Tony,
Do you have to spray any? I’ve planted Several Asian pear but they are a few years out from producing. Yours look amazing. I’ve been following your posts on pawpaws. Very informative.
I don’t spray them. There are some pest bite marks but the pear fruits grow will crush the eggs.
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Do not know if this is true, going back to years ago, during my Nafex days, that if you spray Asian pears just one time you will always have spray them. Don’t know if it only pertain to diseases.
Thanks Tony! I’m excited to see what these trees do in the next few years.
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Does anyone have a recommendation for a good Asian Pear for the Mid-Atlantic / Southeast?
I’ve never grown one. And we’ve never had a successful pear. The two pears that I have now are European. I bought them ‘on a lark’ without doing any research . . . Bartlett and Anjou. Both have fireblight and what appears to be ‘deer blight’ - all the new growth gone, mysteriously.
I’d like to get an Asian pear and plant it in an area of my yard where the deer do not go.
My idea is to get it growing and established - and then learn to graft other fireblight resistant pears to it.
I think that I’ll have a better chance with an Asian - than the Europeans. ?
I’ve tasted most of the Asian pear cultivars grown in the US. Daisui Li is the best, and it’s not even close. It’s a cross between Kikusui and Tsu Li Asian pears.
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YMMV. Chojuro is the favorite, here.
Have Dasui Li out there in the orchard, somewhere, but hooved rats ate the ID tags years ago, so I don’t know which tree it is…but here, whichever it is, its not as good as Chojuro.
I frequently see rave reviews for Don Bae/Korean Giant… it was a dog here, both times I grew it…set very few fruit…they were big, tasteless, but very juicy. Then fireblight ate them.
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I will absolutely have to choose a fireblight resistant variety. It’s rampant here - I found that out the hard way with my new trees.
And I guess it depends on ‘location’ when it comes to which pear tastes best. I will look at these varieties that you and @castanea mentioned.
Thanks.
I like the “sui’s” the most: Kosui, Shinsui, Hosui. They are somewhat similar: medium-sized round and speckled. Chojuro is also very good. Korean Giant has not been as good for me so far either, not as flavorful. But I still am keeping the tree to see if it matures into something more tasty. Oh, Drippin’ Honey is also looking to be a good one for me. It took a few years to get good fruits but they are very tasty now. All these varieties are super reliable in terms of production except for Hosui which some years does not set well.
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I like Ya Li, too. It’s probably my #2, behind Chojuro, a little ahead of Hosui. Ya Li is the latest ripening Asian pear in my orchard.
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I like Yali too, do you have an early blooming pear as Yali’s pollinator? thanks
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Early on I bought a few Asian pears at our local stores and they seemed bland tasting and watered down. Because of those opinions formed early I only marginally explored planting them. My first to fruit was an unknown Asian and I thought it was okay but nothing special. Later I added Korean Giant and it was a total turn around. My family and I loved it and the few that I gave away also got great reviews. Just added Dripping Honey and I’m pretty sure based on it’s reputation that it will be outstanding. I agree with others that location can influence the taste. Korean Giant in my area has always had a few early to ripen but most stays on the tree for later picking. So nice to get a few that sweetens up early.
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I see no one put in a bid for shinseiki. Pure sugar in my opinion and trouble free. A little north of you, but asian pears have been pretty bulletproof here. Not deer proof though.
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Squirrels think Asian pears are the best too… no Raja, Shinko, Shinsui or Korean Giant left for me this year! 
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Sorry to hear that. Are you sure it’s only a squirrels’job? Often, they have accomplices like groundhogs, opossums, raccoons, etc.
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I saw three of them running back into my neighbor’s yard as soon as they saw me, but it could also be any of the ones that you mentioned. There’s a plum tree that they completely ignored next to them!
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My squirrels have cleared all my Chojuros for the last several years in a row. This year for some reason they got excited by Fondante des Moulins-Lille and cleared them all a few days ago. No idea why, they are not ripe at all.
There are too many squirrels here this year, I’m trapping a ton and still having problems. Also I have a groundhog to add to the misery. I can see what it is on by the broken branches.
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The saddest part is not just the fruit that they took, but I also had a few grafts that were looking beautiful that they destroyed trying to reach the unripe fruits. Now I have to figure out how to protect grafts from them too!
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It’s been a dry hot year for me so far, maybe that is somehow worsening the problem.
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We have had a groundhog, too. First time. But, he apparently didn’t like what I was growing . . . . and left for someone else’s property!
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