Even the baby KG are loaded. They fruit quickly
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Any warmer zone Korean Giant growers out there? I grafted a branch this spring.
As is often the case, wildly different chill hour requirements available online for this fruit.
Hopefully Iāll be able to report on that myself in a few yearsā¦
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I gave mine away, just a warning, lol.
Well it was $4 and a bit of time investment for the scion and graftā¦
Just ate my very first home grown Asian pearā¦ Hosui. Posted in another thread.
Needed a bit more I think but not badā¦
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Mine will be ripening in Oct. From your posts, I think you have less chill than I am.
Donāt get me started on the inexact science of chill hour calculation.
I can calculate mine as I have my own weather station, but it depends on which method you use and what dates you use.
If I use the modified Utah method that adds negative numbers above 60, I can end up with a negative chill hour result for winter.
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I donāt really use any method, I just figure by the kind of trees and plants you can grow. My melons will not be ripen until Oct, you already picked yours.
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The Utah model is only applicable to areas with cool/cold winters like Utah. In southern areas where it seldom drops below freezing, hours below 45 are more informative. I like Utah because those are real chill hours. Get enough of those and you are set.
Iāll post here later the calcs I did.
Modified Utah
Simple >32, <45
<45 including below freezing.
Though comparing any number to how my trees behaved this year wonāt be helpful because I had a 27Ā° morning on March 20th that ended any chance at fruit this year for my stone fruit trees.
That freeze was after 8 days above 80Ā° to end February.
A better modified Utah might be 0.75 x 34 to 54 minus above 60.
No system will tell you how fruit trees react to the winters we get down here. On the coldest day of the year by averages, the daily average high temperature is 61Ā°F. Every day in winter (using averages which of course are made up of temps above and below) includes negative chill hours.
See my monthly temp records for this winter below as reference. Iād call this past winter milder than average for me.
Iād say all I can do is try to grow low chill varieties and hope for the best knowing every year will be different.
Totally agree with you. I wonder if it will grow and produce well in SoCal.
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If I ever get a decent set on my young trees I think I will go through the trouble of bagging them all just to feel as though Iāve done something to stave off the insects.
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I do not know if KG will do well in an area further south like yours.
I donāt have many fruit this year because I did not thin well last year.
Tarnished Plant bugs have done more damage on my KG than any other insects. There are many insects that targeted my pears.
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Since Iām only dabbling with a graft on another tree Iām not making a big investment in trying.
Thatās the beauty of grafting Iād sayā¦
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KG is doing well in zones 8a and 8. Central AL.
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It has done zip for me in zone 8b. 8year old tree has only produced a few fruit 2 years ago. But the tree is healthy and growing fine, donāt think I get enough chill hours.
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It needs cross pollination. Do you havre any pear nearby flowers at the same time?
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I am in zone 9B and close to the coast. We get 400-600 CH on an average year and close to 1000 on an exceptional year like last winter. All of the Asian pears I have produced profusely and needed significant thinning. These include Korean Giant, Chojuro, Hosui, Shinko, Ya Li, Shinseiki and Drippinā Honey. KG and Drippinā Honey are just 2 year old grafts. Ya Li and Hosui produced even the next year after grafting whereas Chojuro and Shinko took 3 years. The tree is on OxF333 rootstock. Just adding a datapoint as I havenāt seen many complaints on chill hours for Asian pears.
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You made me feel better, I just bought 2 pear varieties and I canāt find out about their chill hours, do you have Dai sun or Shin Li?