Invasive Pears

[Ski]

For years I have been fighting with volunteer bradford/callary pears. I think i finally found a way to make lemonade from lemons. This spring rather than cutting & treating with herbicide like normal, I grafted on some keiffer pear branches that I cut while pruning. I've never grafted anything before so wasn't expecting much but to my delight many of them took! I effectively turned a bunch of crappy volunteer ornamental pears into keiffer pears trees! Time will tell how they ultimately turn out but they're looking promising. What i grafted were just a few inches long and now have a lot of new growth a mended seams. Hoping they continue to do well and start fruiting in a year or two.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Hope they do well and don't produce thorns anymore, keep us posted. Have Bradford pears around here that I have been trying to kill, crossbow took care of some of them.

I will need to graft some persimmons in the future. I have some I grew from seed that I want to graft with limbs from the late drops that I bought.

 

[Ski]

Hope they do well and don't produce thorns anymore, keep us posted. Have Bradford pears around here that I have been trying to kill, crossbow took care of some of them.

I will need to graft some persimmons in the future. I have some I grew from seed that I want to graft with limbs from the late drops that I bought.

Im pretty sure the keiffer limbs won't make thorns. If it goes well I'll do the rest of them next spring.

Man I wish I could get some persimmons to grow. Ive tried two years in a row to get seeds to sprout but no luck. I've done apples, apricots, chestnuts, etc with high success but can't get a persimmon to sprout for nothing.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Im pretty sure the keiffer limbs won't make thorns. If it goes well I'll do the rest of them next spring.

Man I wish I could get some persimmons to grow. Ive tried two years in a row to get seeds to sprout but no luck. I've done apples, apricots, chestnuts, etc with high success but can't get a persimmon to sprout for nothing.

Few years back I picked up 6 or 8 persimmons from a late dropping tree near my house and stored the seed in the fridge for the stratification period then scarified the seed with coarse sandpaper and planted them the following spring.
100% germination, couldnt believe it. Then when they were all 12 to 14" tall they all died? No idea why? Had them in an air prune box with some sawtooth oak, maybe they crowded them? Not sure but it was disappointing. I do plan to try again though......also, after reading this post, I've already got a Bradford pear in mind to try grafting on! Thanks!

 

[Ski]

Few years back I picked up 6 or 8 persimmons from a late dropping tree near my house and stored the seed in the fridge for the stratification period then scarified the seed with coarse sandpaper and planted them the following spring.
100% germination, couldnt believe it. Then when they were all 12 to 14" tall they all died? No idea why? Had them in an air prune box with some sawtooth oak, maybe they crowded them? Not sure but it was disappointing. I do plan to try again though......also, after reading this post, I've already got a Bradford pear in mind to try grafting on! Thanks!

I always expect some failures but usually not 100%. I've also had trees sprout & grow vigorously until about 10-12" then die for no apparent reason, only to sprout back up the following year and grow very well. I always plant a bunch because I expect loss. But now that I've figured out how easy grafting is, I probably will be doing a lot more of it than planting new seeds.

I'm also going to try air layering. Looks simple enough and if it works out it'll give a huge jumpstart over seeds.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I always expect some failures but usually not 100%. I've also had trees sprout & grow vigorously until about 10-12" then die for no apparent reason, only to sprout back up the following year and grow very well. I always plant a bunch because I expect loss. But now that I've figured out how easy grafting is, I probably will be doing a lot more of it than planting new seeds.

I'm also going to try air layering. Looks simple enough and if it works out it'll give a huge jumpstart over seeds.

Experimenting now with air layering on one of our hydrangea bushes....not using the plastic wrap or bottle like the video...just pushed limb down to soil for contact and little soil over a portion then covered with a little mulch...added rock on top to hold it in place and watering every few days....we'll see....my Dad has a pear tree that was my grandmothers, 50+ year old and is still producing....would love to air layer some starts off it....tried rooting some cuttings and it was a total faulure.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Im pretty sure the keiffer limbs won't make thorns. If it goes well I'll do the rest of them next spring.

Man I wish I could get some persimmons to grow. Ive tried two years in a row to get seeds to sprout but no luck. I've done apples, apricots, chestnuts, etc with high success but can't get a persimmon to sprout for nothing.

