If you only need a dozen, look in disturbed fields or roadsides near cities…
you’ll find lots of pear rootstocks for the taking. Callery.
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Agree. The price is only the value you put on your time.
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Thought about it, but without the flowers it takes longer to find them. Plus I think I might be a little lazy.
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I understand…a couple Sunday’s ago I observed about 5 acres of them and blackberries in a field near a grocery store in Madison County KY. At that date/stage they started to leaf, and ID-ing them no problem. (But I didn’t get the shovel and dig any).
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When my health is good and I’m up to it that’s the same as paying me $500+ for 2 hours. Think everyone must have more money than me to turn down $250 an hour. In Kansas that’s how things work if i’m feeling healthy i go do that stuff. This country has so many oppurtunities like that. A sharp shooter all steel shovel and a day of your time you could make a $1000 with a $60 investment in a good shovel. 4 hours a day of orchard work requires a rest and a tylenol but the strength comes over time. If your really strong triple that $1000! Where else can you do that? Would any member of this site not buy rootstock? There are times when we have not been able to find rootstock like when Oregon quarantined over the virus. An industrius person can have a pear orchard like mine or better for their labor in this country. The first year you sell rootstocks and even plant them for people the next year you buy the land with the profits and plant your own. Everyone wins when youth and strength is on our side. Many of us got started just that way with hard work looking back I don’t regret it. Will also mention it’s not easy and I still respect those who don’t want to succeed like that. A good mechanic or electrician or plumber or carpenter can make just as much. There is something about fresh air and choosing our own hours that’s appealing.
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I spotted a couple piles of them myself, but feel a little sketchy about digging on land that is not mine. Unfortunately I do not have any near my land and they always pop up in the open where everyone can see you.
Public street/roadsides are a good option…I don’t mind if someone sees me…I collect rocks that fall from cliffs quite often.
The only illegal thing I believe is digging in the cut of a road for mining coal…at least in KY that gets you in trouble…so I am told.
I see. Given callery, betulifolia, harbin, pyrifolia (asian pear) are all from east asia, it seems likely they’re all more genetically related (and therefore perhaps more compatible with each other) than with communis (euro pears).
When the graft fails, I’m thinking it could be because under times of existential stress, the rootstock and scion could not agree on the same survival strategy. E.g. One wants to go left while the other wants to go right.
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I’m reading about callery/bradford pears and most media from goverment / educational domain denounce these trees as invasive and even provide public technical strategies to terminate the trees.
It would seems you’d be doing the public domain a favor using the callery tree as rootstock. Assuming you would graft onto the callery and never allow the rootstock to flower, you’re effectively neutering it and stopping its propagation.
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