Kieffer Pear

General Fruit Growing
#1

This year I tried an experiment growing improved Kieffer Pears spray free. So what were the results? No insect damage, no disease, 3 damaged fruits with 1 1/2 5 gallon bucket harvest on a small tree. I won’t tell anyone these are perfect pears or that they are 100% grit free. The reason why I did this experiment was to demonstrate the hardiness of this variety to those wanting an easy pear tree to grow. Pick the pears as soon as they will easily pull from the tree with no effort and let them ripen inside.

2592×1936 1.82 MB

Here is a description from Trees of antiquity

" American heirloom pears are extremely rare so the Kieffer pear tree is a special treat. In 1853, Peter Kieffer planted a small nursery in near Philadelphia where he grew imported Chinese Sand Pear seed. Kieffer also grew Bartlett pears. So one day he noticed a seedling with unusual foliage so he saved it. Kieffer is a high quality pear ideal for fresh eating, pear honey and preserves. The Kieffer pears are golden yellow skin blushed with crimson envelops crisp, juicy, coarse-textured white flesh with musky aroma. Hardy, vigorous tree bears young with dependable crops. Perfect variety for southern states as it tolerates hot climates and is practically immune to fireblight. The Kieffer pear tree fruit is best harvested while still hard and store in a cool place; reaches peak flavor when fruit gives slightly to the touch. Please refer below for more information on the Kieffer pear tree for sale.

Considerations for Kieffer Pear Tree

USDA Zones: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Heirloom: Yes

Uses: Fresh Eating

Harvest Period: Late

Low Chill: Yes

Bloom Period: Late

Pollination Requirement: Self-Fertile

Origin Date: Pennsylvania 1876

Storage: 3 Months or More

Recommended Spacing: 12-16 ft.

Mature Size: 12-16 ft.

Water Requirements: 12-15 gallons per week May through Sept. ."

Kieffer Pear – Trees of Antiquity.

15 Likes
Please identify my pear tree
Unknown Pear ID
Does This Pear Look Familiar?
Pear buds, blossoms, and fruit 2017
What is your Tip OF The Day?
#2

It is nice that a few fruits will succeed without any intervention. Kieffer also does well in my area. Bill

2 Likes
#3

Clark,

Nice haul. Update us later on how they taste.

1 Like
#4

The more fruit I grow the more I realize easy to grow varieties are not just for the lazy gardener. Low spray, high yield farms may someday feed the world. We don’t like being dependent on chemicals to get a crop. Some pears cannot be grown in my area at all due to fireblight. I’m very thankful for this variety.

2 Likes
#5

Matt,
Cinnamon covers a multitude of sins with pears. I use this variety as a canning pear. They taste ok fresh but nothing like my Asian pears or clapps favorite.

2 Likes
#6

I broke the rule of not letting a newly planted tree keep fruit it’s first year. Although the Kieffer was not as sweet as my Orient or Ayers it was better than the Moonglow. Bill

2 Likes
#7

Bill, I break that rule all the time!

3 Likes
#8

So by now you may be aware Kieffer is frequently mislabeled. Brown turkey is to figs what kieffer is to pears. I now have 3 varieties all of which are supposedly kieffer. As we know only one truly is. The one which ripens in late September I believe is a true kieffer which has not fruited for me yet that a friend grew me this year. They look identical when they are dormant right down to the fruit buds. I think that’s how the mistake occurred or one may be a sport. One of my kieffers I believe is what is known in this this link as bowhunter pear aka they likely did not know what it was called either http://stwildlife.com/product/bowhunter-pear.
Here are my pictures


Pretty similar I think. Did you notice the russeting on the bottom of the fruit? That is why it’s not kieffer and it ripens to early which is July or August. It has little grit. Now I’m tempted to order the bow hunter pear to compare them. Back to the kieffer I have exhaustively image searched it and it does not have russeting on the bottom of the fruit kieffer pears - Bing images. The foliage etc is so similar I think it is a sport.Who knows the bowhunter pear may have even originally came from the same place as my pear. So for now we will likely call it bowhunter until someone lets me know different. It could be what is called improved kieffer. My quest to find what I bought as old fashioned kieffer seems futile because there is no pear so far I’ve found like it. Here is a link to the one i bought Kieffer Pear Tree on the Tree Guide at arborday.org. The picture is that same pear but for me it ripens in july or August. It is truly excellent when it gets old enough. It is the solid green pears in this picture on the right

1936×2592 1.33 MB

The other pears in the picture are red blushing Bartlett aka ayers. I enjoy them a great deal in July.

3 Likes
#9

Whoa! You got loads of pears there! Awesome.

When I think about Kieffer pears, I think about the distinctly shaped yellow objects seen in this video at minute marker 19:30:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_KUkcm4Y5rE

1 Like
#10

Matt,
We get lots of pears in their season. That was just a day of picking. A mature red blushing Bartlett produces bushels and bushels. That’s the shape I remember from my childhood when we picked kieffers then. I suppose it won’t hurt anything to grow another couple of pears. I’m confident I have the real Kieffer now on ohxf87 so we will see soon enough. Dave Wilson sure does know how to grow fruit.

1 Like
#11

This year the pears are really putting on the blooms lets hope the weather is on our side.

2 Likes
#12

I bought a potted Kieffer from a big box store this year that had a nice set of scaffolds. I’ll use it primarily for graft stock. Probably keep one keiffer scaffold and graft several other onto it.

2 Likes
#13

What varieties are you thinking of adding to it?

#14

I have several varieties to graft between the keiffer and my existing pears. Moonglow, Seckel, Ayers, Orient, and Korean Giant.

#15

Wow, Clark. Based on your harvest last year, you must have some sizable trees. When you have a chance, I’d love to see photos of your pear trees. My trees are still pretty young, going on year 4 or 5. And, trying to keep them small, too, to match my “no ladders” rule around here. but gosh, that was a lot of pears for you last year!

Patty S.

2 Likes
#16

Patty,
My oldest fruit trees I planted over 20 years ago. I will post pictures when I get a chance of those. Several of my new pears are coming into production this year.

#17

Fantastic. I am hopeful to also have more than just Seckel and Pineapple pears this year as well. Crossing my fingers for Comice, especially.

Patty S.

1 Like
#18

Patty,
Seckel is pretty good pear for you? I would think seckel would be excellent there. Comice is the pear others are judged by when I ask people their favorite. We know they are known as the signature pear for some of the largest http://www.harryanddavid.com/h/fruit-gift/pears. Bosc and Anjou are the other pears people bring up when asked their favorites. Harry and David’s is to pears what Honey Baked is to hams http://www.honeybakedonline.com/ so we know they have made that living and developed that reputation on what is truly an excellent pear. When I ask someone who keeps an orchard they almost always bring up a variety not available unless grown like Beurré Superfin or Abate fetel http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/20721500/catalogs/pyrchoice.html. Let us know how comice does for you. I’m grafting comice and abate fetel this year and looking forward to those. @rayrose had excellent things to say about pineapple pear so i’m feeling like I should be growing those. They must be pretty good.

#19

Clark, like candy. I adore Anjou pears too, but don’t have one in my yard.

1 Like
#20

Patty,
This is my largest which is a Bartlett at around 30 feet I planted over 20 years ago.

image.jpg1936×2592 2.1 MB
image.jpg2592×1936 1.88 MB

I planted these apricots at the same time which are over 30 feet. Look at the concrete blocks for size
image.jpg1936×2592 2.01 MB
image.jpg1936×2592 2.13 MB
image.jpg1936×2592 2.48 MB

5 Likes