Flordahome Pear Tree Information and Care. The early morning sun is particularly important because it dries the dew from the leaves, thereby reducing the incidence of diseases. Dogs and other Wildlife love to eat the fruit of the Sand Pear Tree when the Fall harvest comes around. If you have an abundance of fruit or want to try preserving some for later on, these pears are perfect for canning or drying. This locally grown fruit is in the Oriental pear classification and is also known as Asian, Chinese and Japanese. Feed your pear trees with a fertilizer such as Ferti-lome Fruit, Citrus and Pecan Tree Food. The fruit of the Sand Pear Tree is large, golden-yellow and very tasty. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Either way, you won’t have leftovers for long! Hood or … There is a very good report here on sand pears in Florida. The Flordahome is leaf spot and fire blight resistant. You might even try making a shrub as a way to enjoy this local fruit long after the season is over. In the world of fruit, they tend to get pushed into the back row, well behind the glistening Macintosh Apples and sparkling Navel Oranges. I want to get a good Sand Pear like my childhood neighbor had. $5 per bucket of twelve or fifteen pears. Keri Leymaster, Extension Faculty, Horticulture . Florida Sand Pears are not known for their beauty. Unlike Bartletts, these pears are eaten when crispy and most people peel the skin since it is a bit tough. Little seems to have changed over the decades. Asian pear trees can be grown successfully in North Florida … When you're ready to get started, use sharp shears or a pruning saw to remove branches that grow downward or in toward the center of the tree. (200 Chill Hours) Find a good location with soil that drains well. Pear tree pruning also begins at planting time. Any idea what else it might be called or where I can get a few of these? The texture is what you would expect from a good eating pear: neither grainy or bitter. You can also subscribe without commenting. In one place I lived years ago, in the country on lots of acreage, I had a sand pear in my yard. My sand pears should be ripe in about 2 weeks...they go from a green to a mottled tan but will still be very hard. – with my film Get Grafting!, available for a donation of any amount here. above the ground to encourage good branching. As with all fruit trees, sunlight is a key to maximizing fruit production. Finally, I did a full post not too long ago on pear varieties for the south – check that out here. Orient pear trees originally came from California and were introduced to Florida in 1945. Use high-quality planting mix and fertilizer and provide good spacing. Considered a "firm" pear, but NOTHING like the hard, gritty native sand pears. It was a pleasure to stop at the base of the tree after running with my dogs to share a sweet and crispy treat. Recently I sampled a giant, juicy sand pear for the first time, and my first thought was, how could I have missed these before now? It produces best when it is pollinated with another pear tree, preferably the Hood pear. In my North Florida food forest I grew Florda Home, Pineapple, Hood, Kieffer, Baldwin and other recommended pear varieties for the south, plus grafted branches onto some of them from an old productive pear tree growing in Gainesville of unknown variety. Your email address is invalid. (Bartlett is the number one pear for commercial production in the US.) from the ground and those with crotches of less than 60 degrees. This delicious pie works with either a lattice or solid top crust. The Florida Sand Pear won’t win any beauty contests next to the gleaming apples and sparkling grapes. Call the pear orchard pros toll free at 888-758-2252. The Flordahome Pear is good for Gulf Coast planting. The fruit is nearly round … Today I share multiple sources and varieties of sand pear. I can’t seem to find it locally and I don’t know what else to look for. I loved picking a pear and eatyit right off the tree. Chilling requirement less than 400 hours. I would dearly love to have a sand pear tree in my yard. Pineapple, Hood, Baldwin, Flordahome and Orient are common pears. The delicious fruits ripen in August. Thanks.”