Looking to purchase a medlar and trying to decide a cultivar to start with. So far it looks like the most appealing are mostrueuse de evreinoff, Pucia super mol, nefle de october, or the osu 9-20. I definitely want a bit of tartness. Prefer larger fruits as tiny fruits that require lots of handling seem a PITA. We’re near coast in SF Bay area so all indications are that it should grow well.
Unfortunately not a common fruit and so finding opinion is hard. Sellers seem to just copy each others descriptions.
All I know is that many years ago(maybe even back in the old GardenWeb forums days?) our own @scottfsmith penned a thread titled, “Just say NO to medlars.” It convinced me not to waste my time on them. Your mileage and tastes may vary.
I thought that post I made was here, but indeed it was before GF existed … here it is:
After I wrote that I found they were horribly susceptible to quince rust which ruins all the fruits. You need to spray myclobutanil after petal fall for that. They also got horrible fireblight. So two more strikes I didn’t even have issues with yet when I was already saying “NO” to them I took my medlars out maybe a dozen years ago.
If you’re in Europe I’ve seen there are “sweet medlars” sussmispel in German, that don’t need to blet to lose astringency. I was always curious about them. There’s also a seedless variety, and some interspecific hybrids.
I had two medlars in prime spots and relegated them to the hedgerow after tasting them.
@scottfsmith … hmmm… that don’t sound good for me and medlars.
Fireblight is awful here and i will not spray for it… and I have lots of serviceberry here but never seen a serviceberry ripen fruit… rust gets them all as they are ripening.
Sounds like my chances of success with medlar is slim to none.
Anyone in the south east growing medlar (No spray) ?
I might just pull mine up and plant a mulberry or something else there.
I didnt spray mine the first year they fruited. Seemed like 50/50 for rust effected fruit. No blight strikes yet. Lost all of my pears to that a few years ago.
@Orange120OD … and you are quite a bit north of me. Not quite as hot and humid.
Sounds like medlar has no chance of being a no spray fruit for me. If they bloom into April… FB will wipe it out here. If it sets fruit rust will probably take it all like it does serviceberry.
Hmmmm
I may just yank it and put something there I know will work.
dont be shy, tells us how you really feel!
is rust and firebllight common in your area? we’re pretty dry for the most part, but we can definitely get soggy spring weather sometimes. seems a bit worrysome.
Both rust and FB are common where I am. My medlars were planted by my quince which were both super susceptible to both FB and rust, so that could have made things worse for the medlars. But they seemed about as bad as the quince in terms of FB and rust…
I have no idea if I will have FB or Rust issues here. Commonly sold peaches and the close relatives tend to fare poorly with my damp, but I doubt that is either of those problems.
I have both medlar and quince in various locations around the yard, but not quite a direct uninterupted line between any species except the medlar and a pseudocydonia.
Mine are just getting to the point where some are taller than I. All grafts on assorted rootstock. Last year I saw my first Medlar flower, but it was at nose height for a deer then and didn’t last a week.
I have nottingham and royal on pear from some sort of pear that came from one of the big nurseries. I’m pretty sure the nottingham is getting shorter and destined to fail. My best grafts are those I did myself - mostly on hawthorne and quince, but S aucuparia and aronia too. (S americana just laughed at anything “european” I grafted to it and then died itself.)
What I believe to be Apyrenia has formed a nice looking bush, not as tall, but no flowers yet that I’ve seen.
What I believe to be Sussmispel seems to be the most vigorous of my grafts on any rootstock, but again, only one flower at perfect deer munching height so far. The Royal is trying to catch up, but I’m not sure pear was a good choice, so I’m glad it wasn’t me who made it.
I’ve tried to graft assorted others onto low branches, but scion tended to be less than pristine by the time I tried and the branches that first appeared to have accepted the grafts later seemed to be self-pruned back to the trunk. I’ll keep trying as I’d love one tree with several varieties. I’m not so sure they like to share.
Cliff England has quite a few unique ones on his farms and his website said he was taking orders for grafts to be picked up in the fall for those who live close enough to Kentucky to pick them up. (He still mails scion, but not trees.)
For a totally pests and diseases-free and requiring no care whatsoever, consistent fruit bearers, the medlars do have place in my garden.
Not on top of the fruit I’d first reach to (based, mainly, on habit and appearance), but the taste of the seedless, which I have fruiting so far, is quite satisfactory to make me want to add another variety, too,
Mine is only maintaining a place in the yard due to my wife liking the flowers. I have not had any issues with rust or FB, but if they show up mine might be a goner.
The fruit is tasty, but small and seedy. I think its Royal, but i could be mistaken.
I took my medlars out maybe a dozen years ago.