$16.00
Ayers Pear, often spelled Ayres in university references, is a flavorful Southern hybrid pear prized for its exceptionally sweet, aromatic fruit. The attractive pears develop yellow skin with a rosy-red blush and have juicy, smooth flesh with a soft, melting texture.
Sometimes called a “Sugar Pear,” Ayers is especially good for eating fresh. Its rich sweetness also makes it a good choice for desserts, preserves, baking, poaching, and other homemade recipes.
Ayers was released by the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station and originated from a cross between Garber and Anjou pears. It has shown good resistance to fire blight in suitable Southern growing areas.
Plant Details
• Botanical name: Pyrus hybrid ‘Ayres’
• Common trade spelling: Ayers Pear
• Pear type: Southern hybrid pear
• Plant type: Deciduous fruit tree
• Mature height: Approximately 15–20 feet with pruning
• Mature width: Approximately 12–15 feet
• Growth habit: Vigorous and upright
• Sun requirements: Full sun, preferably six or more hours daily
• Chill requirement: Higher than most low-chill Florida pear varieties
• Bloom season: Early spring
• Harvest season: Generally mid- to late summer, depending on location
• Fruit size: Small to medium
• Fruit color: Yellow with an attractive red or rosy blush
• Flesh texture: Juicy, smooth, soft, and melting
• Flavor: Very sweet, aromatic, and honey-like
• Best uses: Fresh eating, desserts, preserves, baking, and poaching
• Pollination: Requires another compatible pear variety
• Pollen production: Pollen sterile; Ayers cannot pollinate another pear
• Disease resistance: Good resistance to fire blight
Texas A&M describes Ayres as a sweet, aromatic pear with melting flesh and good fire-blight resistance. Mississippi State describes the tree as vigorous, upright, early blooming, and higher chill.
Pollination Information
Ayers Pear is not self-pollinating. It produces sterile pollen and must receive viable pollen from a different pear variety to set a dependable crop.
Ayers can produce fruit when properly pollinated, but it cannot serve as a pollinator for another Ayers tree or another pear variety.
Recommended Pollinator Partners for North Florida
• Hood Pear
• Flordahome Pear
• Orient Pear
• Pineapple Pear
These varieties normally flower early in North Florida and have the best chance of overlapping with Ayers. Actual bloom periods can vary according to winter chill and spring temperatures. UF/IFAS advises pairing pears that require cross-pollination with another variety having a similar bloom date.
Kieffer and LeConte normally bloom later in North Florida and should not be listed as Ayers’ primary pollination partners.
North Florida Growing Note
Ayers is not included in UF/IFAS’s current table of pear varieties recommended for Florida. Mississippi State describes Ayers as having a high chilling requirement and recommends it for North Mississippi, indicating that it may not fruit consistently after unusually warm North Florida winters.
For the Florida Panhandle, Ayers is best presented as a trial variety for cooler locations, rather than one of the most dependable low-chill pears. Hood, Flordahome, Orient, Pineapple, and Kieffer have better documented adaptation to North Florida.
Plant Ayers in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil and good air circulation. Avoid low areas where cold air collects because its early flowers may be damaged by a late freeze.
Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer and severe pruning. Both can encourage tender, fast-growing shoots that are more vulnerable to fire blight.
Harvest the pears while they are mature but still firm. Allow them to finish ripening indoors at room temperature to develop their sweetest flavor and soft, melting texture. UF/IFAS notes that pears generally develop better texture when harvested before becoming soft on the tree.
Local Pickup, Shipping and Wholesale
Local pickup is available at Advanced Nursery Growers in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. Ayers Pear may be considered for home orchards, edible landscapes, fruit collections, and trial plantings in cooler parts of North Florida, the Florida Panhandle, South Alabama, and the Gulf Coast.
Limited shipping may be available for select smaller trees. Please contact us before ordering if shipping is needed. Shipping charges are calculated separately.
Wholesale availability may be offered depending on current inventory and the quantity needed. Contact us for current sizes, availability, and wholesale information.
Contact Information
Advanced Nursery Growers
1911 McLeod Road
DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435
Phone: (850) 391-2228
Email: info@advancednurserygrowers.com
