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Summercrisp pears ripening on the branch
  • Summercrisp pears ripening on the branch
  • A Summercrisp pear held in hand
  • A blushed Summercrisp pear hanging on the branch
  • Summercrisp pears ripening on the branch
  • A Summercrisp pear held in hand
  • A blushed Summercrisp pear hanging on the branch
Summercrisp Pear (Spring 2027)

Summercrisp Pear (Spring 2027)

$34.99
Rootstock/Size

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns
Pollination Needs a partner
Bloom group 3 of 7 (Early-Mid)
See trees that will pollenize it Pear Pollination Map
Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceResists 1 of 2
  • Fire blight : Resistant, 4 of 5
  • Pear scab : Moderate, 3 of 5

Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.

See it on our pear disease chart (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Summercrisp Pear is a pear tree rated hardy to zone 2b in our ratings (winters to -45°F), not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 3 of 7, early-mid for a European pear), and it ripens about Aug 13 to Aug 27 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to Zone 2b to 8. The b means the warmer half of zone 2 only (winters to -45°F). Our notes have it taking -45°F. Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours About 800 hours (500 to 1,000). Published figures disagree, so treat this as a middle estimate. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources.
Pollination Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 3 of 7 (early-mid), mid spring here. Summercrisp needs a different pear nearby to set fruit. It makes lots of good pollen, so it is also one of the best early pollenizers for Beurre Giffard, Ure and Luscious. Good partners we carry: Ure Pear, Beurré Giffard Pear, D'Anjou Pear, Stuttgarter Gaishirtle Pear and 25 more. Pear Pollination Map.
Ripens About Aug 13 to Aug 27 in Missoula (estimated for Missoula from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Rootstock and size OHxF 87: semi-dwarf, about 14 to 19 ft tall unpruned. The most precocious OHxF stock. Ussurian: full size, about 20 to 30 ft tall unpruned. The hardiest pear species there is. Our rootstock guide.
Good for Fresh eating (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer Sometimes damaged by deer.
What you get Bare root, 2-3 ft or 3-5 ft or 5-7 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

These pears have done very well at Rod McIver’s orchard off Rose Crossing in Kalispell, MT, where temperatures reached -35°F on 1/12/24. Summercrisp showed no damage at these temps and has survived even colder conditions.

Tree Growth and Characteristics

The tree is upright to spreading, fairly precocious, and very well spurred. It's considered an excellent pollenizer for early-ripening pears and has good resistance to fireblight.

Fruit Quality and Hardiness Zones

The fruit is medium-sized and best eaten when crisp. Summercrisp is hardy to Zone 2b, down to at least -45°F. However, Alaska growers in Fairbanks have not had success with these, as they’re hardy, but not quite to -45°F or colder. For that, we recommend the Russian pears.

Tree Sizes and Rootstock

These trees come in multiple different sizes and are grafted onto OHxF87, and OHxF Mix, and Pyrus ussurienses, with the OHxF hardy to roughly -45°F, and the P. ussuriensis hardy to -50F or more.


Image courtesy of University of Minnesota link

Questions we get about Summercrisp Pear

Does Summercrisp Pear need a pollenizer?

Yes. Summercrisp Pear needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Summercrisp needs a different pear nearby to set fruit. It makes lots of good pollen, so it is also one of the best early pollenizers for Beurre Giffard, Ure and Luscious. Partners we carry include Ure Pear, Beurré Giffard Pear, D'Anjou Pear.

How cold hardy is Summercrisp Pear?

We rate Summercrisp Pear hardy to zone 2b, which means winters down to about -45°F. Our notes have it taking -45°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

How many chill hours does Summercrisp Pear need?

About 800 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 500 and 1,000. Published figures for it disagree, so treat that as a middle estimate. Most listings say about 800 chill hours. It blooms early, so spring frost is a bigger risk than chill. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

When does Summercrisp Pear ripen?

About Aug 13 to Aug 27 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

How big does Summercrisp Pear get?

We graft Summercrisp Pear onto OHxF 87 (semi-dwarf), which makes a tree roughly 14 to 19 ft tall if you never prune it. Some sizes are on Ussurian.

What is Summercrisp Pear good for?

Our top use scores for Summercrisp Pear are fresh eating (6/10).

Is Summercrisp Pear disease resistant?

For some diseases, yes. It's resistant to fire blight. It holds up moderately well against pear scab. Our pear disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Will deer eat Summercrisp Pear?

Sometimes. Deer browse Summercrisp Pear now and then, so protect young plants where deer pressure is high.

Juice data

SG (Brix)Acid g/L Tannin g/LpH
1.050 (12.5) E 3.5 E 0.4 E not published

Letters show how solid each number is: M measured, P published but weaker, E our estimate.

No juice test found for this pear; numbers are our estimate.

Run Summercrisp Pear through the hard cider calculator to see what it does in a blend.

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Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Summercrisp Pear

Summercrisp Pear needs a different European pear nearby to set fruit. Every tree below blooms at the same time and has pollen that works for it. Plant partners within about 100 feet.

Bloom group 3 of 7 (Early-Mid)
Pollination Needs a partner
Pollen Good pollenizer

29 trees we carry will pollenize it. 20 in stock now.

See every pairing on the Pear Pollination Map

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