. Sand Pear. The Great South Florida Food Forest Project Update,... First Genetically Engineered Apples to Hit Store Shelves, Making Christmas Cookie Ornaments as a Family, Improving the Ground One Ground at a Time. By Stefanie Samara Hamblen Friday Aug 1, 2014 at 12:01 AM. Little seems to have changed over the decades. Designed and Developed by PenciDesign, Beautiful Peaches from Seedling Peach Trees, The Great South Florida Food Forest Project, good report here on sand pears in Florida. thanks, Kieffer is the #1 pear for making preserves and best pollinated by the Orient. Reply. They also can be trained as espaliers against walls or onto wire trellises. Hey… that’s a GREAT selection of fruits, Mary! Shrubs, also known as drinking vinegars, originated several centuries ago in England as a method to preserve fruit and berries. Good sources for sand pear trees in the northern part of the state include Chestnut Hill Tree Farm near Gainesville, Blue Star Nursery in Hawthorne, and Just Fruits and Exotics, located south of Tallahassee in Crawfordville. Pears are easy to grow at home and to save money on high grocery store fruit prices. At maturity, the Red Delicious can reach a height and width of 12 ft. to 15 ft. Planting A Container-Grown Pear Tree: To plant a container-grown pear tree, dig the planting hole two to three time's as wide and not much deeper than the root ball. By weighing down or pegging the branches on the first and second years, you can create a strong, earlier bearing pear tree. I was also trying to figure out where to pack in a Le Conte but never got around to it. It requires 150-250 chill hours. In addition to these named varieties, you can also sometimes find mature, productive pear trees growing on old farms and homesteads. Pruning: By nature, the Pear Tree is tall and columnar when young. We will never share your email address with anyone else. Very nice quality: sweet, smooth-textured, juicy, flavorful. Mary wonders where to find sand pear trees like the ones she enjoyed as a child: “I am in Central Florida (Orlando / Ocoee area) and I currently have Apple, Pear, Mango, Avocado, Lemon, Lime, Tangelo, Red Grapefruit, Starfruit, Blueberries, Grapes (muscadine and seedless), Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberry, Pineapples, Miracle Fruit, Red and White Mulberries, Fig, Banana, Apricot, Loquat, Florida Peach, Surinam Cherry, Barbados Cherry, Red Navel Orange, Passion Fruit. One place I lived years ago, in the country on lots of acreage, I had a sand pear in my yard. The sand pear is the result of grafting European pears (which need more cold weather than we have in Northeast Florida) and Asian varieties onto native stock. As they grew in sandy soil, and when cut open they looked like there was sand inside, they were called sand pears. In my opinion, Pineapple is the best sand pear of the lot. Florida’s “sand” pears . I have been entrusted me with a family recipe that I am so eager to try. Sand pear, juicy pineapple, and tart lemon combine in a spread that is delicious and makes good use of a windfall of sand pears. If your new tree has plenty of branches, remove those that are less than 18 inches (46 cm.) Lucky you to have several trees! I’ve had Jackfruit and Goji berry, but I’m afraid they didn’t make it last drought that I didn’t baby them. Thought to be a cross between a Bartlett and a Chinese sand pear, it holds its texture the best of all the pears when cooked. The Pineapple Pear is self-fertile but does much better with a pollinator. Happy pear picking! So far I’ve made Spiced Pear Butter and these Florida Pear Preserves. The sand pear is the result of grafting European pears (which need more cold weather than we have in Northeast Florida) and Asian varieties onto native stock. So they are much more subject to the hazards of spring frosts. The Flordahome pear grows in north and central Florida. And for more ideas on what to plant in a Florida orchard, check out this post. This tree is known to be prevalent in Mississippi, Alabama, and North West Florida. I planted a range of low-chill Florida pear varieties in my North Florida food forest, including Hood, Baldwin, Orient, Flordahome, Pineapple and Kieffer. Plant in the Full Sun or partial shade. Sometimes eaten fresh as well. Aug 3, 2015 - Explore Emily Hart-Norrey's board "Florida sand pears", followed by 103 people on Pinterest. Sand Pear Tree Varieties. Copyright ©2020 Edible Northeast Florida. It can grow up to 40 feet tall with a spread of 15 feet. The tree requires 900 chill hours, and Golden Delicious Apple trees are the recommended pollinators for this tree. Try making a shrub as a method to preserve fruit and berries is particularly important because dries... To have a sand pear tree as they grew in sandy soil, and when open. 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