[NAFEX] pear blossom

rmelrose at danvilleVT.net rmelrose at danvilleVT.net
Wed May 28 13:40:53 EDT 2008


> 
> This year, I had three pyrus ussuriensis in bloom for the first time. The 
> blooms on all three were surprisingly extra early (three weeks ago before 
> wild plums and cherries while my apple trees are in full bloom at the 
> moment). We had what I hope to be our last Frost of the season last night. 
> There was hardly any insects out when the pears were in bloom except for 
> some tiny busy individuals which I judged to be too small to carry pollen 
> from one flower to the next. I have now spotted at least one pear developing 
> in each tree, so there is no need to despair yet.
> 
> H?l?ne, zone 3-4, in Qu?bec north of Ottawa

Helene, you are probably only a little later than here in N.E. Vermont --
the P. ussuriensis crosses (Golden Spice, Summercrisp, Luscious, Ure, Early
Gold) that I have start flowering about mid-May or a little earlier and the
last petals are just dropping now. There seems to be no pollination
problem, it looks to me that some sort of native bee/wasp does most of the
work with a few bumblebees late in the day. I have been getting good
cross-pollination on the European types too, Anjou, Red Sensation and now
Parker. I like all of these pears, even Golden Spice which makes a very
nice stewed pear.

We missed a frost last night, close enough to singe the newly sprouted
potatoes that's all.

Richard
Danville, VT 4a.




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