eat anything you have not identified with certainty.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Nashi compote with ginger (Compote · 4 servings · 30 min)
• Nashi, rocket and goat’s cheese salad (Dish · 4 servings · 15 min)
• Nashi chutney (Other · ± 3 jars of 250 ml · 1 hr)
• Dried nashi chips (Dried · ± 150 g chips · 6–8 hrs)

Did you know?

• A nashi looks like an apple, but it is a pear. It ripens on the tree and stays crisp, whereas an ordinary pear goes soft after picking.
• Nashi is the Japanese word for pear.
• In Japan, each young fruit on the tree is wrapped in a small paper bag, against insects and for an unblemished skin.