You ask: “What winter hardiness does the Perun pear have and is it suitable for growing in the Siberian climate? I ordered seedlings and now I don’t know what to do. In the store, the seller said that the variety is winter-hardy. The other day I was talking to a neighbor, and she complained that such a pear was very frozen. Either I misunderstood, or the seller got confused.”
We answer: The goal of breeders when developing new varieties is always to improve either endurance or taste. In most cases they succeed, but there are also misfires. The legendary Perun pear was originally planned as a very winter-hardy variety, zoned for regions with difficult climates. As a result, this indicator was never raised above the average level. Even despite one of the hardy parents, Dean's pear. But thanks to two more varieties, Vnuchka and Bergamot, it was possible to obtain a pear with rather large fruits, albeit of an unusual shape. True, the taste suffered a little. In general, the characteristics of the new variety, registered back in 1998, turned out to be quite ambiguous. There are some advantages to it, but there are still quite a lot of disadvantages, so scientists still have work to do.
Description of the variety
The result of selection was the Perun variety, a late-autumn variety with a large harvest that can be stored for a long time. It has a number of positive properties and some growing features that you need to remember.
Characteristics of wood
The Perun pear is medium-sized, the crown is not thickened, but spreading and round. The shoots are inclined to the ground, covered with densely large green leaves. Fruiting occurs mainly on the ringlets.
Description of fruits
Fruits of the Perun pear.
The fruits of the Perun pear are the pride and distinction of the variety. The very fact that they have a decent size, weighing up to 180 grams, makes them desirable. They have a regular shape, slightly asymmetrical here and there, with tubercles.
The skin color is green, turns yellow during ripening and a reddish blush appears on them. The pulp is white, oily in consistency, fine-grained. The aroma is very pleasant, persistent, the taste is sweet and sour, slightly fresh.
Pears are consumed fresh and stored for the winter.
Features of cultivation
Selection of seedlings
In order not to waste several years and not be disappointed with the result, you should carefully consider the choice of pear seedling. To do this, there are several basic rules that must be followed:
- One-year or two-year-old seedlings take root best. It is easy to identify them: an one-year-old pear has no side branches, and a two-year-old pear has two or three small shoots;
- The root system of the tree should have several main roots and many additional fibrous ones. At the same time, they should not have compactions or growths;
- The bark of the trunk and branches should have a uniform color without dark spots;
- Externally, the seedling should not have any mechanical damage.
Advice! To purchase a pear seedling, you should only go to a trusted nursery or large garden center. The seedling must have a label indicating the variety “Perun” and the age of the plant.
Basic landing rules
Despite the fact that the Perun variety is zoned for the West Siberian and East Siberian regions, the pear still remains a heat-loving plant. Therefore, a place on the site needs to be allocated for it, warmed by the sun's rays and protected from cold, gusty winds. An excellent option would be the south side of the house or other building.
The variety is unpretentious to the soil composition, will take root well and will bear fruit in any area, except for low-lying swampy soils and areas with very high groundwater. But even in this case, you can get out of the situation by making artificial planting hills or laying material on the bottom of the pit that will change the direction of root growth.
It is important to follow the planting pattern for pear trees. The spreading crown requires enough free space, so it is necessary to retreat at least four meters from neighboring tall trees. A distance of three meters from houses and outbuildings will be sufficient.
Planting of Perun pear seedlings is carried out in the spring. But preparatory work for digging a hole and filling with fertilizers is carried out in advance, in the autumn.
You may be interested in: How to properly prune a pear in the spring: videos for beginners and diagrams Proper pruning of pears in the fall: diagrams and step-by-step instructions Grafting a pear: choosing what to graft a branch onto and how
In the spring, when the ground thaws from winter frosts, they begin to directly transplant the young pear. It is especially important in this process to properly straighten the root system so that there are no twisted or bent roots, and also to ensure that the root collar is located 3-4 cm above the ground surface. Otherwise, replanting a pear is similar to the usual algorithm for planting fruit trees.
Subtleties of care
Unpretentious Perun pears need watering only at a young age, while the root system has not yet grown sufficiently. Therefore, in dry years, seedlings are watered three to four times per season. Mature trees bear fruit well without additional irrigation, but according to experts, watering during the flowering period will help to avoid the ovaries from falling off and ensure a more abundant harvest.
