To: <jas39a@earthlink.net>, "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Duchesse Bronzee Pear
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:16:42 -0500
Eddie, While you are looking, consider something I read in Tukey's book on
pears, that Duchess tastes much better grown on quince. I ordered quince
rootstocks this spring, but they arrived with no roots and have all died but
one. I don't know how the rootstock people get away with it, but apparently
it is the practice to cut the roots off of rootstocks. The point is to
avoid taproots in the finished trees, and also the commercial people do
summer budding, which gives the stocks time to recover. It won't work for
us doing spring grafts. Donna