The other possibility is that it had a bumper year last summer, and is having a 'rest' this year. That happens with a lot of fruit trees if they exhaust themselves in the previous season.
But the OP says the fruits have formed this year and disappeared. Where?
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Good point @Lyn Difficult without seeing it and knowing more about the soil/climate etc too. Not something I've ever grown though. I don't like pears enough to start with, and it would take a while to get the right variety, and they'd need to cope with the weather. Easier in the east, or in very sheltered parts at lower altitude, I expect, although if the climate keeps changing maybe it would be easier.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Again, could they have rotted down or been eaten/carried off by something, although I can confirm there are no squirrels in our garden for certain. It does seem strange to me that even if the tree had shedded most of what was left after thinning, that there is no evidence anywhere of the fruitlets - which would have been at least 3 inches long by that point - on the ground below the tree. I went out earlier to check amongst the Astrantia and other plants and there is nothing.
Good point @Lyn Difficult without seeing it and knowing more about the soil/climate etc too. Not something I've ever grown though. I don't like pears enough to start with, and it would take a while to get the right variety, and they'd need to cope with the weather. Easier in the east, or in very sheltered parts at lower altitude, I expect, although if the climate keeps changing maybe it would be easier.
climate is UK, meaning a hot and bone-dry June (record breaking no less) although I kept the tree well irrigated throughout. its roots enjoy shade the whole day and rarely get too dry, the soil is sticky, wet clay with average drainage.
the variety is Conference, and they don't come any tougher than those surely.
the only big players that frequent are garden are neighbouring cats and also wood pigeons, which surely don't consume unripe pear fruitlets although i could be mistaken.
Thinking about it, it does make sense now you mention it. I saw one in my Amelanchier feasting away last month on the berries, the branch nearly breaking under the weight of the thing. Huge birds and doesn't surprise me at all if they're capable of taking on the pear fruitlets.
I'm now 100% convinced that is the culprit - not quite sure how to deal with that next year? Netting the tree is going to be a hassle.
You would have a lot of pigeons to remove 3” long pears. Secret squirrels perhaps. My son has an apple tree, they couldn’t think where the apples were disappearing too, one day they looked out, on an evening, and there were two squirrels, one up in the tree, cutting off the apples and one on the ground running off to the undergrowth with them. They didn’t think they had squirrels.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
The garden is surrounded by a number of cats including our own, there are fences on 3 sides and more importantly, a squirrel has never been sighted here in 7 years so I'm highly doubtful.
Why would something the size of a wood pigeon struggle with a small pear?
We would know by now if we had squirrels is my point unless you're saying they're nocturnal feeders, which they're not as far as I'm aware
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Difficult without seeing it and knowing more about the soil/climate etc too.
Not something I've ever grown though. I don't like pears enough to start with, and it would take a while to get the right variety, and they'd need to cope with the weather. Easier in the east, or in very sheltered parts at lower altitude, I expect, although if the climate keeps changing maybe it would be easier.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
the variety is Conference, and they don't come any tougher than those surely.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I saw one in my Amelanchier feasting away last month on the berries, the branch nearly breaking under the weight of the thing. Huge birds and doesn't surprise me at all if they're capable of taking on the pear fruitlets.
I'm now 100% convinced that is the culprit - not quite sure how to deal with that next year? Netting the tree is going to be a hassle.
My son has an apple tree, they couldn’t think where the apples were disappearing too, one day they looked out, on an evening, and there were two squirrels, one up in the tree, cutting off the apples and one on the ground running off to the undergrowth with them. They didn’t think they had squirrels.
Why would something the size of a wood pigeon struggle with a small pear?
We would know by now if we had squirrels is my point unless you're saying they're nocturnal feeders, which they're not as far as I'm aware