Dear reader, today we will tell you about the best varieties of pears in the Ural Region. We will be very glad if you can share your comments. If you liked the article, we will be very glad.
Pear trees naturally grow only in warm climates. To get a good harvest of tasty and aromatic fruits in regions with harsh climatic conditions, it is necessary to select special varieties that are resistant to both frost and heat and drought, which are not uncommon in the Urals and its neighboring territories. Such varieties are constantly being developed by breeders, so every gardener will be able to choose the ideal plant for themselves, depending on their preferences.
Many pear varieties can be successfully grown in risky farming areas
Specifics of growing pears in the Urals
A characteristic feature of the Ural region is that it has unfavorable climatic conditions for growing most plants. The territory of the Urals is dominated by swampy and podzolic soils, in which the cultivation of pears is significantly complicated. Weather conditions in the region are unstable; temperature changes are regularly observed, due to which planted seedlings may die. Even in late spring and summer, serious frosts can occur.
Such climate features force gardeners to make certain changes in the process of planting and growing pears. To obtain a medium or high yield, you will have to pay special attention to insulating the seedlings and applying fertilizing. Before planting pear seedlings, a drainage layer is created in the soil, which is covered with organic and mineral fertilizers on top. In winter, the planted trees are covered with snow, which will protect them from severe frosts.
Possible mistakes
Beginner gardeners can make mistakes:
- when choosing a seedling variety, without taking into account its breeding and climatic requirements, age, size,
- on selecting a landing site,
- improper application of fertilizers, excess nitrogen fertilizers,
- improper pruning.
If mistakes are made when choosing planting material and improperly caring for it, crop loss and an increased risk of developing diseases are possible.
When thinking about how to plant a pear in the Urals in the spring, you need to choose a suitable variety suitable for a given climatic zone. Take into account the rules for choosing soil and location, planting rules and further care. A competent approach to planting will help you grow a bountiful harvest of pears even in the conditions of the Urals.
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Growing pears correctly
Planting and caring for pear trees is accessible to any gardener, even a beginner. When planting in spring, holes for trees are dug in the fall, and when planting in autumn - 3-4 weeks in advance. For a pear grafted onto a vigorous rootstock, the diameter of the hole should be 100-120 cm, the depth 50-60 cm, and for those grafted onto a weak-growing rootstock, 70 and 50 cm, respectively. It would not be superfluous to repeat the pit preparation technology once again. When digging them, the upper cultural layer is folded to one side, without mixing it with the lower one. If the soil is sandy, poor in nutrients, and has low moisture capacity, then it is improved by adding clay, peat or peat compost at the rate of 1/3-1/2 the volume of the soil in the pit. If the soil is clayey or heavy loam, it is made loose by adding sand or peat. Lowland peat, decomposed and aerated, is especially good for growing pears. Before use, it is brought to a state of complete saturation with water so that it does not take moisture from the soil of the planting hole. Organic and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil for filling holes at the rate of 0.8-1 kg of superphosphate, 0.1-0.15 kg of potassium chloride or 1 kg of wood ash and 1.5 kg of lime. In addition, 25-30 kg of organic fertilizers are applied. Amateur gardeners, as a rule, grow pears in rows of apple trees. The distance between trees is set so that planting and care do not cause difficulties, sufficient nutrition area is provided for the root system and good illumination of the crown (this is especially important for a pear grafted on a vigorous rootstock). In the first three years after planting, the trunk circle should be 1 m in diameter, in the next 4-7 years -1.5-1.7 m, and at the age of 8-10 years - 2-2.5 m. In autumn, the soil is dug up to a depth 10-12 cm near the trunk and 15-20 cm on the rest of the trunk area. In the spring, they dig to a shallower depth so as not to damage the roots. Shovels are placed with the edge to the trunk. If a root shoot forms, which happens with some undercutting forms, then during digging it is dug up to the point of origin and cut out, leaving no stumps. In early spring, the soil is loosened to retain moisture and kept moist throughout the growing season, removing weeds. It makes sense to mulch young plantings: autumn mulching will protect the roots from freezing in winter, and spring mulching will help retain moisture and prevent weed germination. It is recommended to apply fertilizers for pear trees in the fall into circular grooves 40-50 cm deep, made around the projection of the crown, or into furrows. Of particular importance for pears are foliar feedings - spraying plants with nutrient solutions that stimulate growth, crop formation and increase the winter hardiness of trees. To do this, use a 0.5-1% urea solution 8-10 days after flowering and again after 10-14 days. Autumn treatment of pears after harvesting the fruits and yellowing of 30% of the leaves with a 5% urea solution is very useful in the fight against such a serious disease as scab.
