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| I bought a Bartlett pear tree 2 yrs ago. it came with 2 pears on it and then fruited again at the end of the season.
my tree just flowered a month and 1/2 ago, and I am just now seeing tiny fruit on it. it is very late in the season, in my thinking, January 2, 2012. also, during the entire summer it had only a few leaves on it and didn't flower at all. my question; does a bartlett pear tree require cool weather to flower and bear fruit? Additionally, I have a 2 yr old Santa Paula plum and it barely yielded fruit and the leaves started withering and turning brown about July. I thought it may have gotten sunburned but the "burned" foliage area grew larger even as the weather cooled.
Thank you, in advance, for any help you can give me |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| The heat is not so much the issue as the lack of cold, at least as far as fruit production is concerned. Bartletts need at least 800 (more is better) hours of what are called 'chilling hours'. Chill hours are defined as the number of hours of uninterrupted hours of temperatures below (more or less) 40 degrees. Most pome and stone fruits have a chilling requirement; they vary dramatically. A couple of minutes of internet research will give you the information you need for the varieties you are growing. |
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| I don't know that I fully understand all of Imanovice's post. The Bartlett Pear, described as having only a few leaves during the entire summer, and the plum, described as having burned foliage, definitely don't sound good, but without more info (and maybe a few pictures) it's impossible to know what's really going on. The fact that the pear came with two fruits attached also raises some red flags in my mind. It might help to have a much more thorough history of these trees (condition and size when received, condition of root systems when received, multiple facts about how trees were planted, how possible root system issues were addressed, conditions at site, how the trees have been irrigated and how conditions necessitating irrigation were evaluated, etc). Pictures almost seem to be a necessity in this case. Chill hours are calculated in various ways, but I am not aware of any method using "uninterrupted hours". Unless there's something I'm not understanding about Rhizo's description, it's just not correct. There's no perfect way to measure chilling hours, but one common way is to add up the total number of hours of temperature between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit during the colder months of the year. More details of different methods are available online. One simple way to find the chilling hours for your location is to contact your county's agricultural extension office and ask them (that's the type of thing they exist for). |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 3, 12 at 9:03
| there is a fruit forum.. and there a bunch of hardcore experts over there... that i have never seen in the tree forum .... i dont care where you post.. just offering a place where you might get a greater range of thought on the matter ... now.. i havent even been to SoCal .. let alone gardened there.. but I THINK.. the novice [posters name]... is meaning to ask if this tree is all out of phase blooming in fall and fruiting in winter ... I THINK.. they unknowingly threw in a term of art.. that got you guys talking about chill hours ... which i would bet a NOVICE really doesnt know much about .... we will only know if they check back and straighten us out ... i also THINK ... they may have severely stressed and droughted a rather young 2 year old tree ... and are wondering if that caused the tree to go out of phase ... i get 100 degree weather.. and a properly watered tree can handle it ... but again.. i aint in SoCal .... more info from novice ... maybe you guys were going in the right direction.. maybe i am wrong.. ken |
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