After a long wait since my last Clapps Favorite died to the ground due to fireblight i once again have two Clapps favorite trees blooming. Its a sweet, melting, large pear worth growing if your patient and dont easily get discouraged. Anyone else growing this old favorite?
I’ve got a branch of it but I don’t think it has ever even flowered, let alone set fruit. I may have to start beating up on it - it’s about 10 years now.
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I have one. Nice early pears.
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They take 10+ years to fruit Mark but they are worth it!
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I have one on standard rootstock that’s entering it’s 9th season. It has some nice fruit buds but has not yet bloomed. It’s next to a Colette also on standard rootstock which had its first bloom last July.
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Clapps favorite is a pear that changes from ripe and perfect to overipe and past its best in a day. The outside looks perfect and it rots in the middle before anyone realizes what happened. If you are growing it once july roles around tilt up on the pears often to ensure they are not ripe already!
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Realized i did not post pictures of Clapp’s Favorite yet. It’s raining here today on July 4th which is a welcome break from the heat.
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Pretty pear! Maybe someday my branch will bear …
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This old favorite of mine is so slow to bear i should graft one new one for the rest of my life to ensure i never run out again. Fireblight does take them sometimes. Once they start bearing you have pears every year. Their one life threatening enemy is fireblight.
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Clapps is so delicious I can hardly wait for July. If your young plant it now that’s what I did. It’s hard to believe these trees take so long to produce. I should tbud some more this year. @AndySmith your getting close to fruit but the wait is agonizing.
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To my surprise, my Clapp’s Favorite, grafted since 2016, has a couple of flower clusters this year!! After 5 years, the graft still has not grown much at all. I forgot where I put it on the tree until I saw the tag today.
I hope it will set fruit.
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If there are fruit set!!!
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@mamuang I’m very hopeful for you! Remember this pear is prone to internal breakdown so don’t let that happen. The outside will look perfect but check often. Your about 2 weeks behind me much of the time so when you see I’m picking Clapps Favorite watch them like a hawk or you will lose your crop. Use your thumb give them a squeeze you will feel the give. The tilt test must be done often. They could be green in the morning ripe by afternoon. The color changes slightly and i can smell them slightly. It’s crazy how fast you can fruit things in your area. They are heavy producers once they start Here comes the 2019 pear harvest!
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Clark,
From what your described, CF will go way down my list. Fruit that needs that much attention It is too picky for me!!
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You won’t think they are to much trouble when you taste them. Most ripened last time on August 3rd for me. Here are a couple of pictures from that harvest I took to make a point of what I’m saying. They may taste even better in your area, soon we should know. See how the outside of that pear was perfect? My small yellow pear is even harder to pick correctly. Hours matter on some pears flavor.
The picture below is what they should look like when they are perfectly ripe.
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Year 11 and I have two fruiting buds on the central leader that will bloom this year.
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That’s right on time @AndySmith and unlike many others it’s pretty consistent once it starts producing. Nearly every year you will get the same amount of pears which is a good amount.
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My Clapps Harvest has varied with the severity of the weather. Just be sure to pick them before they are fully ripe, or centers will be rotten.
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