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milehighgirl_gw

Pollinator for unknown pear

18 years ago

I mentioned in a previous post that I have inherited property from my grandparents. I am very excited to have the pear tree he planted maybe 50 years ago. Obviously I don't know what kind it is. It used to produce but the renters have said they didn't even know it was a pear tree, so it probably hasn't had a pollinator nearby lately. Is there something like a "universal pollinator" for pears? What would be my best bet for getting a pollinator for it?

I live in zone 5 in Denver. Hard winters, late frosts, clay soil, short growing season.

Any advice?

Comments (5)

  • 18 years ago

    Plant a pear recommended for your conditions. Maybe it will cross with the one already there, maybe not. Without knowing what the one already there is this is the best you can do.

    It's possible too that there is something other than lack of cross pollination causing the one already there to be not performing as desired.

  • 18 years ago

    Thanks for your input. What other conditions would cause no fruit?

    The reason I think there must be no pollinator is that the rest of the houses near have been torn down and were paved by the church nearby. How close does a pollinator need to be?

    I was thinking about Moonglow. Would a self-fertile Anjou be better?

    Thank you!

  • 18 years ago

    I grow blueberries, not pears. However, I can tell you that our patch of everbearing red raspberries attracts all sorts of flying insects all summer, and into the fall. I see mostly bumblebees around the blueberry shrubs in spring, when they are flowering. The raspberry patch is busy with insects all summer, like no other plant in our yard.

  • 18 years ago

    My guess...is that most European pear varieties would pollinate your tree. Some bloom earlier than others, but most should suit your purpose? Don't just think in terms of a pollinizer. Think good fruit. Comice, Warren, come to mind. With your chill hours, you should have several choices. Rootstock ...what the trees are grafted on,..is important. Request a Raintree Nursery (Morton, WA) as a beginning point. Their website is awful. Email support has never been good. These things said,...their plants should be suitable for your location. And the descriptions may help you possible choices. Most pears are NOT Self-Fruitful. If you are not sure of what variety that you have,...do you have room to plant a multi-grafted pear, or a couple new "Euros"? If you have an Asian Pear...whole new ballpark.

  • 18 years ago

    I had a similar, some time ago. My advice is to ask the question and present the problem to your university agricultural extension service. Most of them are quite good and have links to other services in other states. They have always come through for me.
    My pears produced this year for the first time in their fifth year. You might also log on to the Stark Co. web site and ask the question. They have also been very responsive and helpful to me and would probably have varieties that could be productive in solving your problem.
    Good luck.