HELP-we have fuzzy pears???

[old fashioned]

Several years ago, we planted a 3-way pear tree. Bartlett, Red and one other I don't remember (kids pulled all nametags) but has standard green/yellow pears on it. 2 or 3 years ago the Barlett branch was broken off and since the tree has grown several new sprouts from the roots that have been producing little pears that are very hard and fuzzy. This year the whole tree is overloaded with pears of each variety including lots of fuzzy ones that are getting huge and turning yellow but are still very hard. I understand it's possible that new branches can come from the original rootstock I just don't know if they are a viable pear or a freak offshoot or if they can even be eaten. The pears are even more fuzzier than a peach and I don't know of any peach trees anywhere around us if somehow cross pollinated. We have 4 different apple trees, 1 Bing cherry and 1-5 way cherry (new this year), 1 prune plum, and 1 asian pear. I know of one neighbor that has 1 apple tree. Any other trees around here are cedar, alder, fir and cottonwood, etc. but not fruiting types.

I've been a dirty thumb for many years growing soft fruits, veggies, herbs, flowers and fruit trees, but I've never seen anything like this.

Does anyone have any ideas about these weird pears??? Like how this may have happened, is the fruit good to eat, should I cut it down and start over with a new tree or do I market them as a new breed???

 

[vfem]

I am of no help yet again... I'm getting thrown curve ball questions lately!

First I would love to see pictures... to me, I think they are not fully ripe from what you are saying and are probably a fully edible type. Graphed trees through me off, I see them and think WOW... I would hate to lose a branch and be down a type.

I just started with trees last spring, we just got our first apples in then, and just got in our first peach. By the end of next year we're adding 4 more including pear. In a couple years I hope there are no anomalies... I wouldn't know what to do?!

ETA:

 

[Greensage45]

I agree, you need pictures to help us along; these do sound like young trees.

However, I will say that the rootstock that is commonly used with grafted Cultivars is typically very wild and typically very resistant to anything, and if given the chance will literally take the life away from the grafted limbs. Thus the reason for keeping on top of any suckers from the rootstock!

I do wonder, by your description, as to how long these suckers have been allowed to mature. They may be such that they are a limb versus a branch! Makes for ugly fixes that way!

What are your intentions for your tree? Your mention of Marketing made me think of a local Farmer's Market. I would not suggest this unless you bite into one and it is enjoyable!

Which brings me to your question: "is the fruit good to eat" LOL...you just have to take a bite to know this.

A wild Pear or what is referred to as a Crab Pear, can produce a fruit ranging from 1 inch to several inches across. It typically is a darker skin tone at first with a high degree of fuzz. Most times this pear is avoided by local wildlife because it has the typical pear "bitterness", which is present in most pears at various stages of growth.

I think everyone here can attest to pulling a pear off of a tree before it is fully ripe and biting into the bitter skin and tough tart flavor! Uggh...it is nasty!

Crab trees such as Crab Apple and Crab Pear are really beneficial to an orchard. Most fruit is grown for the fruit not the seed, so cross pollination is not an issue...it is the lack of pollination which worries farmers. Having the crab trees spread through the orchard ensures an excess of pollen, and an increase in production.

Typically, a grafted Cultivar is only meant to last 15 years tops. An orchard with grafted varieties will begin 5 year planting stages in order to reach the 15 year rotational replacement of trees. Some can pull it to 20 years but that is really exhausting the trees and creating more diseases and problems. So the reality of a grafted specimen is in the fate of the tree in the end. There is no reason a self rooted Pear tree cannot survive well into our children's children's children's garden!

Here check this out:

A PEAR TREE OF GREAT AGE; One in Connecticut Said to be at Least 250 Years Old.

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9901E5DE1E3DE433A25754C1A9679D94649ED7CF

Well, again, sorry so wordy, please accept this as just my ramblings because I am not certain LOL ....

Ron :bouquet

 

[patandchickens]

Clearly what you've got is the rootstock having sent up shoots and they've been allowed to get old enough to fruit.

Pear is often grafted onto quince rootstock, and quinces can be fuzzy especially when less-ripe, so I think that is the likeliest explanation.

Pear can't crosspollinate with peach or cherry or apple, btw.

