Has anyone used a chokepear as rootstock? Especially in colder areas. (I don’t know what the official name for it would be). 35 yrs ago we planted a Bartlet Pear which died fairly soon (probably after one winter) but the rootstock grew up into a beautiful 40 ft tree with small chokepears. It’s had no care but admiration and is hearty and healthy. Unfortunately it has not suckered but I’m wondering about planting the fruit for seedlings for a hardy rootstock.
Hi Sue. I know nothing about the pear but it occurred to me that you might try air-layering instead of waiting for seedlings:
Also search this forum; there have been a few very good discussions this year:
http://www.growingfruit.org/search?q=air%20layering
Good luck,
Mark
Thanks for the links – I’ll have to look into air layering and if it would likely survive the winter. May give it a try on a branch next spring.
Can you post a picture of the pears and tree? I would like to identify the tree.
Thanks, that would be nice to know what the tree/rootstock is, or might be. Here are some photos. The tree was purchased in 1980 from a small nursery in downstate Michigan. All the trees we got from them were common varieties, nothing exotic.
Chokepear in blossom - May 22
Chokepear trunk
Chokepear blossoms close - May 6
Chokepear fruit - green - July 31- maybe half size
I’m on a smart phone now so I can’t see the pictures clearly but already the leaves look similar to old home or farmingdale. In a few days I will look the pictures over and see if we can figure out what it is. Does it have thorns?
No thorns. I hadn’t considered Old Home/Farmingdale because I thought they would have more regular type fruit. These are definitely small and inedible (well, to me, and I’m pretty tolerant of anything that will survive and produce here!).
It does appear to be a rootstock. The leaves look very similar to old home x farmingdale rootstock crosses. I’m not sure which one it is. I’ve never seen the rootstock before with fruit. .