Diseases and pests
The Ural zone is characterized by damage to pear trees by the following diseases:
- Scab (fungal disease) affecting the foliage system, shoots and fruits. The disease manifests itself in the falling of young fruits, cracking of ripened pears, yellowing and falling leaves.
- Fruit rot (moniliosis), manifested by fungal infection of the fruit, leading to complete rotting and falling of the pears.
- Sooty fungus, in which leaves and fruits become covered with a fungus similar to soot, and then turn black and fall off.
The most common and dangerous pests for pears are:
- Pear gall mite, in which the leaves “swell”, then turn yellow and fall off.
- Pear aphid. When infested by aphids, the leaves curl, become sticky, transparent, and then fall off.
- Winter moth caterpillar. Insects eat away parts of young leaves (buds, flowers) and tighten the damage with cobwebs.
To combat scab (and also as a preventive measure), it is necessary to spray the trees with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture in 4 stages: at bud break, at the end of flowering, and 2 more treatments with an interval of 3 weeks.
To prevent fruit rot, fallen (yellowed, blackened) leaves are sprayed with a solution of urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and potassium chloride.
To combat aphids and mites, trees are treated with insecticides.
On a note. As a preventative measure against pests, it is recommended to spray tree plantings with an infusion of red chili pepper, garlic, tobacco, red elderberry, onion, and basil.
Features of the pear
A pear, if grown under favorable conditions, is more durable than an apple tree. It has a pronounced trunk, a higher trunk and a compressed crown shape. Its bud arousal is also higher than that of an apple tree. And the shoot-forming ability is slightly lower - that’s why most pear varieties have a sparse crown. The wood of young pear trees is whitish in color, while that of adults is yellow-reddish, with a very beautiful texture.
Pear is a cross-pollinating plant. Its flowers are characterized by a not very pleasant smell, due to which pollinating insects are not very willing to visit these trees compared to the apple tree. The shape of the fruits is cube-shaped with an unclearly defined neck (for example, in Bessemyanka), pear-shaped (Tonkovetka), elongated pear-shaped (Bere Oktyabrya) and bergamot-shaped, almost round (Autumn Bergamot). The fruits vary in size and color.
Pears are picky, and amateur gardeners know this well. It requires warm areas, protected from cold winds, loose, water- and breathable soil, good lighting and regular fertilization. Pears grafted onto seedlings of winter-hardy cultivars and forest pear, i.e. those that are mostly grown in our gardens grow and bear fruit best on loamy and clayey soils, underlain by light loams. It does not tolerate heavy clay damp soils well, and light dry sandy soils are also not suitable for it. Since the root system of the pear lies deep, it therefore requires deep, loose, fertile and sufficiently moist soil. Moreover, if a pear is grown grafted on dwarf rootstocks (for example, serviceberry, chokeberry, hawthorn or cotoneaster), then increased demands are placed on the soil due to the more superficial location of the root system. And one more circumstance should be taken into account when choosing a place for a pear - this is its reduced winter hardiness and earlier flowering period compared to an apple tree. In the spring, flowers and young fruit ovaries may be damaged, and if the temperature drops for a long time to minus 30-35 degrees, the tree may die.
