The 'Conference' pear variety is an absolute classic among fruit trees. We tell you how you too can soon be harvesting your own Conference pears.
The pear variety Pyrus communis 'Conference', or Conference pear, is one of the most popular pear varieties in Europe. Her regular yields ensure that you can look forward to a tasty harvest of this strain every fall. We'll tell you what Conference pears taste like and how you can grow them in your own garden.
Conference Pear: Profile
| Fruit | medium; green colour, yellow when fully ripe |
| Flavour | juicy, sweet with a pleasant acidity, light nutmeg aroma |
| Yield | regular; tends to small fruits |
| Harvest time | from September/October |
| Maturity for pleasure | October to early November |
| Shelf Life | medium; early harvested pears can be stored until the end of December |
| Growth | medium strong |
| Climate | also suitable for cool locations |
| Diseases and Pests | robust to most diseases; Slightly susceptible to fire blight |
Origin and history of the 'Conference' pear variety
The 'Conference' pear variety has an exciting story to tell: In 1885 a conference was held in England to promote pear cultivation in England. More than 600 pears were presented at this conference, and the variety of pears with the appropriate name 'Conference' attracted particular attention. That was the start of the triumph of the pear variety from breeder Thomas Francis Rivers. He selected the variety from seedlings from a free flowering of the mother variety 'Léon Leclerc de Laval'. The 'Conference' variety has been on the market since 1894. Today, the Conference pear is one of the most widely grown pear varieties in Central and Western Europe.
Pear characteristics and taste
The fruit of the Conference pearare medium-sized, have a slender and elongated shape and have light brown russeting. The fruits are green in color and turn yellow when fully ripe. In addition, the skin is pressure-resistant and is sometimes described as annoying when eaten.
The pulp of the Conference pear is salmon-yellow with a delicately melting structure. The melt is even finer with the 'Gellerts Butterbirne' variety. The Conference pears have a sweet and very juicy taste, with a pleasant acidity and a light nutmeg aroma.
Planting and caring for the 'Conference' pear tree
The 'Conference' is a variety with medium growth. The growth rate is about 40 cm per year and the tree reaches a height of about four meters. If the variety is grafted on a rootstock, the growth characteristics will of course differ. The variety shows medium to strong branching, which on the one hand regularly ensures fresh fruit wood, but on the other hand also increases the pruning effort. The Conference pear is suitable for training as a standard, but even better as a half-stem or low-stem. Quince stocks can be used for refinement. Rootstock 'Quitte C' is slow-growing, grafts with rootstocks 'Quitte A' and 'Quitte Adams' show medium to strong growth. For more stable growth, you can also use new pear rootstocks, such as the rootstock 'Pyrodwarf' with medium growth and the medium to strong variety 'OHF 333'.
What the optimal base for your Conference pear looks like also depends on the base used. In general, the 'Conference' thrives on nutrient-rich soil in full sun or partial shade. If the soil in your garden is not very nutrient-rich, it is advisable to ensure a good supply of nutrients with a predominantly organic fertilizer. When choosing a fertilizer, we recommend that you pay attention to a good long-term effect, such as with our Plantura organic universal fertilizer.
The 'Conference' pear is considered a robust variety and is not very susceptible to the most common pear diseases, such as pear scab. It shows medium susceptibility to fire blight. In addition, the variety is also suitable for cool locations due to its hardly pronounced susceptibility to wood frost.
In spring, between April and May, 'Conference' produces bright white flowers that are slightly to moderately sensitive to frost. Since pears cannot fertilize themselves,consider planting a pollinator variety nearby. The varieties 'Boscs Flaschenbirne', 'Gute Luise', 'Delicious from Charneau', or 'Williams Christbirne' go particularly well with the 'Conference' pear variety.
One of the biggest advantages of 'Conference' is its consistent yield. Since the pear tends to produce too much fruit, this variety often has problems with small fruits. The tree can no longer adequately supply the mass of fruit and so the pears remain smaller and also have a poorer taste. Thinning out, i.e. removing excess fruit, can help to increase fruit quality. If you decided to buy a grafted 'Conference' pear, you can expect the first tasty pears just three years after planting.
If you want to plant a 'Conference' pear tree, spring is the best time to do it. Already in the first few years after planting, you should think about an annual care cut. The best time for annual pruning is before budding from January to March.
Tip: Pear trees flower up to 10 days earlier than apple trees. Due to the often cool and wet weather during flowering, pollination by honey bees is particularly difficult. They avoid cold and damp weather. Therefore, pear trees are particularly dependent on pollination by wild bees. You can encourage wild bees in your garden, for example, by creating a flower meadow.
Pear 'Conference': harvest time and use
In autumn the time has come: the Conference pears will be ripe from September and October. Full ripeness is usually reached between October and the beginning of November, when the fruit is soft and the skin has turned yellow. But many like the pear a bit crunchier. In this case, or if you want to store the pears, you should harvest the pears before the skin turns yellow.
Conference pears are ideal for eating fresh, making cakes or preserving. If you harvest the fruit before they are fully ripe, the 'Conference' pear can be stored at refrigerator temperature until around the end of December. However, when harvested when fully ripe, the fruits are not suitable for storage and must be eaten immediately.
For the orchard, the 'Conference' pear can be combined very well with 'Bosc's Flaschenbirne', because the two varieties can be pollinated by the pollen of the other.