Charles harris like all asian pears in my experience gets rust and scab and scab worse than any i’ve seen with exception of ya li which is similar. Seems overall like it will be a good pear. I will keep you posted.
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Charles Harris is an asian pear not many grow so i thought i should document it. Today August 27th it’s ripened up nicely. There is not signifigant damage but occasional spot of rot likely due to bug damage. Picked these using the tilt test. They have a pleasant taste with a good blend of sweet and sour. These are large pears even when the branches are loaded. Definately would recommend this one. No signifigant disease problems but they can occasionally get fireblight.
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Thank you very much for documenting this, Clark.
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It is worth noting because it is a southern pear growing in Kansas zone 6a. Try to document these experiments well especially if they turn out ok. As far as i know noone else had ever grown these southern pears this far north. Today is March 28th 2023. The entire tree is covered in blooms like these. There are 4 trees of this variety total. Had one fireblight strike since i started growing it, but i did on many resistant varieties.
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My buds are not that far along yet.
@clarkinks, what is your opinion on first year fruit from this pear vs other pears? Since this is the first year my Charles Harris will fruit, would you expect the fruit to be less than optimal?
If I recall correctly, you have stated in the past the often times the first time a pear fruits the quality is usually pretty poor.
The tree and graft I have of this are loaded with buds, so there should be a lot of fruit if it gets through without freezing in the next 2 weeks or so.
My Korean Giant, Buford, Douglas, Clara Friji, and many other Euro grafts will bloom and hopefully fruit for the first time this year as well.
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They seem to grow well even further north. They have survived as cold as -30Fish so far with zero burn back… unlike some other Asian pears.
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I think many pears can handle quite cold temps… although the Asians can get knocked back severely, including Olympic giant (which I would say isn’t as good for colder areas). I definitely haven’t kept good notes… and just prune out the winter damaged stuff. Some of the Asian pears seem to suffer less damage.
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Several Charles Harris are heavy with blooms this year.
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