Pear buds, blossoms, and fruit 2017

Here comes the 2018 red Bartlett pear harvest! Started out today with 5 gallons and many more left to pick! These are sugary sweet delicious pears!

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These are my first housi pears. Not quite ripe yet but they look promising. I tried one last night that had split and the skin was still thick but the flesh was a little juicy.

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Nice! How old is the tree?

I planted it in 2015. It has been a solid grower. This past spring I grafted Korean Giant onto it. I wish I knew about this forum before I planted the majority of my trees because it seems the reviews for Housi are only average. I would have planted a Korean Giant or Drippin Honey and grafted Housi on to one of them.

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This is supposed to be New century pear from Stark Bros. It does not look like the pictures I’ve seen.

So far it seems Stark Bro. has sent me 3 mislabeled trees.

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Today,I noticed there were a couple of flowers on a Winter Nelis graft. Brady

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The good news is that New Century (Shinseiki) is easy to graft, in my experience. You could try to get some scion wood for next spring and add it to your tree. I’ve had Shinseiki grafts bear fruit after one year. Asian pears in general seem to be very easy to graft. Burnt Ridge should have Asian pear scion wood for sale this fall.
The pear pictured above seems to be a nice euro, maybe a Starking Delicious, but definitely not a New Century.

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My last two pears off my tree today. Second year producing with twice as many pears this year as last.

And I have big hands!!!

Katy

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Very happy with the fruits of the 2018 harvest so far Here comes the 2018 apple & pear harvest!

A friend @39thparallel asked for help identifying some Asian pears so the best source I found is Starks for descriptions. @39thparallel orchard is one of the best sources for scion wood and trees I’ve seen. He is meticulous with tree identification. We use our own knowledge to fill in the gaps because some pears such as hosui and chojuro are the same color and size in his orchard. The only difference is the butterscotch flavor of chojuro and the rough texture of hosui. Most pear growers have 1 or two trees like this that make is scratch our heads because we cannot identify them easily. The pictures and descriptions below are not mine they belong to Starks.


Chojuro-

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Keeps for up to 20 weeks. A popular variety known for its butterscotch flavor. Green- to yellow-brown russeted skin surrounds crisp, juicy, flavorful white flesh. Similar to grocery store Asian pears, but homegrown tastes so much better! Pick when first yellow-brown in color (ripens after New Century variety). Originates from Japan in 1895. Ripens in late August. Pollinator required: Choose another pear variety, like New Century, Hosui, or Bartlett.
20th Century-

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A beautiful and productive tree. This pear features a sweet flavor that makes it ideal for salads and snacks. Fruit is round, but sometimes lopsided, with a long stem. Thin, bright-yellow skin surrounds cream-colored, crisp, juicy flesh. Similar to grocery store Asian pears, but homegrown tastes better! Picks earlier than Chojuro variety. Tree is heat- and cold-tolerant. Originates from Japan in 1945. Ripens in late August. Best pollinators: Starking® Hardy Giant™ or Hosui.
Hosui

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Snappy, tangy taste. Produces excellent-quality fruit with a slightly higher acid content than other Asian pears. Tree is moderately vigorous with a slightly spreading nature. Fruit is sweet like a pear and crisp like an apple with lots of juice. Medium to large size fruit has an attractive golden-russet skin. Best for fresh-eating but also makes great pies! Introduced from Japan in the 1970s. Heat-tolerant. Ripens in late August. Self-pollinating, but will yield larger crops when pollinated with another variety like New Century.
Korean Giant

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Bears large pears! This easy-to-grow tree produces an irresistibly sweet, crisp and juicy fruit. Fruit weighs approximately 12 to 15 ounces! Stores up to nine months in proper refrigeration. Resistant to pear leaf spot. Cold-hardy. Originates from Korea in 1969. Ripens in mid September. Pollinator required: Choose another pear variety, like Hosui, New Century, or Bartlett.

Declared the favorite fruit of Stark Bro’s President, and chosen as one of our Stark Picks, you’ll find the Starking® Hardy Giant Asian Pear is one of the easiest fruit trees you can grow. Disease-resistance and hardiness to zone 4 make this particular tree a reliable choice for your home orchard.“

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Huge amount of improved kieffer today! I picked a total of 7 five gallon buckets! These pears don’t produce as quick as some but once they go into production they are consistently producing a couple of 5 gallon buckets of pears per tree and I have 5 trees of them. These are a staple pear here. I’m nearly caught up with my summer pear harvest.

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Are you selling them to the grocery store?

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Not this year Tony there is just enough for me and my family & close friends. New trees are in production now so next year will be bigger if everything else remains the same. Grocery stores should get some pears next year.

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Great harvest in 2018 Here comes the 2018 apple & pear harvest!

Next years pear crop looks promising!

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Unlike most of my pear fruit buds Harrow Sweet sets a bud that is difficult for me to determine if it is for fruit or leaf. They have some large buds and some that are small but both create flowers. Am I missing a clue?

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@Auburn
Bill,
If you look closely at these small buds they are all fruit buds on this harrow sweet.


If you look closely at these photos only the top buds are fruit buds


Once they get spur growth like this as the wood ages it’s easier to tell

As pears age it’s easier to tell even from a distance they are producing Like this one

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Clark,

Do you still have anymore pear in your storage? My Yali are still kicking strong.

Tony

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Just have canned pears left now Tony.

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I have a few dozens of KG left. I have been eating 3 a day. This is after giving lots of them away.

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I did not get to grow these but my wife ordered them for me as a surprise, looking forward to trying them

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