I have had much better luck with growing trees from seed with persimmon and apples than I have had with nut trees. The native persimmons I planted did take long time to sprout.

Not sure what I have done different this year from prior attempts, but I have zero seeds sprouting from the walnuts and pecans I had in the fridge all winter. I had decent results with the walnuts I picked up from the same tree before, but I didn't float these.

 

[cane cutter]

Pecans can be grafted on hickory sprouts.

 

[Ski]

my Dad has a pear tree that was my grandmothers, 50+ year old and is still producing....would love to air layer some starts off it....tried rooting some cuttings and it was a total faulure.

Sounds like a grafting opportunity!

Pears are one of the trees I'm going to try air layering. Apples too. Going to try both the coke bottle and zip lock bag methods. Seems pretty straightforward so hopefully mine turn out as well as the YouTube people's.

 

[Ski]

I have had much better luck with growing trees from seed with persimmon and apples than I have had with nut trees. The native persimmons I planted did take long time to sprout.

Not sure what I have done different this year from prior attempts, but I have zero seeds sprouting from the walnuts and pecans I had in the fridge all winter. I had decent results with the walnuts I picked up from the same tree before, but I didn't float these.

Other than apples I have had most luck with nuts. With apples I usually get near 100% germination but all other fruits are hit or miss. Although I've only tried chestnuts and chinkapins and some oaks, I've had very good luck. Heck I bought a bag of chestnuts from the grocery store last December and now have a bunch of chestnut trees in pots.

 

[buckaroo]

Im pretty sure the keiffer limbs won't make thorns. If it goes well I'll do the rest of them next spring.

Man I wish I could get some persimmons to grow. Ive tried two years in a row to get seeds to sprout but no luck. I've done apples, apricots, chestnuts, etc with high success but can't get a persimmon to sprout for nothing.

You have to stratisfy them

 

[Ski]

You have to stratisfy them

Oh I have. I've tried the fridge. I've tried sandpaper. Tried peroxide. Tried seeds fresh out of the fruit. Tried seeds dug out of cow patties. Tried putting them in a pot of soil & leaving them out all winter. Tried combinations of all the above. I have yet to get a single seed to germinate.

 

[buckaroo]

I am very fortunate, we have over 500 persimmons on our 17 acres

 

[Chapman]

I've heard that persimmons can't be air-layered. Fig trees can be easily air-layered. Also if the fig tree has a branch you can bend to the ground and cover, it will root in that spot.

 

[Ski]

I've heard that persimmons can't be air-layered. Fig trees can be easily air-layered. Also if the fig tree has a branch you can bend to the ground and cover, it will root in that spot.

I've heard persimmon grafts very well so if I can ever get a seed to grow I'll be in good shape lol.

I just this spring planted my first fig trees so it'll be next year before I can tinker.

I'm about to try my first air layers. Going to do pink lady apple and keiffer pear. No idea how well it'll go but going to try. I'm counting on it taking most of the summer to root so hopefully I'll have some trees ready to plant in fall.

 

[Chapman]

I've heard persimmon grafts very well so if I can ever get a seed to grow I'll be in good shape lol.

I just this spring planted my first fig trees so it'll be next year before I can tinker.

I'm about to try my first air layers. Going to do pink lady apple and keiffer pear. No idea how well it'll go but going to try. I'm counting on it taking most of the summer to root so hopefully I'll have some trees ready to plant in fall.

I'd do some research before air-layering apples and pears. I think most apples are grafted to rootstock for best results. I bought native persimmon seeds off Ebay and stored them in the frig in damp potting soil over the winter they sprouted well when I planted.

 

[Ski]

I'd do some research before air-layering apples and pears. I think most apples are grafted to rootstock for best results. I bought native persimmon seeds off Ebay and stored them in the frig in damp potting soil over the winter they sprouted well when I planted.

I have researched about as much as reasonable. Now it's time to experiment. I'm not afraid of failure. Either it'll work or it won't.

