North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lucky.Pittman@murraystate.edu" <Lucky.Pittman@murraystate.edu>]

Chris, 
My Korean Giant/Dan Bae also came from Bear Creek Nursery - they grafted all 
their 
Asian pears onto Harbin pear(P.ussuriensis) rootstock. 
It was an exceedingly 'shy' bearer - don't think it ever set more than 3 
fruit in a 
year, and the Shinko & Chojuro trees 20 ft away were always loaded.  Juicy, 
yes; but 
no appreciable flavor. Disappointing, to say the least - and as many rave 
reviews 
I've seen from folks on this list, I still have to wonder if mine was 
mislabeled.
Once it started blooming, it was a challenge staying ahead of the fireblight 
- and 
the last year, I didn't; killed that sucker back to the ground.  I re-grafted 
the 
roostock sprouts to something else.

Lucky



------- Original Message -------
>From    : Chris Garriss[mailto:cgarriss@garriss.net]
Sent    : 6/21/2010 6:53:50 PM
To      : nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Cc      : 
Subject : RE: Re: [NAFEX] making a gift for a friend (fruits for Kentucky)

 Interesting observations about Korean Giant.   I had one in a previous small 
orchard - central NC near Chapel Hill.   Got it from Bear Creek many years 
ago.  It 
grew well, flowered and set fruit well.  Fruit were large, crisp, juicy and 
sweet.   
All around excellent.   I had few if any disease problems.   Even the 
ubiquitous 
Japanese beetles left them alone - unlike the apples, plums, cherries, 
medlars, 
peaches and European pears I grew.  We have hot and humid summers here with 
winters 
that often have exceptionally warm spells.  Tree always performed well.  I 
don't know 
what stock it was grafted on and I have been gone from there for 20 years.   
Still in 
NC, but a different area.   Chris 

On Jun 21, 2010 7:36 PM, "Lucky.Pittman@murraystate.edu" 
<Lucky.Pittman@murraystate.edu> wrote:


Apple? - "MonArk" - probably the best apple in my orchard.  Ripe mid-July; 
large,

firm, crisp red-over-green apple with white flesh, good for fresh eating or 
cooking;

keeps well under refrigeration for up to 6-8 wks.   Good disease resistance, 
to boot.

Fred Wiche, the long-revered Louisville radio personality who had a Saturday 
morning

gardening show on WHAS always pushed 'Gold Rush' as the best apple for the

Kentuckiana area.

Ed Fackler should weigh in...



Looking at that UofKY list, I'll take some exception with their Asian pear 
list -

Niitaka is OK, but produces relatively flavorless little pingpong ball-size 
fruits

unless you are relentless about thinning.  Korean Giant - though many folks 
sing its

praises, and maybe mine was not true to name - was a dog here - rarely set 
more than

2 or 3 fruits - and they'd be huge watery tasteless things - not much tastier 
than a

raw potato; and a fireblight magnet/cripple/fatality, at that.



Lucky




------- Original Message -------
>From    : Brungardt, Sam 
>(MPCA)[mailto:Sam.Brungardt@state.mn.u...target="_new";> 
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/homefruitrec07.pdf >  -- Sam


-----Original Messag...Gang:

I could use apple and pear suggestions for Louisville Kentucky.  I am making 
a gift 
for a fr...