Dwarf pear (24 species): list of the best varieties, description, characteristics, planting, care and cultivation

Advantages of a pear on a dwarf rootstock

Compact pears have a number of strengths, which makes them popular. Among the main advantages:

• early fruiting (the first full-fledged harvest is formed in the 3-4th year after planting);
• saving space in the garden;
• large fruits;
• the harvest is easy and quick to harvest;
• Treatments against pests and diseases are easy to carry out;
• from one plant you can collect about 8 kg of tasty fruits;
• decorativeness of trees (dwarf plants will be a good decoration for the site).

Care

In the spring

For a stable and large harvest, follow these care measures for your dwarf apple tree:

1. In spring, you need to remove all protective materials that were used in winter.
2. Sanitary pruning of the tree is carried out. It is necessary to remove all branches that have been damaged by frost.
3. Treating the crown of an apple tree against pests.
4. Cleaning up debris around the tree.
5. Loosening the soil to a depth of 7 cm
6. Application of fertilizer containing nitrogen.
7. Whitewashing the trunk of a dwarf apple tree
8. Spraying the tree with pest control solutions.

In summer time

Provide your dwarf apple tree with the following care methods:

1. Timely watering of the soil, avoiding drying out of the soil.
2. Preventive treatment of wood with solutions. It is also necessary to pay attention to other garden plants that can carry dangerous bacteria.
3. The process of foliar fertilizing with nitrogen.
4. Adding iron sulfate.

in autumn

Gardeners should pay attention to autumn care for dwarf apple trees. First you need to collect all the harvest from the tree. The ground around the apple tree should remain clean. It is necessary to remove fallen fruits and any debris. Otherwise, the process of rotting may begin.

All branches that received burns in the summer are removed. The soil is loosened to prevent pests. The trunk is insulated for the winter with roofing felt. Traps are set for mice.

Preparing for winter

For short trees with weaker root systems, the winter preparation stage is important. Despite their declared frost resistance, insulation is mandatory in the middle zone, especially for young seedlings.

In order for dwarf trees to survive the harsh winters of Russia, several important procedures should be followed:

• Fallen leaves and fruits are collected from the ground and destroyed. This will help destroy pests and bacteria that overwinter in dry waste.
• At the end of autumn, tree trunks are whitened with a special paint based on lime or chalk. The protective layer will protect the trees from cracking of the tree bark, which often occurs during sudden winter temperature changes.
• The tree trunk circle is mulched with sawdust, straw or peat, spreading a layer of at least 20 cm.
• The first few years are protected by apical buds. Polyethylene bags are placed on the trees.
• After the first heavy snowfall, artificial snowdrifts are formed from it near the trunks to the base of the skeletal branches.
• To protect against rodents, the trunk is wrapped with spruce branches or roofing felt.

To protect against rodents, the trunk is wrapped in spruce branches or roofing felt.
Such simple measures will help trees survive the winter with minimal losses.

Distinctive features

A dwarf apple tree seedling differs from other trees in the following ways:

1. Fibrous type of root system with small roots. Other varieties have a rod type system.
2. On the dwarf rootstock you can see a small protrusion.
3. Young trees have large buds on their branches.
4. The height of the trunk does not reach more than 50 cm.

Features of growing dwarf pears

Most often, several varieties with different fruiting periods are chosen for a plot. Cross pollination always increases tree productivity by 15-30%. For normal growth and development, it is necessary to follow the rules of care, which include watering, fertilizing and timely pruning.

Landing

Planting work is best done in the autumn (approximately before the first frost) or early spring (3-5 after the snow has completely melted).

For the first 3-4 years, a peg is installed near the young tree for support. This will help protect the young plant from tilting and damage due to strong winds.

When planting, try to place the seedling so that the grafting site is 5 cm above the ground level.

For plants, choose areas with loose fertile soil, where clay is contained in a minimum volume. The place should be protected from drafts, but at the same time well lit.

A few weeks before planting, prepare a hole (width - 100 cm, depth - 45 cm). The top layer of fertile soil is not thrown away. It is subsequently used as the basis for a nutrient mixture, which is covered with the roots of the seedlings.

Diseases and pests

Protecting young trees from damage by pests and diseases is much easier than later dealing with treatment and restoration of plants.

The main rule of prevention is compliance with all rules of agricultural technology. Only plants with good immunity can easily resist attacks from viruses and insects.

As a preventative measure, the crown, branches and trunk are sprayed with special nutritional compounds throughout the season (6 times):

1. In the spring, trees are treated with a urea solution (100 g of fertilizer is dissolved in 10 liters).
2. Before flowering, young foliage is treated with a less concentrated composition (75 g of urea is added to 10 liters of water).
3. During the flowering period, 50 g of urea per bucket of water is used to prepare the composition.
4. Trees are treated with a similar composition 2 more times during the summer.
5. In the autumn, after the leaves have fallen, the plants are sprayed again with a concentrated solution (100 g of substance per 10 liters).

As a preventive measure, the crown is sprayed with a urea solution throughout the season.
The first spraying of the foliage is carried out after the temperature outside has stabilized above +5 °C.

It is no less effective to spray with a 1% solution of ferrous sulfate before the leaves appear, and with 5% after the leaves fall.

The most common diseases are listed in the table.

Of particular danger to pears are green and umbrella aphids, as well as fruit gall midges. Insects feed on the sap of trees, gradually suppressing and destroying them. Also, the crop is often attacked by mites and copperheads. When signs of damage appear, all fruit trees in the garden are treated with insecticides.

Fertilizing apple trees

For fruit trees and dwarf apple trees in particular, the most important elements are phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. They can be added to the soil, either individually or in combination with each other, as well as with microelements - boron, molybdenum, manganese and others.

If you decide to apply mineral fertilizers (it is best to do this in the second or third year, regardless of whether the trees bear fruit or not), remember that dwarf apple trees can be overfed. Then all these additional substances will be deposited in the fruits, and the soil structure will become worse. It is recommended to apply no more than four kilograms of fertilizer per one hundred square meters of land.

Organic fertilizers, such as bird droppings and manure, enable microorganisms to multiply, the vital activity of which ensures the healthy growth of trees. But organic fertilizers need to be applied in small quantities. Otherwise, the tree’s ability to bloom and bear fruit may be reduced. Due to an excess of nitrogen, nitrates accumulate in fruits.

Reproduction of dwarf pears

To propagate dwarf pears, you can use 3 methods: seeds, cuttings and grafting. The first is rarely used, since it is too labor-intensive and does not provide confidence that the grown plant will match the characteristics of the parent.

Vaccination

Dwarf pears reproduce by grafting onto quince or serviceberry rootstocks. The procedure is performed at the end of April - beginning of May in the early morning or evening. Any time of day is suitable for such purposes, as long as the weather outside is cloudy.

Pear grafting methods

Sequencing:

1. You can graft a pear under the bark, into a side cut, or into a split.
2. Cuttings are selected 70-80 cm long, which have been prepared since winter.
3. On the selected rootstock, all fertile branches are removed, leaving only 40 cm of their length.
4. Vaccination is performed using the chosen method.
5. The joint is tightly wrapped with electrical tape and lubricated with garden varnish.

Engraftment will take at least 20-30 days.

By cuttings

Cuttings are prepared in advance. Their length should be at least 25-30 cm. Each specimen should have at least 2 internodes and 5 leaves.

The cuttings are cleaned at the base and placed in a previously prepared root-forming composition, for example, based on Kornevin. Planting material is left for 2 days.

Then the cuttings are dropped into moist, loose soil. If all conditions are met, they quickly take root.

You can add a little sphagnum to the soil to speed up the rooting process.

Reviews from gardeners

Svetoslav, 60 years old: “I constantly plant columnar and dwarf trees on my plot. I liked Sapphira the most. I love the amazing taste and juicy fruits.”

Svetlana, 39 years old: “I grew my first dwarf tree several years ago. I bought it at the market quite by accident. For 2 years, she regularly fertilized, watered, and insulated for the winter. As a result, in the 3rd year I received my first delicious harvest.

Today there are already 6 dwarf pears in my garden with different ripening periods.”

Low pears are an ideal option for planting in a small area where growing classic pears is simply not feasible. Early-fruiting and productive trees will not only provide their owners with tasty fruits, but will also decorate the garden with their beautiful appearance.

Do you have a dwarf pear in your garden? Have you ever thought about planting a compact tree? Share your opinion in the comments.

Bere Ardanpont (Ferdinand)

One of the oldest winter varieties, Bere Ardanpont (known since the 18th century), does not lose its attractiveness for gardeners. It is famous for the long-term preservation of fresh fruits, their excellent taste and good yield.

The crown of the tree is dense and pyramidal. The fruit size ranges from medium to large. They are shaped like a bell with a bumpy surface. The skin is smooth, matte, green in color for almost the entire ripening period. When the fruits reach consumer maturity, their color changes to yellow with brown spots.

Ripening occurs unevenly, so fruits that hang for a long time begin to crumble. The pulp is buttery, melts in the mouth, with a tart, sweet aftertaste. Bere Ardanpon pears are used to make jams and compotes and use them as a filling for pancakes and pies.

But the variety also has a significant drawback: it does not tolerate cold and disease well.