Air layering is a completely different technique than grafting but both methods effectively produce exact genetic clones of the scion. What I'm unsure of and cannot seem to find a clear consensus answer to is disease resistance and growth habit. Grafting stock ultimately determines growth habit (standard, semi, dwarf) and plays a big role in disease resistance. So with air layering I'm unsure what will happen when a branch creates its own roots. Case in point, if I air layer a semi-dwarf pink lady branch, will I get a semi-dwarf pink lady tree with identical disease resistance as the mother tree? Or will it become a standard tree with its own unique immune system? These are things I cannot find real good answers to as opinions vary, so finding out will require trying it for myself.

The good thing is that it costs basically nothing but a few minutes time & few cents worth of material, plus a branch that was destined to be pruned away anyhow. There's no loss or risk in trying. If it fails then nothing changes & I continue on as I am. But if it works then it opens up an entirely new option for propagating trees that I like. If a tree is a heavy producer of good fruit with little or no maintenance, then I can recreate an infinite number of them without having to guess what the seeds will produce, or without having to find grafting stock. Mostly I'm just old & have time to tinker, and this stuff is fascinating to me.

 

[Chapman]

The rootstock makes it semi-dwarf and your air-layer will not have that influence. Any other advantages of the root stock will not be passed on in your air-layer. Good luck with your experiments.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I've heard that persimmons can't be air-layered. Fig trees can be easily air-layered. Also if the fig tree has a branch you can bend to the ground and cover, it will root in that spot.

Couple at our church has multiple fig trees in their back yard. I complemented them on their trees. Not sure which type? But they text other day to tell me they have one in a pot for me thats growing well. Hadnt picked it up yet but Im looking forward to getting a fig tree started...hoping from this one I can start others....learning as I go.

 

[Chapman]

Couple at our church has multiple fig trees in their back yard. I complemented them on their trees. Not sure which type? But they text other day to tell me they have one in a pot for me thats growing well. Hadnt picked it up yet but Im looking forward to getting a fig tree started...hoping from this one I can start others....learning as I go.

Figs are pretty easy to grow. They don't have a lot of pests or disease that need spraying like some fruit trees. In your area the cold weather is the biggest worry. If your friend's trees are doing well they should do well for your area. I've propagated lots of fig trees, mainly from dormant cuttings and some air-layering.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Figs are pretty easy to grow. They don't have a lot of pests or disease that need spraying like some fruit trees. In your area the cold weather is the biggest worry. If your friend's trees are doing well they should do well for your area. I've propagated lots of fig trees, mainly from dormant cuttings and some air-layering.

Good deal....thanks for the info!

 

[Chapman]

Good deal....thanks for the info!

Glad to try to help with any questions you have about figs

 

[Iglow]

Hybrid pears, I'm surprised the damned things aren't growing on the moon.

 

[megalomaniac]

Can't the callory pear rootstock spread laterally and continue to produce more callory pears?

 

[Ski]

Can't the callory pear rootstock spread laterally and continue to produce more callory pears?

I'm not sure. All of them that pop up on my place are random singles, so I assume they sprout from seed. That said I have no idea how to tell the difference between callary and bradford pears. They pop up like whack-a-mole all over my back field. Some have waxy dark green leaves while others have dull lighter green. Some get thorns. Some have red stems and some have brown.

 

[hammer33]

Can't the callory pear rootstock spread laterally and continue to produce more callory pears?

Oh boy yes. Im still trying to kill off the root sprouts from 5 CP trees I cut down 4 years ago. If I had treated the fresh cut stump with Gly It should have killed off the roots but I didn't.

 

[Ski]

Oh boy yes. Im still trying to kill off the root sprouts from 5 CP trees I cut down 4 years ago. If I had treated the fresh cut stump with Gly It should have killed off the roots but I didn't.

For sure they root sprout like crazy. But I've not seen them spread laterally the way plums or pawpaws do.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Pecans can be grafted on hickory sprouts.

Going to have to try this. I have had zero luck so far trying to grow pecans from nuts.

 

[cane cutter]

Good

 

[cane cutter]

Referring back to the pears. The scion from the fruit species will be a clone of the donor tree and have no thorns. If the rootstock produces suckers below the graft they must be removed because they will overwhelm the graft and you'll have your nemesis back.