Pear Seedling 2015

[A Happy Seedling]

Ok! Its root already grew into my non-soil medium, which is Nature's latest cutting-edge growth medium...sand, lol. But I'll wait a little more. I can't believe it is growing faster than the GRASSES in the SAME SYSTEM! But anyway...I will plant it eventually.

[tomc]

Maybe I'm feeling fatalistic, but if it is entertaining and helps you get your Luther Burbank on. Don't worry too much if some (or all) of these pear babies don't survive.

I want you to keep on. One growing trial tends to lead to the next. Have you read up on how to make airlayers yet?

[A Happy Seedling]

What are airlayers? I know some will die, I just fertilized the biggest two with UCG's so they won't get eaten by bugs.

[A Happy Seedling]

Yay! The first one is growing again! Success! I wonder if UCG's have nutritional value, as within a week of using them I noticed growth!

[applestar]

UCG's do have minute nutrients and minerals -- not so much that you could call them fertilizer. But I think the value is in the way they attract and nurture fungi that help to increase the biodiversity in the soilfoodweb and also improve soil texture. I believe trees and shrubs, in particular, benefit from increased fungal soil.

[A Happy Seedling]

Oh, interesting. Since this is a tree, that makes sense.

[A Happy Seedling]

I hope it's a new variety, and I hope it's tasty. The reason I plant from seed is exactly this: I might get new varieties.

I think a healthy pear in zone 7 could make fruit at maturity (read 6 to 12 years of age). I will leave it to your search to find out if it is self sterile (needs a different pear to pollinate).
[...]
Like the entire rose family, insect pollination is the usual means to move pollen from tree to tree. As a result it is a gamble to find out if your tree is a yummy tree for fruit. Feral pear can have a pleasantly small grained texture. Like the cider apple of Johnny Chapmans fame, even a tough grainy pear has utilitarian uses...

Well, what am I gonna ( ) do if this thing makes it but it's self-sterile? The only way I could get it pollinated them would be to go Callery Pear-flower picking and use the anthers to pollinate my tree...Calleries can pollinate domestics, yes?

Ok...
No one else has a pear tree mature enough to pollinate mine. Well a friend has an Asian pear. But that's not going to work. Sooooo...how'll I do this?

[applestar]

Callery pear is also an asian pear....

Let's move this discussion onto the update thread https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 20&t=66605