I sure wish I could Clark but yet again no bloom. It is really hard to no what is going on for sure. This pear is weird in that it leafs out early and quickly acting like it has no problems with chill time but no flowers. I think the tree is give or take 8 to 9 years old now and nothing nada. We have had no chill in Dallas the last three years basically and it is really taking its toll on my pears for sure. Very little time in the chill hour range at all. The only tree that seems to be doing well is Dabney. It fruited last year nicely but the squrells ate them all before I could deal with them. It is blooming nicely now and if it fruits this year I will be ready. Hosui is blooming a little but very slowly and lethargic. Maybe one or two clusters on Tennosui and Magness. Nothing on Blakes Pride yet at all. Another dud year for pears it looks like.
Here’s a quick shot of Spadona in a 15 gal on OHxF333 via Arboreum (~ 5 years since I received it). It was in the ground for 4 years until I pulled it when I moved last year. We received roughly 450 hours of chill here in Phoenix (Scottsdale) this year and it’s flowered for the third time.
I’m sorry to hear that I was thinking it might be worth trying. Sounds like the pears are giving you a difficult time lately. Chill hours are something we normally don’t think about but I can see we should not take our cold weather for granted.
Mine is on Calleryana I know for sure because I grafted it myself. Perhaps the 333 is making it more precocius. I grafted it when I lived in the Austin area and 333 didn’t do well there at all. The way Spadona leafs out very quickly seems to indicate it is very low chilling for sure. Don’t know why it wont settle down and bloom. Let us know how yours does.
Yes they have been tough to grow in Dallas. I don’t get ideal sun in my small yard and like I say the strange lack of chill the last few years has been a bummer. Oh well, I still have some pretty cool stone fruit and lots of other gardening ventures to keep me busy. I am exited about Dabney, I think it may prove to be a really great variety here!
I don’t think it’s chill. We get a lot less chill than you guys in Dallas. Sometimes as little as 300 hours. It’s either rootstock or springtime environmental conditions that are likely dictating whether or not Spadona blooms. The pear is grown in Israel as well as Italy and likely prefers either more arid conditions or warmer springs.
Nope your absolutely right. It is not chill related for sure. It is one of the trees that gets good sun also. Not sure what has this oneageing behind. I’m thinking of researching trunk scoring to see if that might get it going.
333 is not a fast grower at my location so far but it makes trees fruit fast! The 333 pears I bought that were grafted and 4’ tall are going to produce pears in the 3rd year. So they were 2 years old when I bought them and 1 year after i planted them they bloomed.
No luck again in Dallas. This tree is ten years old or older and to my recollection it has never bloomed. It may be in a bad spot or the total lack of Winters may be affecting it. So don’t put too much credence into what I’m saying but for me it has been a real dog.
Sorry to here that Drew. Thank you for the information. Unfortunately 10-15 years sounds about like the normal time it takes to fruit for many of the types I grow. I know it’s a long time which is why they say pears for our heirs and there is truth to that. Think going forward I will not plant any more BET or callery after this year and stick to ohxf333 for the reason your pear is taking its time. Pears are the slowest of all fruit to produce and many times when they start producing they are a let down. My clapps favorite took the full 12-15 years it takes sometimes. I’m growing another now after having lost the first to fireblight and it’s taking the full amount of time also. I started planting clapps in my early 20’s so you can easily say it’s been growing over half my lifetime. It’s scary to think some of my pears are older than some forum members. One of my pears I planted 23 years ago which is called red blushing Bartlett. My fireblight susceptible types I’m going to start growing a single branch of only on a multigraft tree. I made a backup of clapps years ago. For those wanting a fast pear on BET or callery rootstock they should stick with Harrow sweet. Everyone talks of bending branches etc. but those tricks don’t get every pear to produce until the pear is ready.
Had 3 fruit last year with roughly 500 chill hours on OHxF333. Took 4 years. It is self fertile. The fruit quality was lousy – small and tasteless likely since it developed during our 110+ degree summer and the age of the tree.
Finally had flowers on my Spadona Di Salerno. I know its not much but the BET rootstock pushed some fruit. I’m really liking these rootstocks. The problem is they have a tendency to blow my grafts out. These tags girdle which is fine the rootstock grows to fast to use them as is. Once I taste these I will k ow what I’m getting into.
Need to look at Spadona Di Salerno again. Like i said BET rootstock literally blow my grafts out sometimes they grow so fast. Will try to stay on top of them this year and slow them down. These slower growing pears hate these rootstocks.
