Just depends on the strain of fireblight i think. Here harrow sweet has done fine so far but other places have problems. Its on probation here for now. I grow a couple of trees only due to the same reasons you mentioned about concern of disease @hambone. If you taste the pear you will see why you should try one anyway.
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I’m north of most folks, so the 65 and 65 thingy at bloom is not common here (PEI).
Having said that, I have 30+ year old pears with no fireblight. They are Minie, Menie, Patten and Bosc.
There are two Abate Fetel seedlings, 3rd leaf, and a Bosc seedling about 10th leaf, so far also without fireblight. I have 15 year old Red Clapp, free of FB too…so location matters, grin.
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Yes you really have the fireblight bacteria at a disadvantage there. It does not like the cold one bit. Like i said previously its only active in growing tissue. If does not always wait for 65/65 conditions but generally in its ideal world those are its preference. I would not graft a lot of new wood because remember there are many strains of fireblight. Honeybees start flying at 50 degrees so you have the upper hand for sure.
Our ‘Honeysweet’ pear has got fireblight for the first time ever, it’s resistant against it, the tree appears to be getting the blight from the leaves as insects chew on the leaves, if the leaves have more than a tiny bit of blight infection then it spreads to the tree, that happens slowly. It’s in it’s 6th season.
Our OHxF 87 root stocks, the leaves are way more resistant against fireblight yet some of the leaves are getting it as well, yet the OHxF 87 trees themselves do seem immune from the disease, there was a whole cluster of leaves on one of the OHxF 87 root stocks, that were all infected with fire blight, yet no fire blight in the tree it’s self. So I am wondering if anyone on here knows of any pear variety/anything related to pear that appears to have an immunity to blight that prevents the leaves from getting infected.
By the way our neighbor does have a huge flowering pear, probably a Bradford since they are so common here.
PS:
The OHxF 87 root stocks did not flower yet.
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In the next year or two… I plan to try starting at least a couple pear trees again…
At my current location, I have started 6 varieties of Pear… and they all died of FB… + 2 apples died of FB. I had a actively growing and huge bloomer (bradford pear) near by… which is going to be cut down, removed completely this fall, or early winter. I hope that helps with my FB issue.
At the location where we will be building a new home… no bradford pears (nearby)… a neighbor across a big hollow 1/2 mile or so, has a bunch of douglas pears… I hope they don’t haunt me.
Anyway… with my past of FB… I want to try Pear varieties with the most Resistance to FB… getting one to live and produce is the main objective… fruit quality would be nice, but living and producing first.
I started to plant some a couple years ago, down a ridge from my home, in a separate location… but I never got that project done… (planted something like 9 fruit trees that spring, and 24+ berry bushes). Just got too busy.
The varieties I had selected to try are…
MoonGlow – Univ Tenn website shows moderately resistant to FB
Seckel… again Univ Tenn website… MR to FB.
Blakes Pride – not mentioned on UT Site… but in OGW catalog… they say FB resistant
One other variety mentioned in my 2020 OGW catalog… Surecrop.— and positives mentioned resembles bartlet in flavor, consistent bearer, “prolonged progressive blooming - ideal for late frost areas” and very FB resistant.
I also plan to learn grafting this fall/winter… and get some FB resistant rootstock and graft some (old home site pear scionwood) myself. I expect these may be Kieffer Pears… They make great pear preserves. I know where 2-3 are that I can collect scionwood from.
I do have aweful late frost issues, so that Surecrop, with the prolonged bloom has my attention.
Anyone here tried that variety ?
Anyone here have serious FB pressure, and have has success with Pear varieties ? I would appreciate hearing about it.
Thanks
TNHunter
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What pear varieties did you lose to FB? Do you have a slope to avoid some late frosts?
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My last attempt was back around 2014… and the varieties I can remember trying include bartlet and andjou ? There were others… I might be able to recall if they still carry them. I will check their website when I get a chance.
My orchard is on a ridge top… slight slope to south east… with deep hollows nearby. From my ridge top orchard you can go 100 yards north or east and drop 150 ft in elevation.
TNHunter
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You could grow a base of these to have a good FB resistant tree that you could use for processing and then frankengraft some things onto them.
Moonglow has been a FB magnet for me. If you aren’t in a rush for pears, you could get Warren instead.
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I have observed Orient for over 40 years and it has had good resistance to FB.
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Is there a specific root stock that you would recommend for me to graft… these (possible kieffer pear scionwood to)… especially considering FB. I could grow full size trees… if that will help… but would rather not… 15-20 ft tall would be preferred.
And… if I collect scionwood from two different Kieffer trees… and successfully graft…
They will pollinate each other ?
Thanks
TNHunter
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I use ohxf 87 or 97 here with good luck (to handle droughts and my desire to not water ever). Some people use callery with good results. Kieffer is self fertile supposedly, but idk as I have other pears around.
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We rented a place back around 2000… for a year while we built a new home…
It had a very nice (I suspect kieffer pear) in the back yard. Single tree and I saw no others near by. It set a very nice crop of pears that year. We ate several fresh and made lots of pear preserves… which were wonderful.
I plan to collect some scionwood from that tree.
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Bartlett and Anjou are blight magnets here, just out of the question here without heroic efforts.
I grow Potomac, Blakes Pride, Harrow Sweet, Warren, Magness, Vavilov, Improved Kieffer and Korean Giant. No blight problems but only around 7 years experience with these pears. We’re overdue for a blight perfect storm year.
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I would add a couple of grafts of Orient to help with pollination. At my place the bloom time is almost exactly the same time.
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That sounds ideal… thanks @Auburn.
I still have trouble considering all the possibilities with grafting. It is going to make so much… much easier.
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Pear pollination is not a problem in most areas due to wild callery flowering pears naturilizing in many states.
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This year I have grafted on 3 ‘Shinko’, as well as 3 ‘Shinsui’ even though no flowers yet ‘of course’, a few leaves of just one ‘Shinko’ graft has fireblight on them, yet it’s not spreading, I will be cutting those leaves off soon, just in case. No sign of fireblight on any of the other cuttings.
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Do you know if any these varieties have any appreciable amount of tannin? Are any used for perry?
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I’ve just ordered Warren pear from Tree of Antiquity, hoping to graft other Asian pears to this one.
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