Whatever the rootstock is, quince or a crab- or siberian-type pear, the fruit will not be poisonous, so you can certainly try it and see whatcha think. It may be very, very, very tart; or just not worthwhile. Quinces are edible, a few varieties can be eaten fresh if you like that sort of thing but AFAIK all quince cultivars (even what might be used for rootstock) can be stewed with a lot of sugar or used for pectin in making jams.

You'd be better off removing the rootstock suckers however, or you are likely to lose the whole "useful", grafted part of the tree over time.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[old fashioned]

I am not tech savvy enough to figure out how to post pics from my computer. I've read the instructions and have tinkered around and still can't figure it out. Anyway, I bought and planted the tree 10 years ago, about 4-5 years ago the Bartlett branch broke off and 3 years ago this sucker(or?) started growing from the ground right next to the tree. (it may have been there before and I just didn't notice until the other broke) The whole thing now stands about 8' high from the ground to the top branch. The fuzz now rubs off easily as they are ripening with smooth skin underneath. With the fuzz it reminds me of those artificial/plastic fruit people would have on display.
One pear I have in the house (fell to ground) measures 11inches around at it's widest part, 5 1/2 inches from blossom end to stem, and where it starts to neck inward toward the stem is only 1 1/2 inches. But if I were to cut it off to make it all completely round the piece cut off would only be 1/2 inch.(Does that make sense?) It looks like a large softball with a slight swelling (very gradual slope). All the fuzzy pears are like this, very large bottom with short fat neck. Most pears I've seen usually have more of a sloping inward and defined neck region. They are even starting to smell like ripe pears.
This sucker did produce some pears last year but were only the size of golf balls, very hard and very fuzzy, and we didn't worry much about it but did start wondering. But this year the pears are huge and we'd like to harvest and eat them.
I'm starting to think that I should stay away from the grafted varieties and stick with single standard trees.

Thanks for everyones insight and understand.

 

[old fashioned]

Sorry, but I thought of another question. Two of my apple trees also have suckers growing. One is a standard Gravenstein and the other is a dwarf Red Delicious. Can I dig off these suckers (with some roots) and plant them for additional trees?
I would think so of the Gravenstein since it's a standard, but not so sure of the Red Delicious being a dwarf (grafted rootstock).
Any ideas or suggestions? yes? or no?
Thanks again

 

[Ridgerunner]

With the Red Delicious being a dwarf, you will get whatever the rootstock is. Odds are it is not worth doing at all. I sure would not.

If the Gravenstein is grafted, same thing. If it were from a rooted cutting instead of a graft, you'd get a Gravenstein. I would expect the Gravenstein to be grafted, but maybe you know some of the history. If it came from a nursery, I'd really expect it to be grafted. I'm trying to say I don't think it is worth the effort unless you know absolutely that it is from a cutting because it is probably not.

What you could do is plant those suckers and get them established, then graft on them from your good trees. I'd think the rootstock that dwarfs the Red Delicious would dwarf the Gravenstein also, but I don't know for sure. I can think of a few people on here that might try this just for the fun of it.

My brother had a couple of grafted apple trees that died but sent shoots up from the rootstock. He tried the budding technique of grafting on them and got one to take. He'll try again on the other one next year.

 

[patandchickens]

Oldfashioned, google "quince rootstock fruit" or something like that, fish around til you find a photo of the quinces you get offa rootstock-type cultivars of quince. See if that matches what you've got.

As far as your other question, even standard-sized trees can be (and usually are, IME) grafted. Be it for speed (grafting can be faster than rooting good cuttings) or winterhardiness (some rootstocks make the plant hardier) or whatever.

I do not think it is easy to find ungrafted apple trees.

So I would not assume that just b/c a tree is not dwarfed that it is necessarily ungrafted. If it is still youngish (so you can be sure of being sure), you can look at the trunk near the ground, and scrape away some dirt for 4" or so just in case it was planted deep, and LOOK for a graft. A youngish tree with no sign of a graft union down to where roots start growing IS on its own roots. Otherwise, it's a bit of a gamble, and of course if you SEE a graft union then you KNOW you don't want to do anything with the suckers unless you want further rootstock for DIY grafting.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat