North Central Texas here. Having a relatively cool summer so far - thank God!! - although the drought continues. Still many inches behind on rain for the year, and still haven’t made up for deficits in the past several years.
I have a question for fruit tree experts. I have a very old pear tree that came with the property, but I can’t identify the variety. For whatever reason, it has gone gangbusters this year with little or no care (I remain completely organic and never use chemical pesticides or fertilizers - more out of laziness than principle) and the tree is loaded with very large, quality fruit for the first time in years. I’ve done a little research and have narrowed it to either an Anjou variety or Bartlett, though I lean toward Anjou. Any more fine-tuning tips for identifying?
Oh, and I DID prune pretty radically for the first time this year, so maybe that played into the performance. Just rogue lower branches and suckers, but it took off about 15% of the tree’s limbs.
Also, I have been trying to become an expert on when to pick, how to ripen and how to store. The only respectable resource I’ve found is from the U. of Oregon, but wanted something more specific to Texas. Any reference or help would be appreciated.
We are struggling with our fruit trees not doing much. No fruits any bigger than a pea. Thinking that the drought followed by extra hard winter may be our reason.
I too, need tips, so I hope someone has some.LOL
Was there an old home site where the Pear Tree is located?
It was hit and miss on which years it produced.
Dad cut it down about 30 years ago.
/johnny
The May issue of Backwoods Home had a great article on pear trees, but it looks like the article itself isn’t online. I’ll see if I can find my copy and get the answers for you.