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Pears
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Posted by mcleod 7b (My Page) on Sat, Nov 14, 09 at 18:01
| I have read every post on every page that refers to pears. So here are a couple questions.
I do not see much mentioned about the pineapple pear. Why? I happen to like this one, it adds a certain something to pear relishes and honeys.
I read that the warren pear has fruiting issues. Explain, please?
My place is still a work in progress and plans are there to plant four pears. Keiffer (preserves), Seckel (pickled), Pineapple (relishes and honeys), Warren (canned light syrup). I am quite familiar with Keifer and Pineapple and am aquainted with Seckel but Warren is/was my selection for a non gritty pear that on paper looks good and maybe won't turn my stomach like a Bartlett.
Honestly, I really like a D'anjou for that role but not in the south. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Pears
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| i'd like to try a pineapple pear. seems to be a deep south pear, might bloom to early in dallas. warren apparently is hard to pollinate & takes forever to bear; see http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg0322472822214.html |
RE: Pears
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- Posted by olpea zone 6 KS (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 21:44
| Mcleod, Regarding the Warren pear, its been mentioned it's pollen sterile, so bees are reluctant to visit the blossoms. Some recommended grafting other varieties on a Magness/Warren to get adequate pollination. It's also got a reputation as a slow bearer. There are some rootstocks that are more precocious than others. |
RE: Pears
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| If it is a queation of bees then would it help if the area was saturated with bees? I am a beekeeper and the hives would be located under the trees in question. |
RE: Pears
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Warren - and Magness, as well - from what I've seen put forward by folks who've grown both varieties, are pollen-sterile, and neither produces much, if any nectar, so free-standing trees of either variety tend not to be visited well by pollenators.
Many have advocated, rather than having a free-standing tree of Warren, that you graft branches of Warren into other more bee-friendly varieties - or vice-versa.
Others have also indicated that it's almost essential to have Warren on quince understock, or you'll be waiting what seems like forever for it to bear. I have Warren, grafted onto seedling P.communis rootstock(I didn't know any better at the time), in amongst a dozen or so trees of other varieties. It bears maybe 2-3 fruits each year. I suppose at some point, I'll have to move some Warren into other trees. |
RE: Pears
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| I want to second the opinion of needing to use use quince. I have Magness on quince and it set pears this year after three years in the ground. It may be pollen sterile but I have not done anything special and it set several pears. The tree is of perfect size. I have heard Warren will do the same thing on quince as the two varieties are close related. Also add Ayers to your list of pears. It is very good and quite fb resistant. Just my two cents. Maybe You can plant Ayers and Warren. Scape |
RE: Pears
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| bhawkins, A good friend of mine has a pineapple pear and he lives about 40 minutes northwest of Birmingham, AL. He gets pears every year. Bham is further up the zone, plus at a greater elevation, than I am and Dallas. About once a decade a late frost will get his pears but for the most part he will have something to put up every year. |
RE: Pears
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| thanks! an interesting read about warren pears in austin tx:
http://www.austinfarm.org/homegrown/hortpears.html |
RE: Pears
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| Willie is one of the many pro farmers in addition to homegrowers I have chated with who have had problems with Warren. All of them though had the trees on a standard rootstock. I have heard of people using the technique of grafting Warren scion in among the branches of other trees and I have heard this works. I have also heard from a few people that for what ever reason if you grow the darn thing on quince you will get your crop. That has been my experience with my Magness pear. I also wanted to say for what its worth my pineapple pear blooms early but the frosts dont seem to bother the flowers and every year it produces a good crop. To bad I dont like the fruit at all. I really dont even like to make preserves out of them I much prefer preserves of my higher quality pears and even prefer my Orients over that one. This is a personal matter obviously. Scape |
RE: Pears
