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donny808

Finding an Asian Pear tree

Donny808
11 years ago

Hi,

I'm looking to buy an Asian pear tree that will produce fruit within a year. I am interested in the Olympic my second choice would be Hosui. I live in Dallas, TX. I wasn't able to find any in my local nursery I tried online, but the shipping cost too much ($100-$500). Can anyone help point me in the right direction, please?


thanks,
Donny

Comments (20)

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jeepers! How many trees are you wanting to order? I've never seen shipping like that. Mr. Jack's carries both varieties, not sure if they ship or not:
    http://www.mrjacksfarm.com/dnn/FruitNutTrees/tabid/54/Default.aspx

    Patty S.

  • nandakumar
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Donny,

    Doans nursery in Irving (South beltline) has many varieties of Asian pear. I got Shinseiki pear from them and I think i have seen Hosui there.

  • mamuang_gw
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Donny,

    Your said "I'm looking to buy an Asian pear tree that will produce fruit within a year." It's expensive because you are looking for a potted tree, right? Potted tree is heavy and costs a lot more to ship.

    Asian pears on a semi-dwarf rootstock coud fruit in 3 yrs, a lot faster than average Euro pears. You probably could order a bareroot Olympic for $30 or less (shipping included).

  • scaper_austin
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I recommend Doans as well. I would also not expect any tree to fruit in a year. Often fruit trees, pears especially, need a little time to root in and develop before they fruit. Often even if they did fruit that fast it may actually set the tree back in the years ahead and may then take years to get back in a good fruiting pattern

  • Donny808
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, thank you all for replying. This is my first time posting something so do forgive me for my delay on replying I did have problems finding out own post. =)

    Patty ��" Shipping was for a 7 gallon tree. I tried calling Mr. Jack it went straight to voicemail, I will try again next time.

    Mamuang ��" yes, I guess I’m looking for a potted tree. I’m not too familiar with the terms since I’m only a beginner at this (I’m only good at eating fruits =)). If I go the bareroot route should I be able to plant it in a 10 gallon for about 2 years then plant on ground? Reasons I ask is because I have a few fruit trees where I am debating if I should get rid of it or not. One is Shinseiki another is Asian pear/Fuji apple (that’s what the tag said when I bought it) and the last one is our persimmon tree.
    I bought the Shinseiki from Doan’s about 3 years ago in a 5 gallon I planted it on ground second year I had fruits, but it was the size of a large Jujubee. It was the same on the 3 year, I am a little confuse and disappointed. The entire 3 years I think the tree grew about less than a foot, the trunk got a little bigger but that’s about it.
    The Asian pear/Fuji apple tree I bought was from our local nursery. It was in a 15 gallon the fruit was the same size as the Shinseiki . The tree didn’t grow nor had any new branches I think one of the branch is rotted and looks dried up and the trunk looks tried too. Looks like it’s not going to do well I hate to pull it out but if it doesn’t grow or do anything I rather replace it with a Hosui or Olympic.
    Persimmon tree is growing but very slow. Fruits keep falling off not sure what’s wrong there.
    Maybe I can take pictures of my trees and you all can help me? Please advise, I’m open on trying anything.

    Nandakumar and Scaper Austin ��" As I mentioned above I bought the Shinseiki and Persimmon tree from Doan’s. Have you had any luck with their fruit trees?

    thank you all,
    Donny

  • mamuang_gw
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Donny,

    If you can find someone who grows Hosui and Olympic aka Korean Giant, in your area to post if he/she like the tree and the fruit, it'll be very helpful to you.

    I grow Korean Giant. Several of them weighed over 1 lb. this past summer. It lives up to its name and I love the taste. Then, you'll hear people from different climate/location have a different or even negative result.

    My Hosui is 2 yrs old. Lots of people in this forum like it. That's why I ordered it.

    Some Asian pears are small. My nijisseki aka 20th century is small. I don't know about Hosui's size.

    I don't know much about growing fruit in pots but I think you can grow a bare root Asian pear in a 10 gal pot for 2 yrs. I bought my Korean Giant in a pot (when I was new like you). It looked like a 3 yrs old tree with fruit on it. I believe that tree was in a pot smaller than a 10 gal. I did get one fruit the first year I bought it.

    After that I've learned to order bare root trees on line. My 20th Century fruit in 3 yrs. I hope my Hosui will fruit next year. If you can find them in pots from a nearby nursery. You will save time but not money.

  • murkwell
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you are having trouble with all of your trees, it sounds like the problem is not the varieties but something with their conditions.

    Let's try to figure out what is going wrong there before we condemn some more fruit trees to an unhappy fate.

    If we get some good ideas of what to do differently, the hopefully whatever new tree you choose will perform much better.

    My impression is that in general it takes more knowledge and effort to successfully grow trees in pots/containers than in the soil. So that wouldn't be my first recommendation.

