Thanks for the reply, my seedlings are from Seckel pears, but I have a few Bosch and Comice seeds still in the fridge, planning on planting them in about a week. I figured if I plant a bunch and from different pears I have better odds of getting a good two or three trees that are disease and fire blight tolerant. If more of the seedlings survive then I am anticipating then I think I will graft some. Never tried grafting but, guess if I have extra trees what do I got to lose.
Good luck on your trees,
Matt

Well the knocks against doing what you are doing were stated: It delays fruit production by 4-6 years so figure 10-12 years before you get fruit and the fruit you get can taste like nothing, dirt, cotton, or a lot of other undesirable flavors. I would estimate if you planted 1,600 trees and got 400 to survive to fruit you may be lucky to have one you considered as good as the parents. Still, this is how Zaiger started and he now figures he can produce a new cultivar per 5 (final hybrid) trees planted.

Of course, besides preserves there is always baking if it is at least moderately tasting like a pear. And cider if not.

This is why when one finds a chance seedling that is acceptable or better it should be cherished and preserved.

And yes you can always top it and graft onto the tree if it is a reject down the road.

This post was edited by Fascist_Nation on Wed, Dec 18, 13 at 19:52

Aside from what the fruit may taste like, does anybody know what my odds are of getting a standard or dwarf size tree? Or if the fruit would even resemble a pear in look? I have grown peaches from pits off my redhaven tree that gave me peaches nearly identical to the parent tree, but from what I am gathering pears are too much of a genetic toss up to predict much. But is there a ballpark figure on size of tree or shape of fruit. I would consider this experiment a success if I get a standard size tree with fruit that was recognizably a pear and had ok eating quality.
Thanks again,
Matt

I would guess that you have a good chance of getting a standard-sized tree with fruit that resembles a pear or a quince and which would be edible if not worth eating! But seedling pomes really are too much a genetic toss up, as you neatly put it, to bet much on. Peaches have a much better reputation for growing true to type.

But rules are made to be broken. For example, I think that I've read here that winesaps are more reliable as seedlings than most apples. You may have a congenial pear; who knows.

A bigger concern to me is fireblight susceptibility, but on the other hand, if you found another fireblight resistant rootstock it would be important indeed.

Good luck.

I grew out a bunch of Bartlett seedlings for rootstock, I didn't notice much difference in size. Pears are supposed to be like apples as far as seedlings go: the fruit will likely be smaller and either bland or bitter. They can still be really good for cider or cooking.

Scott

I was surprised to find huge wicked thorns on some shoots that had come up from the rootstock on a couple of my pear trees. You might get that. Northwoodswis

I have several pears grown up from seed. A couple going on 4 years. One thing to expect is sharp spikes... Another thing I have had a ton of on my seedlings is blister mites. Really bad. Most of mine are Bartlett seedlings.

Thorns on a pear tree? Do you think the thorns were bred out then revert back when grown from seed? Mrs. G

Fire blight is my biggest concern as well, I know it is around my area, and that pears are highly susceptible to it. I am growing a good amount of seedlings though so I think I have a fair chance of getting a hardy one or two trees.
I remember hearing thorns are common amongst young pear trees, and that the thorns usually go away after they reach fruiting age. The seedlings I have now donâÂÂt have thorns, but I guess some may develop them. I wonder if the ones that produce thorns will have a better chance of survival since the thorns are natureâÂÂs way of protecting the young trees, maybe the thorny ones might have some hidden protective genes as well.
Matt

Any updates on those seedlings of yours, CanadianPlant? I am wondering how your Bosc seedlings coped/managed with the 2013-2014 harsh winter we had.

I have also planted Bosc seedlings along with Seckel, Starkrimson, Comice and a few more in my zone 3 orchard, up north in Quebec, Canada. I hope that a few among them will be hardy enough to survive... I will worry about the taste later. I heard many encouraging stories, but since most of my seeds came from open pollinated pears, I do not know what to expect.

CanadianPlant I am also wondering how your trees are doing, and if you ever grafted onto them. I grafted over one of my Seckel seedlings today, don't think I did a very good job of it but if it fails I have plenty more to play around with.

Matthew

IT grew to about 5 feet before I cut it back to about 10 inches and grafted a flemish beauty on it last year. I kept two branches as "nurse" branches and in case the graft failed over the winter. Ive heard good things about the flemish beautys taste and hardiness so I decided to give it a try.

Thorns are a juvenile trait, common to most all seedling pears. As they reach 'sexual maturity', the thorniness on any new growth diminishes or disappears altogether.

There's an old adage, "Plant pears, plant for your heirs." - a testament both to the long juvenile period most seedling pears(though evidently not the god-forsaken callery type) have to grow through to reach bearing age - and to their longevity once they get big enough to withstand deer/rabbits, etc.

Hey everyone,

Just thought I would update on my seedling pear project. Of all my seedling pears only one has done really well, one of my Forelle seedlings which sprouted in Feb. 2014. The standout Forelle seedling is going to be the only seedling which I will keep to maturity, the others that are left will be used for rootstock. The odd thing about this experiment has been that most of the seedlings looked junky and had problems there first year so I tossed them. The Seckel seedlings did ok so I've kept two of them, and one of the Bosc and Comice I've kept as well. Of the Forelle only the one did well, the others were tossed last year. The seedlings I intend to use as rootstock are slow growing and are on average about 18 inches tall, the Forelle seedling is four feet tall.

The pic is of the Forelle seedling.

,,back then,,,i just grow a pears tree from seeds,,two of them i made to grow well,,,,it is a 3 years old now and already having a fruit....the trouble i had about is,,its not the same fruit as her mother fruit,,,,im just saying i was lucky to have this tree in a country with no such history of growing it...praying in rigth time my children will also enjoy this friut tree i grow,,,hope so...could someone give an advice if theres a posibility to improve her fruit,,,,,thank you,,,,

The fruit in the photograph isn't a pear. Where is it growing?

Its been six years since my original post and I figured I would give an update. I have three of the seedlings left from this experiment. The seedling trees were all forgotten about and left alone in their pots in 2016. Nearly all of them died because they were never watered except for the rain. That year my garden as a whole was neglected. Of the ones that survived I planted them in the ground spring of 2017. Of the three trees that have survived my Forelle seedling has still done the best. The tree is about 16 feet tall and puts out beautiful foliage. It did developed thorns but I expect or hope they will go away in time. I grafted over the Bosc seedling and the grafted tree is doing well. The lone Seckel seedling suffered the greatest damage from the neglected year and basically died down to the ground. It has since grown to a height of five feet but it looks a bit like a shrub. I should mention that the Seckel seedling is growing in a lot of shade. I nearly tossed it a few years ago when it looked so terrible but decided last minute to plant it in a shaded area near a large oak. None of the trees have bloomed yet and the Forelle seedling was the only one to develop thorns.

Matt