Thorne Pear
Thorne Pear
History: Thorne was discovered in Gloucestershire, England, in 1670. It was originally grown for cooking and fresh eating but is now primarily used to make perry. It is still commonly grown for perry production in England today.
Why We Grow It: This is the most reliable of the English perry pears for Canadian growing. Although this pear can be eaten fresh, it packs an astringent punch and is best made into a good perry instead.
Fruit Specs
Fruit Specs
Recommended Use: Perry, fresh eating
Fruit Size: Medium
Storage: Process within a week
Harvest: September - Late
Perry Class: Class: Bittersharp
Sugar: High, SG 1.061
Acidity: Very high, TA 10.3 g/L
Tannins: High
Juice Yield: Low to medium
Taste: Astringent and bitter
Recommendations: Traditionally made into a single-variety perry of good quality but Canadian growing conditions may impact that
*Information based on Claude Jolicoeur's The New Cidermaker's Handbook
Growing Specs
Growing Specs
Canadian Hardiness Zone: 5
Soil Preference: Sandy loam, loam, clay loam. Prefers average to moist conditions with well-drained soils, avoid planting anywhere that floods for more than two weeks in the spring.
Flowering Time: Middle
Bloom Colour: White
Pollination Requirements: Requires a pollinator of a different pear variety (European or Asian) that blooms around the same time
Sun/Shade Requirements:
Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)
General Growth Habits:
Moderately vigorous with an upright and compact growth habit, produces heavy crops, spur bearing. Resistant to scab.
Shipping vs. Pick Up
Shipping vs. Pick Up
CLICK HERE to see how shipping compares to pick up.
Shipping: Every year we ship thousands of trees across Canada (except BC due to CFIA regulations). We carefully bag roots in damp sawdust, then box them and send them out via courrier. CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.
Pick-up: We also have thousands of trees picked up from our nursery each year. The pick-up options is free, though you must wait until you have been emailed a confirmation that your order is ready to pick up, which will have further information such as hours, locations, etc. We really appreciate if you can make an appointment to pick up, then we can be as organized as possible during our busy season.
Size at Purchase
Size at Purchase
Our grafted fruit trees are graded into three categories, and the size includes the rootstock:
- 50-80cm whip: may have some minor branching, this grade is like a "b-grade" size tree in industry standards; we include in this price category trees that are over 1m but have some scarring or mild crookedness.
- 1m+ whip: may have some minor branching, aka feathering. This is like a typical one-year whip in industry standards.
- 1m+ branched: these trees must be over a meter and have 3 or more branches 30cm or longer, as well as a central leader. They are essentially a two-year tree in industry standards.
- For stone fruits only - 1m+ whip/branched: We have combined these grades based on the way these trees grow and are grafted. Plums, apricots, cherries, and peaches naturally tend to grow more vigorously compared to apples and are more likely to form larger trees with more branches. However, we only chip bud them so they are a one-year old tree by industry standards. Apples and pears are partially bench grafted, and using the knip-boom method the grading becomes more complicated, hence the reason they are split into different grades.
Orders that are cancelled last minute due to size (being "to small"), will still incur the applicable cancellation fees if the trees are true to our grading standards as per the agreement of sale when the order was placed.