Hello,
I had stored my potted pear trees in the garage during the winter. It is now March 5, 2024 and I just noticed that the trees are beginning to shoot out flowers. Should I bring the potted trees out now or wait until April or May? I don’t know what to do because winter isn’t really over yet. I had a black plastic bag covering it so it didn’t get much light from the garage light.
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners about the early flowers on your pear trees. It is difficult to determine whether it is better to keep the trees in your garage or expose them to sunlight outside. With the non-breathable, plastic garbage bag, warmth in your garage could have built up inside the bags and caused early blooms. If the temperature drops radically, then the flowers may fall off now, with some blooms coming later in the spring. The output of the trees may be less than expected. It is possible your trees are a variety that tends to bloom early. Below is a Pear Information website about characteristics of trees geared to Canadian weather. If the trees fail to produce fruit in the next few years, mix in other varieties which bloom later and can help with cross-pollination.
Commercial orchards often use woven plant covers to protect from frost. The covers are breathable and allow sun to warm the trees during the day. Covers for shrubs and small trees are available online. If your trees continue under the garbage bags, the lack of air circulation and light may cause disease or fungus to set in as the trees warm up inside the garage. Placing the trees outside near a south wall or protected corner could work. Even loosely draping a sheet over the grouping rather than the garbage bags would be better. Support the sheet on the inside so it doesn’t touch the branches. However, if there is a prolonged frost, the roots in a thin, plastic container would be vulnerable to freezing, which could kill the tree. Wrapping the container with insulation might be necessary.
In the links below, there are other suggestions of how to protect fruit trees during frost.
Protecting Fruit Trees from Frost
Caring for Pear Trees in Winter
Once the pear trees are dug into the ground, the warming effect of the earth will help protect the trees in winter. Keep an eye on the tendency of your particular cultivar and see if it continues to bloom early next spring. Some additional cover may be needed to protect the branches.
Best of luck with their progress and hope they produce some tasty pears this year.