| Author | Content |
Sharran
Calvert City, KY
(Zone 6b)
March 19, 2008
04:20 PM Post #4683297
| Now I wish I had a pear tree.
thank you, Cath. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
March 19, 2008
05:43 PM Post #4683559
| And you could get a partridge to go with it...grin |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
March 19, 2008
08:20 PM Post #4684163
| My two pears Moonglow and Starking Delicious have only borne 1 pear in their first 8 years while the one [Honeysweet self pollenizing] I set out at my daughter's bore nicely after about 4 years! |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
March 19, 2008
08:37 PM Post #4684252
| Sounds like you need an additional pollinator to get them bearing. |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
March 19, 2008
09:08 PM Post #4684394
| Well, last year they got frozen and previous years they have not flowered all that much like the Honeysweet. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
March 19, 2008
10:48 PM Post #4684995
| I'm not familiar with those particular varieties, so I'm not sure what to tell you. I did a google search and they both need another pear tree to cross pollinate. Are you getting a lot of blossoms on them? |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
March 20, 2008
02:33 PM Post #4687245
| I have not gotten as many blossoms so far, but the trees are large enough with enough spurs to come through any time now. They are planted fairly near each other plus there is an old Keifer in the area.
The Honeysweet produces about 60 pears.
I took out a "Summer Seckel" that only produced one pear after several years. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
March 20, 2008
06:09 PM Post #4687923
| I think that's very unusual. You might want to contact your county extension agent and have he/her have a look. I have 1 Seckel (a standard that was suppose to be a semi-dwarf), and 2 dwarf Boscs. They are mature trees, must be 15 year old at least, I'd have to look up my paperwork. We're averaging about 10-12 bushels of pears per tree every year. I regularly add compost around the drip line and keep white clover planted under the trees to increase bee pollination. But you should be getting more blossom than that at this point. They take about 3-4 years to mature, but sounds like yours are, so there's something else going on there that's affecting your production. |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
March 20, 2008
06:21 PM Post #4687958
| I've seen the old Keifer put out a lot of pears. I have heard the probverb that pears are planted for the next generation.
The two trees seemed to have gotten set back by 2-4-D drift from a field about 50 feet away in 2000. They look healthy nowadays. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
March 20, 2008
06:24 PM Post #4687969
| Oh my, that's not good. And yes, that very well may be what effecting your production. If you have room and want pears you might want to consider planting a couple more. |
pajaritomt
Los Alamos, NM
(Zone 5a)
March 24, 2008
10:19 AM Post #4702512
| If you want pears, go to the Raintree Nursery catalog and they have a chart for what pollinates what. Of course, they only list the varieties they sell, but the list might help you determine if you need a pollinator and if so, what kind. Also, try the Seed Savers Exchange Fruit and Nut Inventory, a book. They list every type of fruit tree available at the time they went to press and on the whole tell you what they taste like and in most cases whether they need a pollenator and what cultivars make good pollinators. If you don't want to buy it you might be able to get it at the library. |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
March 24, 2008
02:04 PM Post #4703550
| As far as the two I set out in the fall of 1999...The Stark catalog lists those two as the best pollenaters for each other. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
March 24, 2008
06:06 PM Post #4704463
| You might also want to do some more research on the effects of the 2-4-D. That very well may have done more damage that was first apparent. |
