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  • From: "Alan Haigh" <alandhaigh@gmail.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Asian pears
  • Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:54:52 -0400

You should be aware that rootstock can be a bigger issue than scion when it comes to cold-hardiness.  A lot of nurseries sell them on Betufolia which isn't as cold hardy as some.  Bear Creak used to sell them on Harken or something like that and I have a couple trees from them that have done extremely well and survived -22 F about ten years ago.  The OHF crosses are cold hardy but I have found them excessively dwarfing for Asians in limited trial.  Asians are so spurry that it can be hard to keep them as vigorous as I like even if you aggressively thin the spurs as I do.  If you try to grow them on Bet be sure to protect them a couple inches above the graft during winter by piling up dirt or something.  I like the vigor of this root with Asians.
 
You shouldn't think as frost as being the limit of the ripening season for pears or apples.  I never harvest all of my Korean G's before the first week of Nov. even after three weeks of light frost.  They're good down to 26 or so and continue to ripen in fairly cool weather.  Get something you're confident you can ripen and than graft on some other more questionable varieties if you like.  The are not self-fertile although here they can be pollinated with early blooming Europeans like Seckel. 


  • [NAFEX] Asian pears, Alan Haigh, 03/16/2008

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