Loma Pear Tree
- Zone 3
Characteristics of the tree
The Loma pear tree originates in Saguenay. It is one of the earliest pears, and a treat for the taste-buds. The fruit is juicy and refreshing, with a well-balanced sweet and slightly acidic flavour that is unusual in pears, but very pleasant.
Loma is a small-medium pear, weighing between 50g and 80g on average. It is round and flattened in shape, with a medium-sized and thick stalk, slightly chubby. It is green in colour, washed with red. The skin is moderately thick and quite astringent. The flesh is white with a very good texture: juicy and melting.
The flavour is very good and somewhat unusual for a pear: quite perfumed and sweet with some acidity. Its flavour is milder and sweeter soon after harvesting, and will have a more flavourful balance of sweet, acidity and astringency after maturing at room temperature for between 4 and 7 days. At peak maturity, it measures 14.6 Brix.
Loma is one of the earlier pears to harvest, generally ready at the end of August. It can be kept in cold storage for a maximum of about 1 month, or at room temperature for approximately 7-10 days.
The original Loma tree has been growing in Saguenay, zone 3, for over 30 years now. It has no known problems with disease. It is also precocious and will start to produce fruit at around 5 years of age, rather than 7 years like most pear trees.
The tree is self-fertile, but like all fruit trees, will give a more abundant harvest if planted alongside a pollinator.
This variety was offered to us by another passionate fruit-grower, Mr. Nicol Coté. He had discovered the tree growing in Grand-Baie (Saguenay) and was impressed by its quality. We agreed that it was a pear of great quality that deserved to be propagated for the world!
Pear trees have a very vigorous and upright growth habit; becoming taller than apple trees (10 m/35 ft in height at maturity) but spreading less wide (6 m/20 ft) Their height can be controlled somewhat with rigorous pruning, but only to a certain degree. All going well, these trees will live for about 200 years, providing fruit for several future generations.
You should note that this illustration is meant only to give a general indication of what you can expect, and the growth of your tree might look somewhat different. The development of a tree depends on the soil type, irrigation, fertilisation and climatic conditions.
All our pear trees are sold bare-root, without pots. They have been cultivated directly in the soil, and are taken out of the ground to be shipped to you during their period of dormancy. Bare-root trees do not take up much space, and can be therefore shipped by mail all over Canada!
Pear trees have a naturally small root system – do not be surprised if your pear tree seems to have fewer roots compared to the other trees you receive! This photo shows a 3-foot-tall pear tree, similar to one you would receive. Depending on the height that you select when you order a pear tree, it could be smaller (1-2 feet) or taller (3-5 feet).
Our pear trees are propagated by grafting, on rootstock that we produce at the nursery. For pear cultivars that are hardy in zone 3, we use Pyrus ussuriensis rootstock for its vigour and hardiness (zone 2, growing in Alaska). For cultivars that are hardy in zone 4, our rootstock consists of either Pyrus ussuriensis, or seedling pear trees born from the trees in our orchard in zone 4.
About half of the pear trees we offer are self-fertile and can produce fruit on their own, though they will always give better yields with a pollinator. The rest are self-sterile, and cannot produce fruit without pollination from a different cultivar. Therefore, if you only have space for one tree, you might want to use the filter to see only self-fertile cultivars.
Provided it is grown in good conditions and properly cared-for, your pear tree will begin to bear fruit by around 5 years on average, although this can vary depending on your location and the fertility of your soil. Be sure to also have a look at our articles on how to plant and care for your growing tree!
