Anyone used Asian pear seedlings as rootstock? Or come across any studies where they were compared with other (standard) rootstocks people use commercially? I grew out a seed from a pretty good store bought Asian pear and they seem to like clay soil fine and grow pretty fast. Probably FB susceptible and not super Winter hardy, but it survived this one without any issues.
I’m using OHxF 333. Haven’t had it long enough to see how good it is in my location.
According to OneGreenWorld:
OHxF 333 is a semi-dwarfing pear rootstock, producing trees 12-16 feet tall. Resistant to fireblight, collar rot, woolly pear aphids and pear decline making it a very versatile rootstock. Precocious and well-anchored. Compatible with all pear varieties.
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The first tree on that chart has malus. Maybe I’m wrong, but isn’t that apple?
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We are supposed to go get some Sand Pear{ Pyrus pyrifolia} from my wife’s home place to graft on my remaining pear rootstock. They are fairly common at old homesteads and at least tolerate extreme fireblight pressure very well.
I wonder why people do not use them over Callery. They do not break in winds and do not sucker ferociously. Seeds for seedlings are available and cheap.
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Pear to malus is not recommended. When successful pear is usually short lived.
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After our conversation I noticed there was some leftover pear scion in the fridge. Since it did so well on your ash I figured I’d experiment on some service berry. It’s on the first tree in the chart above. Should be interesting. I did six grafts (3 euro and 3 asian). The berries always get rust anyways.
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I need to go see if the pear on Aronia at the park is still alive this year. It was being smothered by some type of vine and competing with a ton of weeds. Nursed it back to health and stuck a piece of pear on the end of one of the branches. Looked silly, but I don’t think anyone else noticed. The park one probably flowered and set fruit now that the one in my yard was finally old enough to set two clusters that look like they’re sticking.
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i have serviceberry as well. was thinking of trying it but as its more of a bush than a tree here, i didnt think it could keep up with the pear long term. let us know how it works out.
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@dannytoro1, What is sand pear (Pyrus pyrifolia)? Are you meaning something different from typical Asian pear? I looked it up but what I saw just makes it sound like Asian pear.
All my Asian pears are super susceptible to whatever fireblight strain is in my area. Even those that are supposed to be resistant (Korean Giant) seem to get it.
@Robert How do you chainsaw 20’ in the air? I’m sure my question sounds dumb - but I really mean it.
I have no intention of getting on a ladder with a chainsaw ever. So I hope that’s not the answer.
On very large trees, or trees near large trees, I can climb them and get above the branches I intend to cut (I climb using a harness for treework and an arborist taught me. I don’t just get into the tree with a chainsaw. Just in case anyone is reading this and thinking of doing that). However, many of my pears are tall and thin and I really don’t have a good way of climbing them.
I have scaffolding but it’s hard to get into the canopy, not great for uneven ground, and a pain to set up and take down (though I did it last year for a large tree I wanted to work on).
I have a pole saw with a chain saw thing on the end. But it’s not really long enough to do a good job at 20ft and if it got much longer it’d be hard to control.
The undomesticated (wild) version
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I have an extendable pruner with a saw blade on the backside that I try to use. I do occasionally have to use the chainsaw though. When I put the ladder up I use a ratchet strap to strap it to the tree at the top to make sure it can’t move and climb on up. The trees are thick, so the ladder is not going anywhere. Don’t like doing it, but there are not a lot of other options.
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Sand pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) in the wild form. Not like the big domesticated round Asian pear.
Brought over in the 1800’s and popularized in the South as a tough resistant plant. With a pear many disregard as too small, too hard and gritty.
Wild Pyrus pyrifolia as was used to breed many resistant hybrids over the years. {LeConte for example}
Despite it’s characteristics many Southerners adore it for canning.
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Well after about six grafts, it looks like pear does not graft to serviceberry that well. 0 Takes.
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just discovered a 15ft. harbin pear growing from under my big black spruce. i took the clippers and cleared away all the spruce limbs and chokecherry growing around it as well as a forming prune. ill be grafting housi pear to it next year and hopefully removing the spruce.
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15 foot you can get 2-3 varieties on that. Hosui is known for FB.
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ill probably throw on a few euro pears on it also for good measure. F.B is rare here.