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| I have a "Warren" on whatever the seller was grafting on but am pretty sure (need to check the potted jungle) that I grafted some immediately onto OHxF 513 that will presumably dwarf it here. I intended this more or less as a backup and 513 was all I could buy. It turns out to be a pretty good experiment. I'll keep it at home in a big pot, but one that will root cramp it a bit, and I'll pull the branches down more horizontally and try to trim little or not at all. Perhaps I'll get some fruit in accelerated manner this way. I enjoyed that link. I have read of better tasting "Garber" strains (in the Southern Fruit Fellowship newsletter I think) and will try sometime to obtain one. I have "Garber" (I think). But I got it from a nursery that some say is a bit slippery in keeping track of the selections (I have unfortunately messed up a couple others myself). |
RE: Pears
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Hey Bananas,
I may have told you this already so Im sorry if this is redundant but If you post something on this board around January I will gladly send you some scion of a good strain of Garber. There is a really old tree near me that fruits every year and most years it is really good, at least I think. Since the tree it fruiting there will be no chance of getting misidentified wood. Just holler if you need it. Thanks,
Scape |
RE: Pears
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| Thanks very much. I will indeed. (And I'll let you know then what I have as scionwood too, which I have needed to compile for LuckyP as well.) I am trying as many pears as possible that might do well here in the hot humid south, with the intent of later making sure the ones that work out are available to other enthusiasts in this region (SC, or SEUS). It will by that time just be retirement play for me. We in SC lag far behind TX and behind GA and NC and FL in interest in home fruit growing. I am not sure what happened because SC families grew fruit trees just as in any other state 60+ years ago. Except for muscadine grapes and a sparse scattering of Kieffer pears and rabbiteye blueberries and a few plums it is largely gone now. I hope we are just lagging a bit in the resurgence. |
RE: Pears
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| GoneBananas, It is those wonderful beaches that have distracted everyone from growing fruit! I was in Myrtle beach last year and loved it. It sounds like you and I have a similar idea. Even though there is strong interest in gardening over here I dont feel like the nursery industry, in my area at least, has kept up with the best varieties for us here. I think there are many superior varieties that are not available that should be. I will post a scion wood availabilty as well this winter. I have some stuff that may be good for you if you dont have them already. It sure sounds like you have an impressive collection but Id gladly ship you some if you need them. Scape |
RE: Pears
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| I planter pineapple pears trees in 1978 after planting in ground I had interest of information on that type pear. My research cameup with pineapple pear should be planted in Orlando Fla. well I was in zone 8b southeast georgia to cold for plant in orlando. I find a lot people think its taste that name comes from but size fruit about one inch taller and one inch bigger around than real pineapple in store in hands are arms 2 these pears all you tote. You have to be eating contest winner to eat one. Mind only produce about 7 pear on a tree forther north I would say would not be any fruit. |
RE: Pears
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| gator, how did the pineapple pears taste? mcleod, would you recommend the pineapple pear for fresh eating? scape, i agree, the local nurseries seem to do a great job with roses & shrubs. but they sell bartlett pears, which is ok for a hobbyist, but texas a&m says will almost certainly die of fireblight. & i cant ever seem to find rootstock info from the local sources. they just dont seem to be knowledgeable concerning fruit trees. |
RE: Pears
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| I would highly recommend the pineapple for fresh eating if you don't mind grit cells. Texture is similiar to keiffer but it will soften up when full ripe and is sweeter than Keiffer and true to name has that slight pineapple flavor that is unmistakeable. I don't mind grit in my pears, I LOVE keiffer. |
RE: Pears
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| leaving pear on tree to long where grit come from. Your picking time been test over time and date to have best pears is by picking in Aug date 27th and store in cold place out light until soften sweet up. One biggest advantage of this date its just before deer feed on pears last time I post this on sept. 5 th someone posted deer got there pear night before. Method for using Pantry on pears is most rewarding use. Taste Barrlet and pineapple pear taste same. |
RE: Pears
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| ok, thanks all. dont know if i have the space for a whole pineapple pear tree, but i'll graft a few branches. i like keiffers (even though they're usually b--- ugly) so maybe i'll like these too bob |
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