Pruning pear trees
In the year of planting, the pear grows weakly and requires almost no pruning in the spring. When the skeleton of the crown is formed, pruning is minimized, observing only the principle of placing skeletal formations in accordance with the accepted crown design, bending excess branches to give them a horizontal position. To do this, they are pulled with twine to a nail driven into the base of the tree trunk. This long-known technique invariably leads to faster fruiting. It has already been said that, unlike an apple tree, the crown of a pear is sparser and lighter, the annual growth is stronger and the pruning pattern in this case will be different. If they are not trimmed, few branches will form. Shortening the shoots of the continuation of skeletal branches during the formation of the crown by approximately 1/4 of the length leads to the appearance of one or two lateral branches and enhances the development of overgrowing branches on the lower parts of the growths. Proper pruning of fruit-bearing pear trees is one of the most important measures that influences the duration of the fruiting period and increases productivity. High yields and good quality fruits can be obtained only when the tree annually grows shoots 30-40 cm long, which is typical for young trees. In aging trees, annual shoot growth weakens. The only way to induce normal growth and enhance the formation of young fruit formations is correct shortening pruning, “light rejuvenation”. With this pruning scheme, the branches are shortened along the entire periphery of the crown and partially inside it, mainly on the lateral branches and fruit formations. The signal is a decrease in the length of the growths to 20-25 cm. Light rejuvenation is done during the period of full fruiting and weakening of growth on 4-5-year-old wood, that is, at the last annual growth of normal length (30-40 cm). In addition, old and weak fruits are removed, and the strong ones are thinned out. All these actions are carried out in the spring after the end of severe frosts.
Skorospelka Sverdlovskaya (Talitsa)
Pears of this variety ripen quickly. You can start collecting fruits from mid-August. The parents of “Skorospelka” were “Yellow Bere” and “Early Summer”. The variety turned out to be successful, the tree is vigorous, the crown is pyramid-shaped, spreading, and quickly grows to its maximum size. The skeletal and overgrowing branches are not very thick. The ripened harvest greatly bends the branches. To prevent the branches from breaking off from the weight of the fruit, supports are required for them.
The fruits are small, no more than 110 g, more like medium-sized apples. The peel is smooth, slightly rough. The fruits are light yellow in color, with large hardened dots on the surface. The pulp of pears contains almost no hard inclusions, is cream-colored, very juicy, sour-sweet with a harmonious honey aroma.
The main advantage of the Talitsa pear variety is considered to be early ripening - the crop is ready for harvest after 2.5 months from flowering. This variety is quite productive - up to forty tons of fruit can be collected from each hectare. The tree begins to bear fruit annually at 5-6 years of age. As a zoned variety for the Urals, the variety is very frost-resistant, and spring frosts are not a problem for it. "Skorospelka Sverdlovskaya" is almost not affected by scab.
The variety is self-sterile, but any varieties that bloom at the same time as “Talitsa” are suitable as a pollinator. The disadvantages of the variety include low resistance to high temperatures and low soil moisture. The fruits need to be used quickly, because their shelf life is insufficient - the harvested crop does not last longer than 10 days.
The ripening time of pears may vary from year to year. The fruits, ripening ahead of schedule, rapidly fall off. The Skorospelka harvest is unsuitable for transportation, and this limits its sale. The variety is good for fresh use and for preservation – for table and technical purposes.
Bere yellow improved (Berezhenaya)
This is a clonal pear variety that ripens in autumn, created as a result of artificial mutagenesis - treatment of cuttings of the Bere Zheltaya variety with radiomutagens. The State Register recommends it for the Urals and Cis-Urals. According to experts, it is recognized as one of the best pear varieties grown in the northern regions of Russia.
The tree is winter-hardy, medium-sized, has a rounded and strong crown. Skeletal branches are located at an optimal angle to the trunk. The harvest is brought by ringed and spears. The variety has high disease resistance. It is not affected by pests characteristic of the Urals.
Bere Zheltaya trees regularly produce high yields, and the fruits do not fall off for a long time. Fruiting of the tree begins at the age of 4-6 years and persists for a long time. Overgrowing branches are straight, round in cross-section. The leaves are medium-sized, smooth, pale green, thin. Blooms very early. The flowers are small, collected in large inflorescences, white, resistant to spring frosts.
Ripe fruits are medium-sized, up to 120 g, identical in shape and size. The skin is smooth, thin, dry, tender. The fruits are colored in light yellow tones, without integumentary coloring. The dots under the skin of the fruit are faintly visible. The stalk is not long and not thick. The fruits are medium-density, juicy, without hard spots, and have a characteristic pear aroma. The taste of ripe pears is sweet and sour. The seed chambers are almost invisible. Tasters give the taste of the fruit a high rating. The presentation is excellent.
The fruits are ready for harvesting in mid-autumn. According to the date of fruit harvest, the variety is considered late-ripening. Fruits can be stored in a warm room for no longer than 75 days, and carefully removed fresh fruits can last up to 130 days.
