Hello all you genius fruit growers. I’m looking for some advice on planting/growing pears. I have to trees coming this spring: Harrow Delight and Harrow Sweet on OHxF 87 rootstock. I have become fascinated with the concept of higher density apple planting, merely from the standpoint that I can grow more varieties in a smaller space. So, naturally, I begin to wonder if I can do the same thing with pears.
I haven’t been able to find as much info on doing that compared to apples. While I am not going for a “tall spindle” type pear tree. I do wonder if I could plant them as close as 8’ apart and manage them in the “vertical axis” style. I would leave a bottom set of scaffolds and practice renewel pruning on the top half of the tree. I probably have room for four total trees (two this year, two next year).
Anyone doing anything similar with their pears? Will they become too difficult to manage that close on that rootstock?
Thanks all!
I am not doing high-density planting with pears, but another way to have multiple varieties in a small space is to multigraft different varieties to one rootstock. I started with one variety to one rootstock, but over time that has expanded to ~12 varieties on 3 semi-dwarf rootstocks. If one of the varieties does not meet your satisfaction- cut it off and try a new variety. The only downside to this method is that you have to be diligent labeling your branches.
I’ve never grafted anything before, but that might be something I should consider.
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Grafting pears is a great place to get started. They are considered the easiest, most forgiving.
Once you get your scions lined up there are plenty of people here who will be glad to walk you through the steps, and there’s lots of excellent discussion here as well. Go for it.
So High density plantings are done with dwarfing root stocks. The roots underground spread out nearly as wide as the canopy of the tree. So if a tree will get to be 14" around then the roots will spread nearly 14".
Pears are huge trees, A standard Apple tree will grow to around 20ft, a standard sweet cherry 40 but pears 40-50 maybe even taller with Betuifolia as the root stock.
When it comes to pears there are a lot fewer options for dwarfing root stocks. OHx87 is a semi dwarfing root stock 61-70% of standard. Oh333 50%-70%. There pyrodwarf at 50%-70%
Those newer root stocks would be for medium density plantings.
Many pears are however compatible with Quince as a root stock. which produces frees 40-60% of standard.
There is also the option of using an apple root stock with a specific apple cultivar (Winter Banana) between the apple roots and pear graft.
Oh87 will likely be better as a stand alone multi graft host then density planting.
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Thank you for the insight! I read through some articles and power point presentations from folks in New York and Pennsylvania who planted OHxF 87 pears in a 6x14 spacing with success. It sounded like root competition at the tight spacing had an additional dwarfing effect on the trees. At ultra tight spacings they did observe smaller fruit size than on wider spacing. Not sure how applicable any of that information would be to me in my backyard though..
The idea of a multi-grafted pear tree is interesting as others had mentioned as well.
100% would do multi-graft vs individual trees. Apple rootstocks are now down to the point a dwarfing rootstock can easily be maintained under 10 feet tall. Pear simply does not have ultra-dwarfing rootstocks… yet. It is very easy to roll with this by simply grafting more varieties on a single rootstock.
I’m in a different set of circumstances with as much space to plant pear trees as I care to clear. I am currently cutting large trees off of about an acre with the intent of planting pear trees on 25 foot spacing in triangle pattern. I am not multi-grafting trees but may do a couple this year. Why? I’m looking to do some specific crosses. I would love to cross Warren with a couple of other specific varieties such as Bell and Kalle. Then I have Cabot Vermont which is double flowered. I’d love to move the double flowered trait into a more disease resistant and better flavored variety.
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I’m sure those research plantations also had the tools to analyze soil and are able to input nutrients the trees might be competing for.
The irony is plant stress can produced sweeter fruit. a stressed tree will often flower and produce fruit in desperate hope of reproduce before dying. So coming up with creative tree torture has been long practiced.
There is a reason there so many potted figs out there.
I did not know that about stressed trees! I had the same though regarding the inputs they are able to offer the trees. I certainly wouldn’t maintain them the same way a research/commercial orchard would.