Information
Species: Pyrus communis
Use: Cooking pear
Ploidy: ??
Pollination Group: F
Cultivar Group: 1
Bearing: Spur
Blossom: (notes to follow)
Season: Late October – November
More Info: Keepers / Joan Morgan
Tree Source: Peter Nichol, Northern Fruit Group
Rootstock: St Julian ‘A’
Planting Size: Small feathered maiden
Planting Date: 8th February 2018
Gallery
Notes & Observations
Background – Described as an old favourite cooking / baking pear.
“Origin, introduced to England from Mr. Stoeffels, of Mechlin, about 1835. I have not been able to find it in any foreign work. According to Thompson, the Dutch name is Doppelte Krieges. This hardy and excellent variety can be strongly recommended. It is quite one of the best cooking pears we grow.” – Edward A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits More Commonly Grown in England, 1920.
2019 Season – Very poor growth and premature leaf loss – possible disease issues or just physiological stress? Will monitor in 2020.
7.5.20 – Good blossom on the older wood, may require thinning.
13.8.20 – Low fruit set, only around 6-10, of average size. Good stem / leaf growth, recovering well from a poor 2019.
2020 Season – A few pears picked and used along with cooking apples in stewed fruit. Not large enough to bake and sample on their own. Hopefully in 2021.
Winter 2021 – Developing into a compact tree, multiple uprights with fruiting branches. Pruned to thin congestion.