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Asian pear question
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sherwindu wrote: JS wrote: I have few asian pear trees on my backyard (Hosui and 20th century).According the information I found on the internet, the harvest time for the fruits is mid-August,Does this mean they become totally ripened at that time? or it is time to pick them up, and bring insidethe house - to prevent insect damage ? I have noticed last year that insects destroyed several fruits. Does this mean I picked them too latein the season? Thanks in advance, JIMMY Jimmy, Pears are a fruit that should be rippened off the tree. After they start to feel a bit soft at the stem, take them inside and let them ripen off the tree. Asian pears, unlike European pears, are crisp when ripe and don't need to be ripened off the tree like European pears. They don't develop the woody granular structures (sclerids) that European pears do, nor do they develop the melting, buttery texture that has been standard in European pears since the 18th century. The best way to figure out when your pears are ripe is to try fruit at different stages and decide which you like best. Ripening dates are an average for a particular region, and weather and microclimate can make a substantial difference. Your backyard is probbly quite different in microclimate from a commercial orchard. Another poster suggested that the damage was due to birds not insects. You can get plastic bird netting at garden centres to drape over your trees if they aren't too large. In Japan, where people are willing to pay amazing amounts for perfect, pesticide-free fruit, growers bag each fruit individually to protect it from damage as it grows. The bags are made of that light porous row cover material, or light cloth. This may be practical for a few backyard trees. Don't use plastic bags, or you'll cook the fruit! Enjoy your harvest! |
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Asian pear question
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Asian pear question
Rick wrote: On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:09:22 -0500, Sherwin wrote: wrote: In article , sherwindu wrote: JS wrote: I have few asian pear trees on my backyard (Hosui and 20th century).According the information I found on the internet, the harvest time for the fruits is mid-August,Does this mean they become totally ripened at that time? or it is time to pick them up, and bring insidethe house - to prevent insect damage ? I have noticed last year that insects destroyed several fruits. Does this mean I picked them too latein the season? Thanks in advance, JIMMY Jimmy, Pears are a fruit that should be rippened off the tree. After they start to feel a bit soft at the stem, take them inside and let them ripen off the tree. Asian pears, unlike European pears, are crisp when ripe and don't need to be ripened off the tree like European pears. They don't develop the woody granular structures (sclerids) that European pears do, nor do they develop the melting, buttery texture that has been standard in European pears since the 18th century. The best way to figure out when your pears are ripe is to try fruit at different stages and decide which you like best. Ripening dates are an average for a particular region, and weather and microclimate can make a substantial difference. Your backyard is probbly quite different in microclimate from a commercial orchard. Another poster suggested that the damage was due to birds not insects. You can get plastic bird netting at garden centres to drape over your trees if they aren't too large. In Japan, where people are willing to pay amazing amounts for perfect, pesticide-free fruit, growers bag each fruit individually to protect it from damage as it grows. The bags are made of that light porous row cover material, or light cloth. This may be practical for a few backyard trees. Don't use plastic bags, or you'll cook the fruit! Enjoy your harvest! I have had only limited experience with Asian Pears, my tree died after a few years. You may be right about rippening them off the tree. However, I disagree about putting plastic over them cooking them. I put ziplock bags on my European Pears and Apples with no problems. Maybe the fact that I cut slits in the bottom to drain rain water alos vents them. Sherwin I had heard about the waxed paper bags the Japanese use, but could not find them here. I think I'll try the zip lock bags. You just cut a small slit in the bag at the bottom? Works great for me. Yes, you need the slit (I do one on each side of the bag) to let the rain water drain out. Put the bags on early, as soon as the fruit is easy to identify. I pick the largest and healthiest fruit in a cluster and cut off the others. This kind of thinning will produce large fruit and will put less stress on the tree. Sherwin |
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