    If all three of your trees are stunted and not doing well it makes me think there may be a fundamental problem.

    The first things I'd suspect without knowing more, would be related to soil and water. Are the trees planted in the same soil as the rest of the yard? What kind of soil is it? If you dig a hole in the soil and fill it with water does the water drain? How do you determine when and how much to water them? Are there other trees in the same conditions that are doing well? What kind?

    If those questions don't uncover anything I would think about how much sun they are getting, how they were planted (were they bare root or potted, what time of year, were the potted ones rootbound and if so what did you do at planting etc.)

    Other questions that come to mind are have you done a soil test? Is somebody driving heavy equipment over the root zone? Do the leaves look healthy throughout the growing season? Have the trees been damaged? Have you observed pests or diseases taking a toll on them? Were they allowed to fruit heavily very young?

    By the way, I think something is confused in the telling or in my reading with regard to the Asian pear/Fuji Apple. That sounds like two different trees. Did the tree have 2 tags - one of each? When it had fruit was it an apple or a pear? I don't know of an Asian pear named Fuji, and for all intents and purposes you cannot have the two on the same tree (while maybe technically possible you will never find such a tree for sale).

  • maryhawkins99
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Donny, Doan's is great! They buy bare root plants from LE Cook & Dave Wilson, & stick them in those pots; I always plant in ground as soon as I get home, & cut them back. If they stay in those pots too long they'll become rootbound.

    Your lack of tree growth sounds interesting! Please tell us a little more

    Do the trees get any extra water during the year?
    How many hours of sun a day do they get?
    Did you plant with amendmends, like peat moss?
    What's your soil like? Crumbly, or clay, or white rocks?
    Do you use mulch?

  • scaper_austin
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok,
    Ive mentioned this before on this forum but its been awhile. There is a rootstock for pears called oldhome farmingdale#333......stay away from it. In most Texas conditions it runts out the tree and also makes the fruit size smaller than it should be. Also keep in mind Asian pears need good thinning to size up. My trees from Doans have done well.

    Scape

  • maryhawkins99
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Re ohf333....Amen! ( learned the hard way!)

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would expect small fruit on most Asian pears in a pot and they need to be heavily thinned. On Korean Giant you may only need to remove 50-75% of the fruit. On most of the others I thin off about 90%. This allows big sweet fruit. Unthinned they may be very small and bland tasting.

  • pinc06
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    To confuse you even more most of my Asian Pears that have already born fruit are on OHxF333 and they are doing very well with fruit size comparable or bigger than store bought. Pic is my fav, Raja, and it has been a heavy bearing minimal care champ for me.

    When I bought rootstock from Cummins they talked me into getting some OHxF87 as they say some folks had trouble in clay with runting out. I have clay, but years of amending has helped a lot.

    Love to hear of any experience with OHxF87.

    Pam in cinti

  • Noogy
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Graceful look. Reminds me of a Juneberry in structure. How many hours of sun do you get?

  • maryhawkins99
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yeah, Pam, but you're a Yankee! We be in the Great State of Texas!

    I bet y'all make chili wrong too.... :-)

  • pinc06
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yep, pretty sure my chili is wrong. Hubby likes hot, me not so much. To compromise I grow massive amnts of Kung Pao peppers which we dehydrate and he uses them liberally in almost every meal I prepare.

    That particular section of the yard gets full sun all day. I estimate approx 11-12 hrs per day. Rajah has been a dream, branches do grow towards up but the fruit load brings branches down to horizontal all by themselves. Minor pruning, some fruit thinning and the fruit is large and tasty. That tree is 3rd leaf here, but the nursery told me it was a carry over from not being sold year before I bought it.

    I've mentioned this before but it's weird enuf to repeat. I had the dickens of a time finding Asian pears locally. Every time I asked in a nursery (Cinti's finest nurserys!) I was told "Well, you know Asian Pear just means a pear that bears fruit". I couldn't even convince anyone to double check they were so sure they were correct. No doubt that's why the nursery couldn't sell those trees as they had no idea what they really were. Got my Raja and Daisui Li that day, clearance price and the nursery was happy to see them finally get sold. This pic is my quirky Daisui Li. She dances in the wind like a hula dancer.

    Pam in cinti

  • maryhawkins99
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your previous posts convinced me to try a Raja, I planted a couple months ago. I have 3 asian pears on OHF97 in their 3rd leaf; all have flowers; which is about a year before my pears on cally bloomed. I'm trying some trees on bet now.

    Bob

  • pinc06
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bob, I'm really glad you got a Raja. This variety just doesn't get noticed enough. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

    Both 333 and 87 are supposed to be semidwarf. I try to stick to SD as being a short woman I don't think I could prune etc bigger trees even if I could pick using one of those 6 ft pole fruit pickers. I'd never heard of 87 before but Cummins says it copes better with clay soil. When I plant I make the hole about a foot deeper than the rootball needs and pack that lower portion with old leaves, compost and most important to me, Moisture Crystals. I step on that low stuff a lot to really press it firmly into place before i put the tree on top to plant it. I also roughen up hole sides a lot, even pounding rebar into the soil all around the sides to help make easier path ways for future growing roots.

