Found Shinko Asian pear at Kroger for $20 is it worth growing in Kentucky and is it self pollinating?
For what itās worth, Iāve had one in ground in Rockcastle County for a few years. No fruit yetābut thatās not its fault; itās the late freezes. Despite the uncooperative Kentucky weather, it shows signs of precocity: it just loves making spurs. It might just be my particular growing conditions, but itās the smallest, slowest growing Asian pear weāve gotāand this does jibe with this South Carolina study which found it āthe least vigorousā of seven cultivars trialed in that state on P. betulifolia stock (mine, if Iām remembering aright, is on OHXF 87). Along with āOlympicā/āLarge Korean,ā it has a reputation as being one of the most fire blight-resistant Asian cultivars; Iāve yet to see a strike on mine. (It was the most resistant cultivar in the SC study.)
No pear, as far as Iām aware, is strongly self-fertileā¦ Any pear (with non-sterile pollen) that blooms at the same time should pollinate it. Orange Pippin Fruit Trees lists many (but by no means all, as their pollination compatibility lists are limited to their catalog) compatible pollenizers here. Even nearby ornamental callery pears, if bloom time overlaps, should do the trick.
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Iāve had it for years, down here in Hoptown; one of the first Asian pears that I planted 25 yrs ago.
Iād lost it to the tennis court we put in in the early 2000s, but a friend sent me a replacement on Callery rootstock - from scions Iād sent him a year or two earlierā¦ has grown like a rocket, on callery - was slower growing on the original Harbin pear understock.
Big, tasty pears, Latest-ripening Asian pear that I have, very productive. For 20 bucksā¦ you canāt hardly go wrong with it. Self-pollinatingā¦ IDKā¦ but I have numerous other pears. You could always graft in a branch or two of a suitable pollenizer, if you only have room for one.
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I like it. There is some information about my experiences with it at the end of this thread.
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Shinko has a strong flavor- more intense than most. A light brown skin- not a very large fruit, but I like it.
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Thanks for the responses for a six foot tree for $20 bucks I think Iām going to give it a go.
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Shinko is the largest-fruited Asian Pear I have grown - except for Korean Giant, which never set more than one or two fruits per yearā¦ so those would be huge, juicy, flavorless thingsā¦ like eating a raw watery potato. Iād guess that most of my Shinko pears last year averaged no less than 4" diameterā¦ some larger.
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I think theyāre fantastic. One of the only Asian pears Iāve eaten & off a tree at Red Fern Farm in Wapello, Iowa. Here I am holding (3) of them. My hand is 7" long and skinny fingers, not a large hand.
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recommended in this Kentucky guide
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I ripened Shinko in zone 4b Maine for the first time this year. Itās late but not too late and the flavor is top notch. We enjoyed a few in the orchard and my friend said it was the best pear sheād ever had! Nice butterscotch flavor with a sweetness and touch of acidity to keep things interesting. Attractive smooth russet skin. Winner!
Sounds awesome, mine has been growing like a weed straight to the moon. Iāve also grafted other varieties to it. It set fruits this year but they were deformed either due to PC damage or cedar apple rust.
Looks nice Iām betting you donāt have to spray with anything? PC is bad down here Iāve even seen them on my persimmon fruits but no damage to them just seemed to be attracted to them.
I have a Shinko, planted in 2020. It had its first fruit this year, and my nephew got it. He said it was juicy and delicious. That is welcome news because from what I have read about Shinko, it produces excellent fruit under some growing conditions, and āmehā fruit in others.
Shinko flowered heavily this year, but the only nearby Asian (Korean Giant) only had a few blossoms, so I think I otherwise would have had more fruit. Below is the lone Shinko fruit as of the first week of August:
Shinko has a nice, more spreading habit with better natural branch angles than my other pears. The foliage is also prettier, with particularly dark green leaves. It is reported to have the best blight resistance of any Asian pear, and I am happy that I planted it. I have never had to spray it.
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That looks amazing
How is the fire blight resistance in shinko?
Itās supposed to be the best.
Fire blight resistant according to the literature, I didnāt spray and some fruit came out clean while others were misshapen due to possible pc stings but still totally edible
I like Shinko. It is my latest pear. On callery, here, it is very fastigiateā¦15+ ft. tall but well under 10 ft. wideā¦ a straight-up beanpole. No FB, but itās late enough ripening that wasps, hornets are a major issue, damaging far more fruits and initiating rot than they eat .
Butā¦in my orchard, Chojuro is still tops for flavor.
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