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Sherwin

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

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