Since pears are long-lived trees and grow for several decades in one place, the soil is gradually depleted. To maintain fertility at the proper level, it is recommended to apply fertilizers annually. They do this according to the usual scheme of feeding fruit trees three times a year: in spring, summer and autumn. Fertilizer application rates depend on the condition of the soil and the age of the pear.
An important point in caring for the Perun variety is tree pruning. Although the trees of the variety are not prone to strong growth, the procedure must be carried out twice a year. Since even the slightest thickening of the crown will lead to the tree beginning to suffer from lack of light and poor air exchange. This can lead to reduced yields and weakened immunity. In the spring, branches that thicken the crown or grow towards the main trunk are pruned. In autumn, dried and damaged branches are removed.
Of the general care recommendations, agronomists recommend the following:
- keep the tree trunk “under black fallow” and dig up the soil twice a year;
- Watering and fertilizing should be carried out along the edge of the tree trunk circle;
- After watering, clear the soil of weeds and mulch.
Advice! Tree pruning in spring is carried out when the temperature is at least 8 degrees. Otherwise, the procedure can weaken even an adult tree.
Reviews
Although they wrote that Perun is a winter-hardy pear, my mature tree also freezes. Although what’s surprising is that our frosts are difficult to survive. Otherwise the pear is very good.
Basil
Norilsk
I love Perun, even though she is a little capricious. At least for delicious fruits, of which we have little. They last until the end of winter without any problems. And what a wonderful aroma.
Valeria
Tara
It's a good pear, it doesn't freeze here. But we also take care of the entire garden and always insulate it for the winter. There are not very many fruits, but the tree does not take up much space.
Vyacheslav Galkin
Yeniseisk
Fruiting
The variety is quite early-bearing, bringing the first harvest already in the 4th year. The harvest is harvested every year, but the quantity is average. Fruit is harvested in mid-October. It is worth knowing that in bad weather conditions, fruits fall earlier, without ripening on the branches.
Pollination and reproduction
The Perun variety is declared as self-fertile, but in the presence of pollinators, fruiting increases. The pear itself is a good pollinator for other autumn and winter varieties that bloom at the same time.
Pollinators
- blooming at the same time.
Landing
Perun pear, although it has high frost resistance, prefers warm places. Therefore, it needs to be planted where the area is most protected from draft flows. Otherwise, just fertile soil and plenty of sunlight are enough.
How to plant a pear tree correctly
At what distance to plant pears?
How to choose pear seedlings
How to replant a pear
Pear "Perun": characteristics, secrets of successful cultivation
As a rule, cold-resistant varieties of pears, which are cultivated in regions with rather harsh climates, have small fruits. Compared to their background, the pear variety “Perun”, successfully grown in Siberia, compares favorably. We will familiarize ourselves with the description and characteristics of this variety.
Care
Caring for the Perun pear consists of a number of requirements that apply to all pear trees. It consists of watering, pruning and fertilizing. All details of agricultural technology can be read in more detail via the links.
How to care for a pear Pruning a pear Pruning a columnar pear Treating a pear from diseases and pests Feeding a pear How to water a pear
Selection
The originator of the Perun pear is the Scientific Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia named after. M. A. Lisavenko (NIISS named after M. A. Lisavenko), which is located in Barnaul. The creation of the variety was carried out by a group of breeders, namely: Puchkin I.A., Kalinina I.P., Karotaeva E.P., Borisenko M.I. Upon completion of state variety trials, “Perun” was recommended for cultivation in Western Siberia and East Siberia. Siberian regions. This variety was included in the register of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “State Variety Commission” in 1998.
Diseases and pests
The pear is resistant to scab and does not suffer from virtually any other diseases. Therefore, preventive spraying is sufficient to maintain immunity. You can read more about preventive measures and protecting Perun pears from pests and diseases by following the links.
Dangerous Pear Pests
Pears often suffer from pests, they affect the leaves, bark and fruits.
In this article, we have selected 11 of the most harmful insects that harm pear trees, and also ways to destroy them.
Diseases of pear trees
To get what they cherish, gardeners have to work hard, and the reason for this is pear diseases.
Read about 19 common pear diseases and how to combat them.
