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Fruit & Orchards

Dwarf D'Anjou Question

14 years ago

Greetings,

Earlier in the spring we were eying a couple of dwarf pear varieties (D'Anjou and Seckel) for our very small yard and now we found some on sale. I have a question about the D'Anjou in particular. All of the other pear trees (including Bartlett and Asian) are full of fruit and the D'Anjou trees have no fruit on them. One tree had one fruit on it while the other varieties have dozens of visible fruit on them. The trees are several feet high - at least 5'- and seem mature enough to bear fruit. Should we be wary of buying one? Why wouldn't it have fruit on it when all of the other varieties have many? Do they perform well in zone 7, specifically the Piedmont of NC? Thank you for your feedback!

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Comments (4)

theaceofspades
14 years ago
D'Anjou is the best I've tasted. It has a tangy pineapple flavor that is excellent in my region. Unfortunately my dwarf tree snapped off at the graft last season and I replanted with an early ripening Bella De Guigno pear. D'Anjou sets very well and Bartlett is a good pollinator for D'Anjou. I believe D'Anjou is incompatible with Quince(dwarfing) rootstock.
marknmt
14 years ago
Pears can be quite variable in how long it takes them to bear; it depends on rootstock, cultivation, and variety. They are infamous for taking a long time to fruit.

But that the d' Anjou in question hasn't set fruit is a plus in my mind- When buying plants for transplant it's best if they are not too mature, or worse, rootbound. Plants respond to stress by blooming and setting fruit, which also costs the plant. Better to let it get settled in its new home, reach a reasonable size, and then start bearing because it's time.

Still, if it's on seedling rootstock it may be that it isn't fruiting because it isn't going to for six to ten years! You might well have a hard time learning what the rootstock is at a big box store; often, even very decent local nurseries don't have that information at hand. And "Dwarfing" isn't a real answer, and may not be true even when given in good faith.

The discount on the trees might be attractive, but if you hope to have a healthy, beautiful, and productive tree it's just worth it to pay up for quality. I'd suggest that you lurk around here and find out more about what varieties do well in your area, and what rootstocks mesh with your conditions. And then find a good area nursery or mail order house (for next year- it's pretty much too late now) and order what you really ought to have.

A quick googling will give you lots to digest- there's a link attached that might be a good place to start.

Good luck,

M

Here is a link that might be useful: Pear Rootstock Story
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marc5
14 years ago
My D'Anjou on Quince stock was planted 4 years ago and does not yet show any inclination to fruit. I bought it from Cummins. Here's a photo from last month, with limb-bending weights shown:

{{gwi:87596}}
theaceofspades
14 years ago
My memory was wrong, D'Angou is not incompatible with Quince. U.C. Davis: D'Angou is incompatible with Betulaefolia(standard) rootstock. Quince is OK but could get runty on poor sites. Fruit quality is lower.

Here is a link that might be useful: U.C. Davis

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