Would you Choose Pear Trees or Chestnut Trees?

[Victor Van Meter]

I have a spot that I have been food plotting for the last several years, but am now considering turning it into a small "orchard" of some sort. I already have a small apple orchard planted, so I am trying to decide between pears or chestnut trees. I could probably squeeze about 8-10 trees in there without any crowding. Just curious if you guys would choose pears or chestnuts? Something else? Thanks for the ideas.

VV

 

[jsasker007]

I planted some pear trees so I can eat some too. The deer have plenty of options and can have some pears if they want them. Sounds like you just want one or the other and not some of both?

 

[Victor Van Meter]

I planted some pear trees so I can eat some too. The deer have plenty of options and can have some pears if they want them. Sounds like you just want one or the other and not some of both?

I should have added both as an option as well. I do not eat pears, so this would be totally for wildlife.

 

[jsasker007]

Chestnuts would be my choice if only for wildlife. Provide food for a longer time period.

 

[Huntingisawayoflife]

I should have added both as an option as well. I do not eat pears, so this would be totally for wildlife.

It would depend on what timeframe you are looking for the most use. Around here chestnuts are extremely effective first part of October when they drop, but unless you find a late drop variety you are basically looking at a smaller window with chestnuts, as pears seem to have more readily available varieties that can drop either early or late and somewhere between. I will add I love chestnuts for deer, but the old farm I hunted had 2 pear trees (not sure of variety) that dropped well into mid December year after year.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Chestnuts seem a little more resistant to frost in our parts than pears do. We have to keep pears on slopes in open areas for them to produce fruit. We have never gotten a single pear fruit in any of our valleys. This is Northern MO.

 

[Victor Van Meter]

Rural King has Dunstan Chestnuts right now. Would it be good to buy them now and keep them in pots until spring? We are in the midst of a horrible drought, so I would hate to put them in the ground and make multiple trips in there to water them during season.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I would get the potted plants in the ground as soon as possible. We are getting a major cool off for most of the country this weekend and early next week. You will want these plants to root down before the winter.

With that said, I planted several seedling chestnuts in middle of November last year. Every one survived. I also planted several in December. Every single one died. Keeping a plant over winter can work, but you will need to bury it in mulch and protect the base from voles.

 

[The Fishman]

I would plant pears, persimmons, and chestnuts. Pears are very susceptible to late freezes so any year can be hit or miss on whether they produce. You can get early and late drop persimmons. They flower later and are not really affected by late freezes. As others have stated, chestnuts are mainly for October. If that is when you hunt, chestnuts may work.

 

[bigboreblr]

I'd put both in. 6 chestnuts and 3 pears. I'm only doing apple and mulberry myself. However, I have a kieffer and bartlett pear planted at home. Put in 2 saturn donut peaches too.

The pears were doing great last year when I planted them in the spring. Not so hot this year. I thought the pears would be great and the peaches would not do well in my heavy clay soil. PEaches from stark nurseries are doing well.

Cant speak for rural king, but walmart chestnuts were way way overpriced. You can get an order of pears and chestnuts for half the price if not more.

You could do a bit of both with those chestnuts. Put them in a bit bigger pot, then plant them this fall when dormant. But don't wait until the pots freeze. Put the pots next to each other and cover with woodchips. IT'll be ok on those mid 20 degree nights. When you go to hunt there a few times. Plant one afternoon, then water once again the next weekend. You can predig the holes now.

Take a look at the roots, they are likely rootbound.

 

[H20fwler]

With space for ten trees and you are in Ohio;

Three Chinese chestnuts, they are better DR and easiest to grow. Drop time mid Sept-early Oct.

Three good northern pecan trees; they drop from mid October into December.

Four pears with good DR;
One keiffer, drops all through October into early Nov. heavy fruit load annually.
One Olympic, drops same as keiffer and is best tasting pear there is. More biannual
Two Gilmer Christmas, steady drop from November into January, more biannual than annual.

Plant them, screen and cage, cut off low stuff, fertilize…other than that they are maintenance free.
That setup will get you fruit and nuts for wildlife from late September into January.

 

[RGrizzzz]

I'd go with a mix. 3-4 chestnuts, and 6-7 fruit trees. Find some ones from Blue Hill that drop when you want to hunt.

 

[KY wild]

With space for ten trees and you are in Ohio;

Three Chinese chestnuts, they are better DR and easiest to grow. Drop time mid Sept-early Oct.

Three good northern pecan trees; they drop from mid October into December.

Four pears with good DR;
One keiffer, drops all through October into early Nov. heavy fruit load annually.
One Olympic, drops same as keiffer and is best tasting pear there is. More biannual
Two Gilmer Christmas, steady drop from November into January, more biannual than annual.

Plant them, screen and cage, cut off low stuff, fertilize…other than that they are maintenance free.
That setup will get you fruit and nuts for wildlife from late September into January.

Do deer eat pecans? Are they a good draw for deer?

 

[buckdeer1]

I agree with the variety but like asian pears.Yes they love pecans,I found a pecan tree on my farm and mowed under so I could get some when the fell and even laid down blue tarp and there wasn't a pecan for days so pulled camera card and the deer would stand on tarp and eat them

 

[TreeDaddy]

Fireblight is the bane of fruit tree existence in east texas

What is the "bad ass 'ist'" pear tree in this regard?

ie the most resistant pear?

bill

 

[H20fwler]

Do deer eat pecans? Are they a good draw for deer?

Yes, just like acorns. A friend of mine has a couple huge old trees in his yard and he has had deer eating under them. Someone on here posted a daytime pic of a dozen or more deer eating pecans in a large grove of them.

I think pecans are just starting to catch on more for northern habitat guys, the southern habitat junkies have known about the draw they have for years.

I like the slow drop and how late they drop. I just started planting them a few years ago so mine haven’t started producing yet, my kids and grandkids should reap the benefits of my labors with pecans.

 

[H20fwler]

Fireblight is the bane of fruit tree existence in east texas

What is the "bad ass 'ist'" pear tree in this regard?

ie the most resistant pear?

bill

Keiffer is pretty good and the variants of it that are sold.

 

[Kdog]

Bad experiences with pears for me, so I would focus on persimmons. If I added a hard mast, it would be a variety of oaks.

 

[SwampCat]

My four chestnuts died after about nine or ten years due to our hot dry summers. I dont refer to it as drought because it is normal. I have moonglo, kiefer, and shensieki pears - the moonglos get fireblight BAD, kiefers are pretty bad, shensieki just a little - that is in SW AR

 

[Victor Van Meter]

I appreciate all the replies. With this drought, I will use your guys' information and make a plan over the winter and spend the money this spring getting it started. Then I will have to hope we don't have another drought!