Harvest and storage
The fruits of Perun begin to ripen in mid-October. They must be collected as quickly as possible, preferably without even waiting for the pears to reach the stage of biological ripeness (yellowing).
This precaution is necessary for two reasons:
- The weak branches of Perun make the variety prone to massive fruit drop.
- Pears that are not fully ripe are stored much longer than those taken from the tree after full ripening, and fruits that have fallen to the ground are not suitable for storage at all.
Thus, experienced gardeners recommend starting to harvest Perun as soon as the pears reach their “natural” size, that is, around the first days of October.
The larger the fruit, the faster it will fall, and accordingly, the sooner it must be removed from the tree. The best place to store pears is the cellar. The fruits must be sent to it, having previously been placed in wooden or cardboard boxes with the stalk facing up. Did you know? In Russia during Peter's time, the word “pear” was not used. Instead, the fruit, well known to our ancestors, was called the not very euphonious word “dulya”, which apparently had Polish roots.
If you do not allow the fruits to be stacked in several layers or at least regularly inspect their condition, the harvest can be preserved for 3-4 months, that is, at least until the New Year. If there are no conditions for such storage, Perun pears can be dried, frozen or preserved in the form of compote, jam and other preparations. This will allow you to easily extend the life of the fruit by a year or two.
Perun is an example of a late-ripening pear variety suitable for growing in harsh climatic conditions. Its fruits may be inferior in taste to more heat-loving competitors, and the variety is not distinguished by its high yield, but by planting such a pear on your plot, you can provide yourself with fresh fruits until spring, when the place of seasonal fruits on store shelves has long been taken expensive and questionable in terms of useful properties imported analogues.
Terms and rules of pruning
In the year of planting, the Perun pear grows quite weakly and practically does not need spring pruning. In the future, pruning of the fruit tree is best done in the winter-spring period, from February to early May. Pruning a young fruit tree and a profusely fruiting older pear certainly has certain differences.
Proper pruning can restore pear growth, and also significantly increases yield and allows you to increase fruiting time. In addition, the appearance of garden plantings improves. However, when carrying out such an event, it is necessary to follow the basic rules:
- the first pruning is carried out when the plant reaches at least two years of age; when pruning, you should adhere to a right angle of cut;
- You cannot cut out young shoots that grow from the main trunk;
- on young fruit plants, the main or central trunk should be shortened by a quarter, while adjacent branches are cut into a “ring”;
- a guideline for correct pruning is the annular influx on the bark, which is located at the base of the branches;
- On the main part, approximately five or six lateral branches should be left, which should be located at an angle of 45 degrees to the stem of the plant;
- all excess skeletal branches should be carefully trimmed annually by about a quarter of the length;
- for active growth and development of young shoots, it is very important to periodically carry out shortening pruning not only inside the crown of the fruit tree, but also over the entire surface at least once every three years;
- Rejuvenating pruning of a fruit tree should start from the lowest branches and gradually move towards the top of the plant.
After pruning is completed, absolutely all cuts must be carefully treated with garden varnish, which can be replaced with oil-based paint. Proper pruning of the pear helps to improve the illumination of the crown, and also makes garden plantings convenient for preventive spraying and harvesting.
Preparing Siberian pears for winter
In order for the pear to safely survive the frosty Siberian winter , you need to carefully prepare for it. For this:
- remove old fruits on branches , carrion and fallen leaves from the site, as they are a source of infectious diseases for plants;
- pruning dried branches , freeing the bark from dead growths is a mandatory procedure before wintering;
- it is important to treat the crown and trunk from scab ; for this it is safer to use a five percent urea solution rather than pesticides;
- to increase frost resistance, you need to feed the tree with potassium or phosphorus fertilizers;
- A mandatory rule is to cover the tree with earth , and after precipitation, with snow, to retain heat in the root system. In case of a winter with little snow, it is recommended to wrap the tree trunk with roofing material or roofing felt. These materials will also protect the tree from a terrible enemy - rodents.
Insulating a pear trunk for the winter
Thus, growing pears in Siberia is a rewarding endeavor, bringing gardeners not only a good harvest, but also giving scope for creativity . With good care and compliance with the rules and regulations of cultivation, a pear can produce an excellent harvest and a reason for pride for its breeders.