Pear varieties for the Moscow region
The Moscow region is a part of the Russian central zone where the climate is quite moderate: summers are not too hot and winters are not too cold, although there are often deviations from the norm. According to statistics, the precipitation regime here is such that additional watering of plants is often not required. Based on all this, you should choose the best varieties of pears for the Moscow region.
Early varieties
The best early varieties of pears ripen closer to August. But all early summer varieties are stored rather poorly, so you have to either quickly eat them or make compotes, preserves or jams from them. The best summer varieties are those presented below.
Variety "Lada"
This is one of the fastest ripening varieties. It tolerates drought and winter well, is resistant to fungal diseases and is almost not susceptible to brocade. The tree of this variety is medium-sized, with a pyramidal crown. It begins to bear fruit in the 3-4th season and produces stable yields. If you want to find the answer to the question of which pear varieties are best to plant in the Moscow region, then the Lada variety will suit you in all respects.
Description of the fruit:
- average weight 150 g;
- yellowish skin with a blurred reddish blush;
- the taste of the pulp is sweet and sour;
- enriched with fructose and P-active substances.
Variety “Bumpy” or “Vidnaya”
This is a late summer variety, the fruits ripen at the very beginning of autumn. High winter hardiness and resistance to fungal diseases. The fruits do not ripen at the same time - the ripe ones can remain on the tree, firmly held on the branches. Fruiting occurs in the fifth year.
Description of the fruit:
- uneven and rough shape;
- the yellowish-green skin acquires orange stains as it ripens;
- poorly transported.
Variety "Chizhovskaya"
Also a late summer variety with good resistance to some diseases and frosts. Begins to bear fruit from the 3rd season. Included in the list of the best self-fertile pear varieties for the Moscow region.
Description of the fruit:
- pinkish tint to the skin;
- pulp with a sweet and sour taste.
Video about the Chizhovskaya pear variety for the Moscow region:
Variety "Tenderness"
A fairly large harvest ripens by September.
Description of the fruit:
- large size (200 g);
- greenish skin with red blush;
- At zero temperature it can be stored for a long time.
Variety "Cathedral"
A very popular mid-year variety in the Moscow region, ripening in early August. Little susceptible to frost and disease. Description of the fruit:
- medium size (100 g);
- the taste is sweet and sour, with a bias towards acid./li>
Late varieties
In the Moscow region, some late varieties of pears that ripen in the fall can also bear fruit.
Variety "Moskvichka"
This early autumn variety has a short tree, but with powerful main branches. The fruits do not fall off the branches and are well transported. The Moskvichka variety is one of the best winter pear varieties for the middle zone.
Description of the fruit:
- the skin is light yellow with greenish splashes;
- The pulp is juicy, with a pronounced aroma.
Variety "Yakovlev's Favorite"
The tree begins to bear fruit from the fifth season, and the yield increases every year. Ripening occurs in mid-September. This pear variety is late ripening and has good keeping quality.
Description of fruits:
- greenish-yellow skin;
- The pulp has a sweetish-sour taste, not tart, but with the aroma of quince.
Variety "Fairytale"
The tree is tall and resistant to gall mites and scab.
Description of the fruit:
- large size (250 g);
- the skin is greenish with a slight yellowness;
- pleasant taste of the pulp;
- suitable for processing into juices and purees;
- It can be stored for up to two weeks, which makes it the best variety of winter pear.
Columnar pear varieties
In the Non-Black Earth Region, late varieties of columnar pears with relatively high winter hardiness are more often planted. Late-autumn species are characterized by greenish-colored fruits with orange splashes, growing up to 200 g and having a pleasant taste. In early autumn species, the fruits are wide, reaching a weight of 300 g, fragrant and very juicy.
Variety “Naryadnaya Efimova”
This is a very productive variety of pears with excellent winter hardiness, so we can say that this is the best variety of columnar pear for the Moscow region. Ripening begins at the end of August and can continue throughout September. The harvest can quickly become overripe, so it should be harvested in a timely manner. The fruit is very beautiful, with a bright green-red color.
Variety “Vera yellow”
Its fruits ripen at the very end of September. The crop is very winter-hardy, but begins to bear fruit only in the sixth year, and the yield is unstable. The fruits are medium-sized (170 g).
The above list shows that even in the Moscow region it is possible to grow pears, beloved by many.
