Page 19 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2023

Why Pears?
Most people choose apple trees, well it is easier if they go red then they are about ready to pick, but are they? I don’t think people understand pears; it is certainly a lottery if you move away from the more common varieties like Conference. I have varieties that do not work this far north (Nottinghamshire). I can vividly remember during my childhood never eating a ‘melting’ pear, why? Because we picked them and ate them before they were ready, we thought they should be crunchy just like the apples we grew. It was not until
I seriously started growing pears myself, decades later that I realised that the picking time is crucial if you want a melt in the mouth pear with so much juice it runs off your elbow.
Does all this whet your appetite? Pears can be grown as espaliers against panel fences, walls, posts and wires. This way they take up little room. Cordons can be planted on a north to south axis around three feet apart, in either oblique or upright mode. Cordons, pyramids, espalier and fans are generally referred to as ‘restricted forms’ they require Summer pruning to create fruit buds and Winter pruning to the leaders and branch leaders to create the ‘form’ ie formative pruning.
Summer pruning can be carried out early July by pruning side shoots back to three buds or leaf axils or early October, pruning in between these times will encourage new growth which will need pruning out if not it will be killed by frost. Winter pruning is best done as late as possible to avoid disease, say March.
Santa Claus. February
Pests and Diseases
In the amateur’s orchard the main pest is the pear midge. The adult midges, newly hatched out of their pupal cases in April, which have laid dormant in the ground for the last ten months or so, mate, the female lays eggs on the anthers; the larvae hatch out and burrow into the embryo fruit. The larvae ( I have found as many as a dozen) proceed to eat the inside of the embryo fruit, the fruit eventually turns black and the larvae fall to the ground and the cycle goes full circle. As far as I know there is not a pheromone trap available yet. Historically my remedy was to spray the blossom twice with bifenthrin, this minimised the damage, unfortunately Bifenthrin was withdrawn, and no chemical is now available to the amateur. I now spend roughly one and
a half to two days picking off infected fruitlets. This has to be done before the pearlets turn black, because by then the tenants have vacated
several years. Cut out any new growth showing damage; also inspect older wood for historical damage. The scab fungus kills the skin tissue of the fruit around the area of the original infection, the rest of the fruit tissue continues to grow, cracks develop across the dead tissue and brown rot gets in. One of the best ways to control scab
is to collect up the dead leaves and either burn or compost them. My Onward pear suffered from scab for years until I picked up the dead leaves, the damage was minimal after that. If you have just a few fruit trees, you have no excuse.
Frost. As with most other white blossom, (plums & cherries) pears flower in early April, sometime late March, so they are subject to Spring frosts which can be sub zero north easterly winds as in April 2021 or radiation frosts, these are due to cloudless, bright sunny days in early Spring; at night all the warm air near the ground rises
the larder. Other pests
are pear leaf blister mite
which seriously disfigures
the foliage but can be
tackled by a sulphur spray
as the buds start to open.
Rust which also disfigures
the foliage and can
affect cropping if there
are enough infections
per leaf and most of the
foliage is infected; a spray
programme to control
scab will eliminate the fungus.
Scab is the most important fungal disease, with apples; scab generally shows up first on the foliage and then later on the fruit. With pears it is the reverse, the reason for this, is, I believe because most pear scab originates from ’wood’ scab, when ‘Winter’ pruning it is essential to examine the previous seasons new growth for lesions. These lesions remain and emit spores for
leaving colder air in its place. This air can be around or below freezing, if the orchard or garden is on a slope the cold air runs down hill just like water does. If the cold air reaches a barrier like a wall or fence it backs up the slope and engulfs any plants or trees in freezing air, just like water backing up from a dam. Spraying the blossom with water
encapsulates it and protects it from the effects of thawing the next day which is what does the damage. Years ago growers used smudge pots filled with old oil which they lit when frost threatened. Nowadays huge fans can be used to shift the freezing air. ATB
Brix Tests: See results in an earlier Simply Vegetables
One of the best
ways to control scab is to collect up the dead leaves and either burn or compost them
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