The tree that got fireblight was on standard rootstock. My current Magness is on quince and it never got any blight.
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How long did your magness take to fruit on quince? I planted one last year and wonder how long I should expect to wait.
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It took about five years. Well worth the wait!
I am putting some new pears on standard stocks in this spring, my favorites, but I am skipping Magness as it would take too long to fruit on standard. Also it is a triploid so on quince it makes a pretty big tree anyways.
BTW back on the fireblight topic, I found that when blight was bad in my orchard anything could get blighted, but when blight is light hardly anything gets it. In recent years I have gotten very little. I did in fact get some blight late this fall, I think all of the cicada damage made it a lot easier for the pathogen to enter. This is the worst blight I had seen in a few years. It was only on the pears, not on the apples. Also again oddly it was only on the full-sized trees not on the quince which are in a different location.
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Good to know! Based on your recommendation, I am growing 3 Magness pears on Quince Provence. I was told by a horticulturist at Washington State U. that Provence is more fire blight resistant than Quince A. However, Quince A is supposed to be more tolerant of wet, clay soil.
Is anchorage good with Quince? Have you had to stake your Magness on Quince?
Thanks so much for your invaluable help,
Frank
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I think I have Provence Quince as well, it was from Cummins and looking now they seem to only use Provence quince (the order itself just says “quince”…).
I have found quince to have super good anchorage, no problems at all and no staking needed.
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Cicada causing fireblight has been my experience as well. Another trick you use Scott that i like is following a year like that in the spring you spray with copper. Once I sprayed with copper pre bloom it eliminated the fireblight on the tree. Prior to you mentioning It I used heavy antibiotics which I now eliminated completely. Late season Fireblight
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Mine is on Quince A (only option and also very clay soil). We shall see how it does.
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