How to Grow Ornamental Pear Trees From Seed

Remove the seeds from the pear. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise, and pick out the small seeds.

Fill a small bowl with tepid water, and wash the seeds to remove the pear pulp.

Moisten a paper towel, and wring out most of the water. Fold the paper towel in half, and place the seeds on the paper towel. Fold the paper towel, sandwiching the seeds between the layers. Inset the seeds into a plastic bag, and seal the bag. Place the bag in the refrigerator. Keep the bag of seeds in the refrigerator for 60 days or until early spring. Open the bag every week to check that the paper towel is sill moist.

Use coffee filters to cover the drainage holes at the bottom of 4-inch pots. Prepare as many pots as you have seeds to plant. Fill the pots with potting soil.

Remove the pear seeds from the refrigerator. Sow four or five seeds in a pot, spacing each seed an inch apart. Use your finger or the eraser end of a pencil to push the seeds 1/2 inch below the soil.

Water the soil until water comes out the bottom drainage holes. Allow the excess water to drain from the pots.

Cover the pots with clear plastic. Place the pots in a curtained window, out of direct sunlight. Keep the pots in a room that stays 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the soil daily, and moisten it when it is dry. The germination time of the seeds varies on the variety of ornamental pears being planted. Seeds can take a month or more to germinate.

Remove the plastic when the seeds germinate. Move the small pots to a brightly lit window. Continue to grow the pear trees indoors until all danger of frost is past.

Harden the pear trees by placing the pots outdoors in a protected area for an hour the first day. Increase the outdoor exposure time by adding an extra hour each day over a week.

Prepare the planting site in a sunny location. Pull the weeds in a 2-foot diameter circle. Dig the planting holes twice the diameter of the root ball, but keep the depth the same. Firm the root ball into the ground with your hands. Space the planting holes 40 feet apart.

Water the ornamental pear trees to a depth of 5 inches. Continue to provide the pear trees with an inch of water each week.

Fertilize the ornamental pear trees with 10-10-10 fertilizer according to label directions.