I am a little cramped for space and have some ohxf 87 on the way this spring. It seems like pears grow pretty vertical, how wide will these get in the next ten years?
2 Likes
I ordered 100 87 and 100 333. I would be also interested to hear about experience with close spacing.
3 Likes
Lol, I ordered four… you are working on a slightly larger project than I am
3 Likes
I space my pears on OHxF97 about 25’ apart. I want plenty of space for the long term (generations?) and am growing at least as much for wildlife as I am for humans.
3 Likes
87 is a fairly vigorous rootstock and you also need to consider the vigor of the variety. My pears are all on 333 and even with judicious pruning after 20 years the varietal influence is pronounced.
I would not go closer than 25 ft on 87 as a general statement. If you were only going to plant Seckle or Harrow Sweet I would be comfortable at 18-20 foot spacing on 87.
Honestly, unless you are running a commercial operation and fruit size is important (that is the knock on 333 with some varieties) or you are planting Asians(tend to need vigorous rootstocks,unless, and think about it, fireblight is a big concern, then low vigor may be advantageous.) , I would not touch 87.
FYI, OHxF 282, 512, 333 are fairly similar.
1 Like