Asian pearenjoys more and more interest among garden owners looking for new and interesting plants for their plot. This plant produces tasty, edible fruit, more similar to apples than pears known to us, but also has valuable ornamental qualities. See whatAsian pear cultivation looks likein the garden and whichAsian pear varietiesare suitable for planting in our climate.
Asian Pear 'Hosui'
Asian pear , also known as Japanese, Chinese or Eastern, is a fairly new and not very widespread fruit plant in Poland. Asiatic pears are grown on a large scale inin Japan, Korea, and also in southern and central China. They differ from European pear trees in terms of both tree habit and fruit characteristics. The interest in these plants is growing because they are characterized by early fruiting, abundant harvesting, and their fruit is well-preserved.
An important aspect for amateurs is the fact thatAsian pear trees can be grown as an amateur on the plot(such information is given in Działkowiec, No. 5/2004). An additional advantage of Asian pear trees on the plot is the decorative value of these trees - a wide habit of the crown, large leaves, abundant flowering and interesting fruit colors (depending on the variety, the skin is yellow-green or brown). Due to the spherical shape,Asian pear fruitlooks more like apples than traditional pears.
Asian pear - varieties
When selecting theAsian pear varietyfor growing on a plot, pay attention first of all to the fact that the trees do not pose too many problems.Therefore, be guided by resistance to diseases, pests and low temperatures. Of course, the fertility and taste of the fruit are also important.
Taking these criteria into account - in the newAsian pear cultivationJapanese varieties, the so-called Nashi, are the most valued. They come mainly from the sand pear (Pyrus pyrifolia). Realizing that when you startgrowing Asian pear trees on plotyou will want to try growing only one such tree for now, I would like to draw your attention to one more aspect that is not irrelevant to the choice of variety.
Good to knowAsiatic pear trees are non-pollinated, which means that they require cross-pollination (pollen of a different variety) for good yielding. For this reason, at least two different varieties must be present in one plot of the orchard. However, if you do not want to grow as many as two Asian pear trees, start your adventure with these plants from the 'Shinseiki', 'Hosui' and 'Chojuro' varieties, for which our native 'Conference' is an excellent pollinator, which you may already be growing on your plot.
The advantage of the 'Conference' as a pollinator for the listedAsian pear cultivarsis a similar flowering date and very high resistance to pear scab, which allows to reduce the number of protection treatments plants. Here are the details of selected Asian varieties:
Asian pear 'Shinseiki'- Japanese variety, with early fruit ripening, medium-strong tree growth, very fertile variety, medium-sized fruit, spherical, flattened, with a yellow-green, smooth skin, the flesh is crispy, juicy, medium sweet with a high acid content, tasty, the fruit can be stored in a cold store for up to 2 months.
Asian pear - the fruit looks more like an apple than an ordinary pear
Asian pear 'Hosui'- mid-early variety, with fruit ripening at the same time as 'Chojuro', trees growing strongly, with overhanging branches, spherical fruit, large or medium size, they have a golden-brown skin with white, visible lenticels, juicy, fine-grained flesh, the fruit can be stored in an ordinary cold store in good condition for a period of 3 to 4 months.
Asian pear 'Chojuro'- medium-early variety, trees have medium-strong growth, spreading crowns, very fertile variety, spherical, flattened fruit, medium-sized or large, the skin is brown, hard, the flesh is less juicy than in other varieties, but the fruit can be stored for up to 6 months.
When selecting the aboveAsian pear cultivarsfor cultivation, care should be taken, however, as these varieties are susceptible to fire blight. The undoubted advantage is, however, resistance to the common scab.
When choosingAsian pear variety , it is also worth paying attention to the rootstocks for fruit trees on which these trees can be grafted. In other growing regions, seedlings of various pear species are used asrootstocks for Asian pears , depending on the climatic and soil conditions, for example sand pear (Pyrus pyrifolia), birch pear (P. betulifolia ) or the common pear tree (P.communis). Based on the results of the experiment carried out by the Warsaw University of Life Sciences-Ursynów (Password Ogrodnicze, No. 4/2005), it was found that for the cultivars 'Shinseiki', 'Hosui' and 'Chojuro', the Caucasian pear seedling could be used. On the Caucasian pear rootstock, the above-mentioned varieties entered fruiting early and yielded good or very good. The trees on this rootstock also grew very well in the nursery.
Asian pear - growing, planting
Asian pear trees should be grownin warmer regions of Poland (zone 6A and warmer). If possible, choose a site that is less exposed to frost and spring frosts, and provides good sunlight for the trees. For Asian pears grafted on a Caucasian pear rootstock, the soil should be fertile, deeply cultivated and well-drained, with a low groundwater level of about 2.0 m.
The bestplanting date for Asian pear treesis early spring or early spring.Delaying planting increases the risk of breaking off early and brittle buds. Plant trees immediately after purchasing them. If you cannot plant directly after purchase, the roots of the trees should be soaked in water for several hours before planting.
Immediately afterplanting the Asian pear treetrim unbranched trees 80 cm above the ground. Carry out crown formation and tree pruning in the same way as with traditional pear varieties. Trees should be led in the form of a spindle crown, because it will facilitate the access of light to the entire tree crown.
Japanese varieties of Asian pearbear a lot of fruit, which causes them to become smaller and deteriorate the taste. Therefore, it is extremely important that you thin the buds soon after flowering. Early thinning of fruit buds contributes to maintaining high and annual fruiting of trees. When thinning fruit buds on young trees, also remove those fruit that could break off side branches or the guide or cause it to bend prematurely.
Based on: Dr. E. Pitera, Asian pear trees, Nursery, No. 3/2003; Dr. E. Pitera, Possibilities of cultivating the Asian pear in Poland (part 1), Horticulture Entry, No. 3/2005; Dr. E. Pitera, Possibilities of cultivating Asian pear trees in Poland (part 2), Horticulture Entry, No. 4/2005; Dr E. Pitera, Exotic Grusze, Działkowiec, No. 5/2004, pp. 28-29. feeimages.com
