Asian Pears

[MaryDel]

Is anyone else growing Asian Pears? Far better than any apple or pear I have ever tried. The Chojuro is my favorite so far. It smells and tastes like butterscotch....juicy, crisp, crunchy and sweet.

Four years ago I planted 3, a Korean Giant, a Chojuro and a Drippin' Honey. I've got to say these are the easiest to grow fruit trees I have ever tried. Here on central DelMarVa, I don't even have to spray them and I still get good quality fruit. I do usually spray with carbaryl from Apr 15th to June 15th, as I do with my peaches though. I get fruit from mid August to mid Oct.

The peach borer will lay eggs in the pears, but it does not ruin them like with peaches. Just a tiny bump. A few sprays, and the fruit turns out perfect. Last year I got about 3 bushels of nice fruit. They store well, can well, and dehydrate well, and beat just about any other fruit hands down for fresh eating.

I ordered about ten more this year and my first two just arrived from Gurney's, and they are both already in the ground. I got about 5 new varieties on the way too from Stark and another place.

So far they have almost been problem free. The trees have beautiful flowers on the spring, are well shaped, and also have good fall colors, perfect for the edible landscape.

[JONA]

Hi MaryDel.
Well done with your Asians.
They do make good eating.
I would add one word of caution.
You say you use Carbaryl up to mid June.
Please...if you can..leave this chemical out. On this side of the pond in the U.K. and across Europe this chemical has been banned for several years as it is carconegenic. Even when it was allowed over here we could not use it between blossom and harvest as it was found in the fruit if applied during this period.
It amazes us here that it is still allowed in the States...just shows the power of the chemical companies sometimes.
Good luck.

[rainbowgardener]

Agree re the carbaryl (Sevin). Very nasty stuff. Possibly for you, although the effects on humans are mostly from chronic exposure as in agricultural workers. But definitely for the environment. I did a thread collecting information about various of the garden poisons that are common here: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=57653

This is a piece from the Carbaryl section:
Animal toxicity: Carbaryl is acutely toxic to fish. Carbaryl is acutely toxic to birds, although the dose required to kill most species is greater than that required to kill mammals, fish or insects. Carbaryl also adversely affects birds at lower doses by reducing the population of insects and aquatic invertebrates that the birds feed on. Unhatched and young birds appear to be particularly sensitive to carbaryl exposure. Earthworms are sensitive to small amounts of carbaryl in soil. In field studies, carbaryl treatment reduced earthworm populations by between 50 and 90 percent. Follow-up studies showed that populations took five to twelve months to recover and that the rate at which mineral soil was incorporated into thatch was significantly impaired during this period. It is toxic to frogs, shrimp, crabs, clams, snails, some aquatic insects, and many pond living creatures. Carbaryl is HIGHLY toxic to honey bees, certain beneficial insects such as lady beetles, and parasitic wasps and bees.

Your pear trees need those pollinators and beneficial insects and you are killing them off.

[applestar]

Well, we ARE more concerned about your health as well as health of those you share your fruits with, you know.

One of my neighbors used Sevin pretty heavily as their children grew up, and one of them came down with a serious auto-immune syndrome. Is there a connection? I can'y say.

Considering your location -- mid-Atlantic coastal area with presumably attending humid, muggy season, you are lucky you have no serious fireblight issues. In my neighborhood, bradford pears were planted as street trees of choice when it was developed, and they have been the bane of my pom tree existence due to fireblighted leaves blowing everywhere. I definitely have better luck with cultivars that are strongly resistant specifically to fireblight.

I lost both of the Asian pears I tried to grow, though Hosui hang on a little longer. First one might have been Chojuro. I have been looking for more blight-resistant Asian pear cultivar since then. I have Korean Giant seedlings growing for fun in the meanwhile. I may or may not have the budget to buy a new variety I have in mind this year -- it's also not easy to find.

I don't think carbaryl is used for fireblight. For reference's sake, what else do you use to treat your fruit trees? Do you follow the commercial conventional fruit tree spray/treatment schedule?

[JONA]

One other point.
Sevin applied to fruitlets from the 8 mm to 15 mm size acts as a very efficient thinner. It's one of the uses we put it to when it was allowed over here before it's more harmful effects were known..
So, if you still use it over there, be aware of this effect from it when the fruit is this size.

[rainbowgardener]

You might want to know that (JONA/ John) is a professional orchardist, whose advice you are getting for free here.