I have few asian pear trees on my backyard (Hosui and 20th century). According the information I found on the internet, the harvest time for the fruits is mid-August, Does this mean they become totally ripened at that time? or it is time to pick them up, and bring inside the house - to prevent insect damage ?
I have noticed last year that insects destroyed several fruits. Does this mean I picked them too late in the season?
Thanks in advance,
JIMMY
I pick Heifers while they are still firm but changing color. We can ours so they need to be firm anyway to can. We usually can over a 2 week period.
Tom J
Tom, I started to see some of the fruits got damaged by insects already. Do you have such problem on yours? I picked one yesterday, and it appeared to taste almost ready -- sweet taste !! Perhaps , that is the reason why there is issues with insects?
Thanks,
Jimmy
I've never had a bad insect problem. just a worn once in a while. If you have a sweet taste already & fully formed pears, I'd say it's picking time!! My Kiefers are not through growing yet. Note correct spelling of the Kiefer.
Tom J
Thanks Tom I was wondering and amazed at pears so big that you could call them Heifers! Emilie
Tom, I posted one of the hosui that I believe is damaged by insects. I would love to hear your comments. Here is the image:
I also have a 20th-century pear which so far I don't have an "insect" problem yet. Here is the image:
Just as I expected. These are ready for harvesting now.
insects are like us, they don't like green fruit for the most part.
Tom J
This looks more like bird damage to me. I can always tell when to pick my Asian Pears- It's the day before the birds peck them!
-Rick
Rick, you may be right. There are a lot of birds on my backyard. I also have seen similar problem with my ripening tomatoes . Any idea(s) to prove this hypothesis as I may have blamed the wrong intruder here.
Thanks,
JIMMY
Jimmy,
Pears are a fruit that should be rippened off the tree. After they start to feel a bit soft at the stem, take them inside and let them ripen off the tree.
Sherwin
Asian pears, unlike European pears, are crisp when ripe and don't need to be ripened off the tree like European pears. They don't develop the woody granular structures (sclerids) that European pears do, nor do they develop the melting, buttery texture that has been standard in European pears since the 18th century.
The best way to figure out when your pears are ripe is to try fruit at different stages and decide which you like best. Ripening dates are an average for a particular region, and weather and microclimate can make a substantial difference. Your backyard is probbly quite different in microclimate from a commercial orchard.
Another poster suggested that the damage was due to birds not insects. You can get plastic bird netting at garden centres to drape over your trees if they aren't too large. In Japan, where people are willing to pay amazing amounts for perfect, pesticide-free fruit, growers bag each fruit individually to protect it from damage as it grows. The bags are made of that light porous row cover material, or light cloth. This may be practical for a few backyard trees. Don't use plastic bags, or you'll cook the fruit!
Enjoy your harvest!
Correct. If you wait for an Asian pear to feel soft at the stem, you will never get pears that are ready to eat!! If they get soft, they are rotten.
Tom J
I have had only limited experience with Asian Pears, my tree died after a few years. You may be right about rippening them off the tree. However, I disagree about putting plastic over them cooking them. I put ziplock bags on my European Pears and Apples with no problems. Maybe the fact that I cut slits in the bottom to drain rain water alos vents them.
Sherwin
I had heard about the waxed paper bags the Japanese use, but could not find them here. I think I'll try the zip lock bags. You just cut a small slit in the bag at the bottom?
Works great for me. Yes, you need the slit (I do one on each side of the bag) to let the rain water drain out. Put the bags on early, as soon as the fruit is easy to identify. I pick the largest and healthiest fruit in a cluster and cut off the others. This kind of thinning will produce large fruit and will put less stress on the tree.
Sherwin
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