North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>]

Richard,  If you can grow 100 varieties of pear in NW Florida, without bothering about chill hours or apparently too much worry about fireblight, why can't the rest of us do that?  I read that for 25 years a trial ran in GA in which the standards for comparison, Bartlett and a few other quality pears, were replaced regularly whenever they died to keep the trial running.  The Bartlett would be replaced about every 4-5 years.  Are your trees dying?  Do they crop?  If they don't get enough chill hours to bloom, or if they haven't grown big enough to bloom, they aren't likely to get a lot of blight.  Is there something about the sea breezes where you are, or something about the soil we should emulate, or do you use BD preps or secret chants or have homeopathic preps buried under the trees?  Seriously, how is it possible you are growing 100 varieties where you are?   Donna