Error.
This Spring I’m adding Red Bartlett, Seckel, and Warren.
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I’m so confused by the number of varieties and lack of clear information.
All I know for sure, besides the Asian pears of which I have two small trees and grafts, I have a Hood pear showing up sometime spring.
I’d like to add something to that tree.
Additionally I have a few OHxF 87 rootstocks growing from this spring I can graft to. I’m looking for a few scions for varieties that will work for me.
With the doubts about what chill really means for my area, I guess I need to look first at fire blight resistance.
Southern Bartlett? I don’t see scions for sale.
Monterrey?
Ayers?
Spalding?
Le Conte?
Orient?
Magness?
Abbé Fetel? This one looks really interesting but I see almost no information for the tree much less scion.
I do see trees for sale here in spring for Flordahome, Orient, Kkeiffer, but I’d rather graft…
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Yes. A big priority here too.
Clark and mayhaw have been providing very good information for fireblight and taste.
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Indeed as I have been reading.
What remains is ringing how to get them…
By December I’d think those selling scion would have updated their inventory for this coming season.
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If you haven’t inquired already: ask when scionwood sellers normally start offering wood.
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Looks like one of those big guavas:)
Nice!
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Richard, I have never grown or tasted Hood. I don’t think it would do well here as it would probably bloom too early. Very low chill apples like Anna often bloom in December only to have the fruit killed by freezing. That said, some of the virtually frost-free microclimates near me do grow Anna with mixed results.
Hopefully, your new Warren tree and Hood bloom periods will overlap.
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Phil,
I don’t think Magness is a variety you should try. NAFEX pear guru, Dr. Ethan Natelson, has grown Warren and Magness side by side in Houston,TX for many years. Magness has never had a crop. Warren does occasionally. He grows many of the “southern pears”. That said, many years ago (35 at least) one of the Southern Fruit Fellowship members lived in Slidell and did have good Magness crops but you may be a lot further south with less chill.
Also on your list is Abbe Fetel. It is the favorite pear in Italy and is a really good fruit. However, it is known as being very fire blight sensitive. I can attest to that fact. I lost an entire tree to the ground with blight in 2015. Despite my warnings, if you want to try either or both Magness and Abbe Fetel, let me know in January and I’ll send you scions.
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No reason to go against more experienced people. The list is way longer than what I Willa tte lt anyway.
I’ll strike Magness and Abbé Fetel off the list.
FYI, I live only 23 miles west from Slidell. I’d say our climate is comparable.
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It is seasonally adaptive and produces well in Corvallis. On the other hand it’s no match in quality to some of the prized varieties you grow. Hence I’m trying up my game!
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My Hood tree arrived this weekend. It’s in a large grow bag for now.
If course it’s a straight tall trunk (5 ft) with one branch high and vertical with the trunk.
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Here is my new Hood pear, ordered and planted this winter:
I got it from Perfect Plants nursery in Florida – the only place I could find one on short notice. Rather pricey, but I was impressed with the quality of the tree and the packaging and would order from them again.
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I’m scratching my head a bit about where I will plant the Hood. I think I may remove an older Tropic Gold apricot that has never fruited and barely flowers.
It’s not a good sun exposure location, getting maybe 6 hours a day. I think a pear would haver a bit more success there though still not ideal. I plan on grafting other low chill, FB resistant types onto this tree starting next year.
At least the natural growing shape of a pear is vertical, though of course that makes harvest an issue if you don’t train it.
Out with the old, in with the new.
Tropic Gold apricot is out. New home for the Hood pear. The apricot almost never flowered, never fruited, and had trunk damage.
It’s not a great sun exposure location, but I think the pear will do better there.
Those new battery operated pruning shears worked a dream!
I’m debating topping the tree… Maybe half the height to push lower scaffolding. The tree is going to want to reach anyway, both from being a pear and being in a ~6 hour sun exposure location. I’ll be tying down limbs for years I think.
PS: the Hood was part of a store credit from Tyty I received last year. They delivered the tree in 3 days. That’s the fastest I’ve ever had a nursery deliver a bare root tree… With no extra charge.
Looks like the newish owner really is trying to improve things over there.
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