First, I'm not sure what you mean by a "Korean Pear tree". There is a cultivar called 'Korean Giant' and some people may even refer to any (some?) Pyrus pyrifolia (Asian/Chinese pears) as Korean pears. Another possibility would be cultivars derived from the country of Korea.

Most Asian pear cultivars require another cultivar for cross pollination. Some cultivars are partially self-fertile, but will still need another cultivar for best performance.

Below is a link to my list of fruit plant suppliers. Many of those listed offer various Asian pears. Burnt Ridge, Cummins, Raintree, Rolling River, and Trees of Antiquity are the ones that pop into my head first for Asian pears, but other listed suppliers also offer them. Avoid the suppliers listed on the lower list (they are bad news). I have a summary rating listed beside each entry on the list. Definitely check out the suppliers I mentioned above.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sources for Fruit Trees and Plants

Thanks for the follow-up, it is very much appreciated..... in order for the best cross pollination.. should we have two trees of the same type/species or should they be different types of pears?

THANKS YOU!..
Scott

i think brandon can not answer your question more specifically .... because he cant specifically ID your pear ...

otherwise.. speculating he said : Most Asian pear cultivars require another cultivar for cross pollination. Some cultivars are partially self-fertile, but will still need another cultivar for best performance.

and 'cultivar' means another named variety ...

now.. tugging your chain a bit.. asking a third time.. will not get you another answer.. lol ... unless we find out what pear we are talking about ...

where did you get it .... is there a label with a latin name??? or a cultivar name in 'quotes' ...

ken

OK...we haven't picked up a tree(s) yet.. however, we'd have been looking at the "Korean Giant" but haven't made any decisions yet.... I think some variety is a good thing so we'll probably end up with two types "cultivars :)".

Any recommendations?

there is a fruit forum.. and i have NEVER seen those experts hanging out over here..

they may have more knowledge at hand regarding named cultivars ...

but you never know.. brandon has a plethora of useless knowledge at his fingertips ... rotflmbo ...

ken

Scott,

I use the word cultivar instead of variety (in this and similar cases) because the word variety has a completely different meaning in a scientific sense, when discussing plants. The word variety is more commonly used to describe fruit cultivars than the word cultivar, but can lead to confusion in some cases. In this case, the words are used as synonyms, but I prefer to use cultivar, in an attempt to be more exact.

Most Asian pear cultivars will successfully cross-pollenize each other to some degree. Some are better than others, largely because their flowering times overlap better. Even some European cultivars can successfully pollenize Asian pears. Some of the commonly recommended cultivars for 'Korean Giant' (as both a pollen donor and a pollen receptor) are Hosui, Seuri, and Yoinashi.

In one of your posts above, you mentioned the possibility of having two trees of the same type. If you mean two individuals of the same cultivar (as opposed to two individuals of the same species), that will not be beneficial for cross pollination. Having two individuals of the same cultivar would be the same as having one tree, just twice as big. Increased fertility would not occur.
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Ken,

I used to be one of the more frequent contributors over on the Fruit and Orchards Forum, but don't hang out there much anymore. I find the "experts" over there (on average, not in all cases) less expert-y than many of the contributors over here. Some are more familiar with common cultivars, pruning methods used for fruit production, and disease/pest control for fruit trees, but most don't seem to have the scientific knowledge often applied to situations over here. Some are big on "anecdotal" evidence. I prefer scientific observation (ie. anecdotal evidence with some common sense and thought applied to the results). BTW, Bboy hangs out over there too (and I may be missing others). He would definitely NOT fit into the "less expert-y" category. I see him trying to keep them straightened out over there, but sometimes it's an uphill climb.

As for "knowledge at his fingertips"...have you watched the Wizard of Oz?...pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! (-;

yeah .... i havent been over there much lately ...

but when i was.. i dont remember your expertise ....

anyway.. glad you accepted the joke.. and i like the wizard of oz allusion ..

ken

The cultivar 'Shinko' will produce fruit on its own. Many sources describe it as partially self fertile, meaning it will set more fruit if another cultivar is present, but it sets plenty on its own.

Alex