I always leave them on the table or in boxes and they turn out fine
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I am sure I kept them too cold , good to know , I did enjoy the one that ripened, it was sweeter than a Bartlett IMO
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You have seen this post before http://www.growingfruit.org/t/here-comes-the-2016-apple-and-pear-harvest/6762 but there are a lot of improved kieffer pictures in there and they turned out great.
When I first harvest improved kieffer in July or August they are hard and green but break off the tree easily when I tilt them
After I keep them inside for a couple weeks they turn softer and yellow like these
True kieffer pears ripen later in the fall but everything else still applies.
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I have an improved keiffer scion from a generous member that I will probably graft tomorrow
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Your going to love it Jason and I know that one is the pear pictured above lol!
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I just have to find a good spot for it, I have so many pear scions this year that I am trying to make sure I have one good graft of each before I go back and do a second back up graft
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Jason,
Improved Kieffer don’t start producing as fast as duchess, Harrow sweet, Harrow delight, or Douglas but when they do the yields are ridiculously large! Harrow delight is a late bloomer for me so I’m not sure what’s going on with your HD yet. We will know once we see the fruit. HD produces pears one year later than Harrow sweet which is typically year 2-4 depending on rootstock and nutrition needs. The blooms below demonstrate bloom time on April 13th 2018. This is Harrow sweet
This is harrow delight
This is improved kieffer
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It could be mis labeled, hard to tell it may never fruit here as early as it blooms, lol. I only gave scion to one person, greyphase ,and I let him know asap that it might not be true to type. His scion failed any way.
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the fact that it has russeting does not mean it is not a true kieffer. Weather conditions and fungus can lead to russeted and non russeted on the same branch.
Research stations were commenting on russet on kieffer as early as 1908.
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@txpanhandle1
I agree with what your saying but the improved kieffer which is likely aka bow hunter pear blooms and fruits earlier than other fruits so it gets frost rings 99% of the time. It’s very cold resistant as well. It’s not kieffer. Kieffer blooms slightly later and ripens much later. The combination of other facts and the russeting are concrete proof. Here are pictures of what the improved kieffer fruit will look like shortly
![fca845b6e70cfeb4dcaa0be0fc413d05de9bd728_1_690x923[1]](/uploads/default/original/2X/5/50dc4f37b075c8f7811a2d6b81bf1dc7ed8d4581.jpg)
![9f132979faed6f25a1e9f227d06688c03f61f747_1_690x923[1]](/uploads/default/original/2X/c/c5a3e898c9b953f0eac376ae9d2aec0e97e19230.jpg)
Here is the fruit later showing russeting aka frost rings
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Seems like someone always gets mislabeled kieffer pear trees! As much as i hope that changes in the future i suspect it will only get worse with pears. The thing about pears is they take 3-15 years + to fruit which means most nurseries who mislabel pears get by with it for now. This thread is really about me buying several mislabeled trees on a quest for kieffer. Hopefully the thread helps someone starting out sorting out pear varities.
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Clark
Do you still have some photos of Improved kieffer pear. Your scion from 3 years ago are loaded with flowers. Is the fruit reddish?
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Yes when its small it is reddish colored. It turns green later with a red blush and then the green skin turns to yellow skin when its ripe.
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Great. Looking forward to taste them this year. Do I need to refrigerate first like the rest of Euro pears.
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No need just let them turn yellow inside on the table. It takes two-several weeks to ripen the pears once they are picked from thevtree
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Wanted to revive this old thread to discuss and remind people of the pros and cons of varieties. Kieffer , improved kieffer etc. Can be grow spray free. Bartlett, clapps favorite, bosc, forelle cannot. Plan out a balance in your orchard. Kieffer for a canning pear are great in Kansas.
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I did a late planting of several keifers in mid-july here in zone 5B and out of the 15 I planted one of them flowered this week, is that very unusual? We already had seven Frosts and one freeze…30f…
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It happens. For me, it seems more common in a drought summer followed by a somewhat cooler stretch late summer or early fall sometimes accompanied by a bit of moisture. And my response is “Stupid pears!”.
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What is that on the leaves? Something like Cedar Apple Rust?
?? About seven of the 15 had already lost all their leaves and the others are in different stages of leaf drop with colors of red orange yellow and brown.