Asian Pear Recommendations & Growing Experiences?

General Fruit Growing
1

I’m looking to add some asian pears to my set-up.

I was thinking Shinko, Chojuro, & Shinseiki

I am “trying” to avoid fireblight, but I know it is difficuult with the asian strains.

I “heard” Shinko is fairly resisitant & Chojuro & Shinseiki are susceptible (I was told Chojuro is very good tasting & Shinseiki is susceptinle to pseudomonas as well, but worth it).

Any input on the flavor of these two & growing experiences?

2

What’s your location?

3

Northeast, 5B

4

I found this list/thread very helpful when I was making my decision. I’m starting with Korean Giant and Drippin’ Honey (Honey Asian). I ordered benchgrafts of both on OHxF333 from @39thparallel at his store. I’m expecting them to be shipped in Spring 2025.

5 Likes
5

Hosui, shinsui,too

6

Thank you

7

Giant is definitely the most FB resistant i have grown. I have found FB to be manageable in Hosui, Dripping honey (Honey Asian), Raja, Chojuro, 20th Century. The only Asian pear I have had to remove because of Fireblight was Seuri.

6 Likes
8

I’ve grown Shinseiki in Atlanta (zone 8) for four years. I have found it to be a slow grower that has been made slower because I have had to remove limbs due to fireblight every year. Supposedly it is precocious, often bearing in the second year (according to Ison’s), but that has not been the case with me. I had my first flowers, not many, this year. I noticed one fruit that was aborted shortly thereafter. So I can’t comment on the flavor or whether the flavor is worth the trouble. I probably would go with a different cultivar, if I had to do it again. I also might topwork the tree, depending on how it performs and how much fireblight I see in the next year or two. But zone 5B is very different than my situation.

9

In my Northeast (MA), Asian pears that I lost due to fire blight were Shinseiki and Raja.

Top of the list based on taste, productivity and grow-ability for me is Korean Giant.

If I were a newbie, I would go with Dripping Honey and Korean Giant. Not only they taste good and are relatively fire blight resistant, they ripen about 3-4 weeks apart. Korean Giant has a long picking period (a month or more) which is good for a home growers since you won’t be buried in hundreds of pears all at once

6 Likes
10

Thank you.

Is Olympic Giant the same as Korean Giant?

Also, where do you recommend getting them from?

11

Thank you.

Is Olympic Giant the same as Korean Giant?

Which would you go with, Chojuro or Drippin’ Honey to mate up with a Korean Giant?

Also, where do you recommend getting them from?

Thank you.

12

yes

13

buy them from the person you are asking. he has his own store. I linked it above and here. It’s not a coincidence that the website is called 39thparallel.com and the user you are asking the question is 39thparallel

3 Likes
14

thank you

15

That’s a good question I like the butterscotch flavor of Chojuro but Dripping Honey is lives up to it’s name. Maybe the Dripping honey because Giant it a low sugar pear.

3 Likes
16

Thank you. I’m going to start w/ Korean Giant & Drippin’ Honey & go from there. I may add a Chojuro later to see if it produces and stays healthy, or gets annihilated by fireblight…

2 Likes