    I know a lot of the experts say not to improve soil, bare root trees are best but I honestly tried that way first. Killed 8 expensive trees that way. Now I grow bareroot first year in 5 gallon pots and plant in ground following year. The moisture crystals are not so much to release water to the roots as they are to suck up extra water and prevent roots from sitting in little ponds. When it rains around here it really really can drown stuff in clay if not planted to help them cope first couple years.

    So that is my way. I know diff soil and climate, diff needs.

    Pam in cinti

  • maryhawkins99
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    we have lots of alkaline clay! not too many problems with too much water though. ohf87, 333, & 533(?) havent done well for me; but bet, caly, & ohf97 seem ok

    btw, i was trying to provoke an argument re chili, knowing how proud cincinnati is of their chili, as are texans; i see you're much too polite for that

    bob

  • Donny808
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow that’s a lot of questions. I see where you all coming from and great points. Keep in mind I just started planting things so if I come off not knowing what I’m doing please don’t get offended. I know some people have great passions with plants and stuff I don’t want to offend anyone with my lack of knowledge or not having time to care or maintain it as much as one would like. I appreciate all your comments and expertise.

    Murky
    .Are the trees planted in the same soil as the rest of the yard?--Yes.
    What kind of soil is it?--Mostly clay.
    If you dig a hole in the soil and fill it with water does the water drain?--Yes.
    How do you determine when and how much to water them?--In the Texas summer I water them 2 times a week, once a week in spring, once every 2 weeks in fall and once a month in the winter.
    Are there other trees in the same conditions that are doing well? What kind?--No
    If those questions don't uncover anything I would think about how much sun they are getting ��" 6 hours.
    how they were planted (were they bare root or potted, what time of year, were the potted ones rootbound and if so what did you do at planting etc.) ��" They were all from potted, I planted them as they would be in a pot meaning a little above ground level with a little of the soil in the pot mixed in with the clay. Planted in spring about 3 years ago. Not sure if I understand what rootbound means but I did loosen up the roots as much as I can without hurting it before I planted.

    Other questions that come to mind are have you done a soil test? No
    Is somebody driving heavy equipment over the root zone?--No
    Do the leaves look healthy throughout the growing season?--Yes
    Have the trees been damaged?--No
    Have you observed pests or diseases taking a toll on them?--Not much Pest, if there’s any I would spray them with vinegar mixed with water (don’t ask why ��" wifey’s idea) .
    Were they allowed to fruit heavily very young?--I’m not sure how old the trees was when I bought it, but yes I did let the fruits grow.
    Also, my wife is into organic stuff so i don’t use chem fertilizer on the trees. I should have use organic fertilizer but I didn't put any.

    By the way, I think something is confused in the telling or in my reading with regard to the Asian pear/Fuji Apple. That sounds like two different trees. Did the tree have 2 tags - one of each? When it had fruit was it an apple or a pear? I don't know of an Asian pear named Fuji, and for all intents and purposes you cannot have the two on the same tree (while maybe technically possible you will never find such a tree for sale). ��"-there was one tag and it says Asian pear/Fuji apple. I asked the worker what it means by Asian pear/Fuji Apple, she said it was mixed between the two. When it fruited it kind of looks/tasted like an Asian pear, it’s hard to say because the fruit was too small.

    bhawkins
    Do the trees get any extra water during the year? I don’t know how to answer this question.

    How many hours of sun a day do they get?--6hours

    Did you plant with amendmends, like peat moss?--With some of the soil from the pot mixed in with clay.
    What's your soil like? Crumbly, or clay, or white rocks?-- clay, top 2 feet is sand mixed in with clay.
    Do you use mulch? Yes, but the grass has taken over and I left it since.

    I have a new born so I don't get to go online much so I would like to apologize in advanced for the delays on my replies.

  • maryhawkins99
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok, thanks for the info! Sounds like you planted them ok, they get enough sun, & enough water for Dallas.

    Most of my persimmons grow 1.5-2ft/year; but in one spot they grow 6"/year. I'm sure that spot is missing some nutrient, but I dont know what. Fertilizer helps; high nitrogen, like Miracle Grow; but that can cause fruit drop. Its common for some persimmons to have fruit drop the first 3-4 years, with or without fertilizer

    My asian pears usually start fruiting in their 4'th leaf; I wouldnt give up on your tree yet. If you can add another, Doans is good; or I believe you can still order the Korean Giant on bet from One Green World. It'll need some extra water this time of year, its bare root.

    Concerning your apple pear; lots of trees sold by local nurseries here are on the wrong rootstock for Dallas. If you're going to give up on a tree, that would be my choice

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