Want to try grafting pear.

[BC Buck]

Last year posted have one kieffer produces fruit every year. Planted 3 replacements from HD in same spot that are 12 years old and may get one pear on each tree. You all decided Home Depo blooms probably getting in frost pocket like bloom earlier than tree that produces. Was thinking about try grafting some branches because trunk is 8" dia. What type scions do you suggest that would be self fertile late blooming, and hold fruit late?

 

[Telemark]

I wouldn't bet on self fertile.

You sure the problem is frost pockets? How many flowers are you seeing? It would be strange for trees in a colder microclimate to bloom earlier. They might be getting frozen by the cold if they are in a frost pocket.

Do you know what variety they are? If they are all the same variety, I would add another variety that blooms at the same time as those three. Seems like there is something around that is pollinating the Kieffer.

 

[bigboreblr]

What usda zone are you?

This year try several different kinds of rootstock. Learn what your soil likes.

I know little about pears, but they graft as easy if not easier than apples.

Another good overall variety is Olympic, an asian pear. I have young Kiefer and Olympic at home.

Many folks on here like seckel.

Cummins nursery has about the best descriptions of commercial varieties as well as rootstocks too.

I use onfx87 at home fertile but heavier clay usda zone 5/6. At camp I'm usually 3. Don't mess with pears up there.

Pears bloom before apples in general.

When I look for varieties eith apples, I prefer bloom groups 3 and 4. Commercial Pears have relative bloom times listed too.

Far as commercial varieties for deer Kieffer is top of the list.

 

[BC Buck]

Original Kieffers where from reputable supplier. 3 died first year from fire bight. Was mad and replaced the three with kieffer from HD end of year clearance. All grew the same size. I never see many blooms on the three when producer is covered up. Maybe they bloom earlier? The fruit looks identical to kieffer but sweeter. Have two other variety's planted but dont remember variety and will not till back in MO. Their in north MO and came from Stark Bros 20 miles down the road. Expensive root pruned but have hardly grown in 5 years. I was thinking cut some limbs to graft to. If survive cut off rest of original limbs off.

 

[Telemark]

No problem grafting onto them, but I wouldn't do anything drastic yet. Do you water or fertilize them? If not, try a little fertilizer and a lot of water this year, but don't use anything high in nitrogen. If you do fertilize them, hold off on it this year.

 

[BC Buck]

No problem grafting onto them, but I wouldn't do anything drastic yet. Do you water or fertilize them? If not, try a little fertilizer and a lot of water this year, but don't use anything high in nitrogen. If you do fertilize them, hold off on it this year.

Have not fertilized the two small trees but will do this spring. One has not grown a foot in 5 years. Have never had good luck with anything from Stark Bros and not worth using them to save on shipping.

 

[b116757]

I have much better luck with bare root trees than potted trees particularly late season mark down trees are very often root bound very badly in the pots and take forever to out grow the damage it causes if they ever do. That being said I’m thinking your lacking in a suitable cross pollination partner tree to the three that don’t produce find a tree that blooms at the same time as them and graft over a branch on each to a suitable pollination partner verity.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I have "Kieffer" pears from several sources and a few of them have very different forms, leaves, and bloom timings. I'm assuming the "Kieffers" I bought from some big box stores were mislabeled. I would order some scion wood from somewhere reputable and graft them onto the more mature tree. Graft a few different cultivars onto the same tree and be sure that everything is labeled appropriately. You should have more fruit in a season or two and you might learn some things along the way.

 

[Telemark]

Have never had good luck with anything from Stark Bros and not worth using them

Same here. Fancy website, but my results were unimpressive. I'm done buying from them.

 

[bigboreblr]

I've been hit or miss with stark brothers. Saturn peaches are going gangbusters. Franklin cider and macoun have been good. Arkansas black is flopping in the wind, might be b118. Digging her up and replacing with a m111 liberty. I am placing the Arkansas black back in the ground, but 18 inches deeper to let it develop its own roots. I do feel there's certain rootstocks than are ok on b118 and some that shouldn't be grafted.

I am not buying from stark again.

It hard to have a favorite nursery. But, reasonable prices and shipping, known rootstocks, and good customer service is where I shop from now on. Also, folks who have sandbur's varieties get an extra star.

Mehrabyan nursery has a good selection chart. I put in hardiness zone 5, bloom group 4, and fireblight resistant. They have a cold snap variety, a European pear, and on ohxf87 rootstock. Kinda like the m111 or pear rootstocks. Now i'm tempted to try this one.

They say they're ripe mid September to october in NY and store until November. Might be the liberty of pears. Sounds like you don't mind having a treestand near it during bow season. Cummins nursery says its a improved variety made in Canada in the 1970's.

mehrabyan still has 21 of them. Might add 1. Changed my order 4 times already. Might not give him any more grief.

I like their orders over the years. Not too impressed sometimes with some of their rootstocks. But, they get what they get from someone else likely. Only been with m111. Other rootstocks have been pretty good. Hard to say you like every bareroots tree you get from somebody, there's always a runt in the litter. But, overall they've been good. Usually order 5 or 6 grafted trees from them with my rootstock order. 100% survival so far. No real slow grow dud's I can think of.

 

[BC Buck]

I have "Kieffer" pears from several sources and a few of them have very different forms, leaves, and bloom timings. I'm assuming the "Kieffers" I bought from some big box stores were mislabeled. I would order some scion wood from somewhere reputable and graft them onto the more mature tree. Graft a few different cultivars onto the same tree and be sure that everything is labeled appropriately. You should have more fruit in a season or two and you might learn some things along the way.

This is what I would like to try. Thinking the three that have no fruit must bloom before my good producing Kieffer. What variety of scions do you guys suggest and nursery do you order from? Maybe fireblight resistant zone 6 MO.