4-n-1 Low Chill Pear

myamberdog · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:22 am Post subject: 4-n-1 Low Chill Pear

OK....so.....one (and ONLY one) of the varieties of my 4-n-1 low chill pear has had flowers for the last 3 years and yet they have never ever set a single fruit. Now am I to assume it needs a cross pollinator....and could I simple plant another 4-n-1 right next to it or does it have to be a completely diff. species of pear that flowers at the same time?

And boy, they are the most upright tree I've ever seen, and iit doesn't matter if you head it back. The new shoots grow like arrows in a straight line towards the sun.....

myambermutt

phoenixtropicals · Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:44 pm Post subject:

Usually the cross pollinators are a different variety and I'd expect the varieties on that tree to be cross pollinators. It makes me wonder why only one of them blooms. What varieties are the 4? Also, does it get a fair amount of sun? The lack of flowering could be due to too much shade as could the growth habit you are describing.

myamberdog · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:36 pm Post subject:

Yes - it gets plenty of sun - like 8-10 hours a day. The Varieties are Comice, Monterrey and FloridaHome - the fourth variety is the largest one but the little plastic label came off. I'll have to look at my receipt for the tree, which I think...I KNOW I bought in L.A. about 2 years ago.....

Anyway, the 4th variety is the thickest most vertical top part of the tree...guess I could post a picture.....sorry it's sideways....

myamberWoof

phoenixtropicals · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:49 pm Post subject:

I have a Florida Home. That one had two fruit on it the second year, but nothing this year, the 3rd year. The Florida Home is planted right next to a Hood. They are supposed to cross pollinate each other. The Hood has always looked much more healthy than the Florida Home. The Florida Home always looks chlorotic (yellowish), but surprisingly it is the one that fruits so far.

Your tree looks healthy so probably you have a cross pollination problem. However, Florida Home is supposed to be partially fruitful even without cross pollination.

I wonder if comice and monterrey are low chill varieties. I typically think that if they don't get enough chill that they won't flower, so if they are flowering than maybe they get enough chill.

Is it possible that only the Florida Home is flowering and the others aren't?

myamberdog · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:57 am Post subject:

Couldn't find the receipt, either, today, so really don't know what that fourth variety is. Anyway, yes, the comice and monterrey may NOT have enough chill hours where I live- I get maybe 250-300. With a name like FloridaHome you'd think that would be the one that'd flower

But it wasn't the FloridaHome for sure...I think it was the mystery branch...anyway I'll keep my eye on it for next year. So i DO need a crosspollinator for ANY of these varieties, yes?

I'll have to do some more internet research. If only one continually flowers, I'll cut off all the other varieties and just let that one branch become the tree....

Thanks, PT.....myamberdawg

phoenixtropicals · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 6:20 pm Post subject:

I don't know of any pear that is completely self fruitful. Florida Home and Hood are supposed to be the best European pears for our climate.

You might want to try Asian pears too. I have a 3 in 1 Asian pear that is really doing well. Just planted it this spring and it is already holding two fruit. The leaves are dark green and not showing any signs of sunburn or salt burn and this tree gets a lot of sun. It is on OHxF333 rootstock and the varieties on it are Hosui, Chojuro, and 20th Century.

myamberdog · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:18 am Post subject:

..and all low-chill...the Asian Pears....?

M.A.D.

phoenixtropicals · Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:32 pm Post subject:

Looks like they are from 300-450 chill hours according to Dave Wilson nursery, and the trees I have even originated from that nursery.

http://www.davewilson.com/br40/br40_trees/asian_pears.html

Seems like the Phoenix area typically has a little more than 300 chill hours a year, but I imagine that can vary greatly depending on were you live in town. For example, Queen creek would most surely get a lot more chill hours and even areas outside of central Phoenix will often get more.

I've also heard from others that Asian pears do well here. However, it is true that these trees I have now might not have spent last winter in AZ so they might have gotten more chill. I'll have to see how they behave next spring.

myamberdog · Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 5:00 pm Post subject:

I think Palm Springs is about 300 max, but as you say varies form year to year and diff. in diff. areas.....gotta do more research...

And by the way, all the 4-n-1 low chill pears I see on line have the Hood and Florida Home togehter (along with the Monterrey and Comice), so I'm assuming the missing/unmarked graft on my 4n1 is the Hood. So, now I'm confused as to if my tree really needs a pollinator as I probably have the Hood/FloridaHome cross polinators.......

still pondering what to do....thanks.....AmberPoodle

phoenixtropicals · Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:38 pm Post subject:

The Shinseiki Asian pear has only a 250 hour chill requirement and is self fruitful. Maybe I'll have to give that one a try sometime too.

myamberdog · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:51 am Post subject:

Have yu heard it's great tasting, too???

thanks, maddy

phoenixtropicals · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:05 pm Post subject:

I have only had store bought asian pears and generally they are not that great. However, every now and then I get a really good one, so I'd assume a home grown asian pear fully ripened on the tree would be like the good ones.

myamberdog · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:55 pm Post subject:

agreed!

m.a.d.