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| Most pear trees do not grow well in cold climates, but this early-season pear thrives in the upper midwest. Blooms in May with fruits reaching maturity in mid-August. Flesh is sweet, firm and crisp. Plant with 'Moonglow' or 'Bartlett' for cross-pollination. Semi-dwarf. |
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Landscape Uses, Planting and Care
- PLANTING: Amend soil by mixing up to 50% compost with existing soil when digging the tree hole. Plant tree so that soil level in container is level or slightly higher than surrounding soil. Water in to remove air pockets around roots and mulch with wood chips. The first season, water regularly to establish tree.
- SCAFFOLD TRAINING: Improperly trained fruit trees have very upright branch angles which can result in excessive vigor and serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load. Larger branches can be spread out using short wooden boards with a notch cut in each end to catch the branch. Hanging weights on branches or tying it down with string wrapped loosely around the limb are other useful methods for spreading branches. All upright growth from scaffold branches should be either pulled down to a horizontal position or removed.
- PRUNING: Pruning fruit trees during winter dormancy will invigorate the tree and cause it to grow and branch more the following season. It's best to do dormant pruning in late winter or early spring, after the risk of severe freeze is over. Be sure to remove any dead or diseased wood also. After the tree resumes growth in the spring, continue to train the scaffold branches of the tree as you did the previous growing season. Prop lateral branches out to a 50 to 60 degree angle. Summer pruning will devigorate the tree and cause it to grow less in that growing season.
- FRUIT THINNING: Fruit trees often set a heavier crop of fruit than limbs can withstand. To ensure good fruit size, return bloom for the following year, and to prevent tree breakage, it is necessary to thin the fruit. Remove fruit by hand. Leave one pear per cluster and space the clusters approximately every 6 inches. Start at one end of a branch and systemically remove fruit. To remove fruit without damaging other pears on the spur, hold the stem between the thumb and forefinger and push the fruit from the stem with the other fingers. This method removes the pears but leaves the stem attached to the spur.
- FERTILIZING: Adequate nutrition is essential for quality apple production. The best thing you can do is top-dress with compost every year. Optimum soil nutrients should result in growth of between 12 and 18" a year. A general rule of thumb for adding additional fertilizer is to apply a combined 2/3 pound of bone meal and 1/3 Texas greensand to each tree the first year, double that the second year, and triple the third and subsequent years. Fertilizer should be broadcast on the soil surface around the drip line of the tree. The "drip line" is the circular line at the outer ends of the branches.
- If you think you have an insect or disease problem, contact us. It's important to identify the pest accurately so a safe and effective treatment can be selected.
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