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The sight of undersized fruit trees, hung with appetizing fruits from top to bottom, never ceases to excite the imagination of even seasoned summer residents. And the columnar Sapphire pear is a great specimen for every garden catalog.
Description of the columnar sapphire pear
Sapphire is the oldest of the columnar pears. This is a neat tree, no more than 2-3 m high in the form of a column - a central conductor overgrown with short fruit branches. The leaves are large, rounded. It blooms in the first ten days of May, and by mid-September it already pleases with pears ready to be harvested. Like all columnar varieties, Saphira begins to bear fruit early - in the 3rd year.
All variants of seed stocks from irgi, quince and, in fact, pear, will not give the expected result, and as a result, you will get a poorly formed, low-yielding pear tree.
Characteristics of pear fruits
The columnar variety Sapphire has a peculiarity - a noticeable heterogeneity in mass. Fruits range from very small (50-70 g) to quite decent sizes (up to 350 g). The cover color is green with a slight yellowness and a pink-burgundy blush on the southern side. The shape of the fruit is classic, pear-shaped. The pulp is white with a creamy shade, juicy and sweet and sour at the stage of biological maturity, which occurs by the beginning of October.
Pros and cons of Sapphire pear variety
The advantages and disadvantages of any kind of fruit tree can be identified only in practice, by growing it on your site. And, nevertheless, the obvious advantages of Sapphire's columnar pear are as follows:
- The tree does not grow taller than 2.5 m, which greatly facilitates seasonal maintenance and harvesting.
- Sapphire pear is resistant to the scourge of all pome crops - scab, as well as to fire blight.
- You can really taste the first fruits already in the 3rd year of the plant's life.
- With proper care, by the 6th year of life, the maximum yields of this crop are achieved - from 10 to 15 kg.
- The columnar sapphire pear occupies a minimum of usable area, therefore it is ideal for small gardens of an intensive type.
But at the same time:
- Columnar trees are short-lived, their optimal lifespan is 10 years, maximum 15. Already from the 8th year, the yield begins to decline.
- Sapphire pear is ready for consumption 2 weeks after removal, but it is not stored for a long time. Moreover, if you delay the harvest, the taste of the fruit begins to deteriorate, although the pears themselves can hang on the branches for a long time.
- The weak point of all column trees is the lower part of the trunk where the graft is made. It is necessary to work extremely carefully with the seedling when planting, providing it with good support.
- The winter hardiness of the Sapphira variety is declared at a level of - 25 ° C, which is clearly not enough for most areas of the middle lane, therefore, the columnar pear needs winter shelter.
- Sapphire pear needs a pollinator variety, as it is self-fertile.
Optimal growing conditions
For a columnar pear, you need to choose a quiet place, protected from the north side by the wall of a house or outbuilding from the piercing winter winds.A common planting practice is to have several trees in a row along a fence or as a hedge separating the garden from the vegetable garden.
Planting and caring for the Sapphire pear
The cultivation of any plant begins from the moment of its acquisition, therefore, first of all, it is necessary to buy the right seedling from a reliable seller, be it a nursery, an online store or a private entrepreneur. And they approach the choice of columnar varieties with redoubled care, carefully rechecking all the available information.
Landing rules
Columnar pears are usually planted in trenches 50 cm deep, observing a distance between adjacent specimens of at least 0.6 m.At the bottom, drainage from expanded clay or broken brick is laid, and from above they are covered with a fertile mixture consisting of humus, peat and sand, taken in equal proportions ...
The planting soil is well moistened to a slurry state and, having straightened the roots, the seedlings are placed in the trench. Fertile soil is poured from above to the level of the root collar, compacted around the stems and watered again from the watering can. It is advisable to mulch the top layer immediately in order to maintain a constant moisture level.
Watering and feeding
The root system of the columnar pear is more shallow than that of traditional varieties and therefore requires regular, abundant watering. Mature trees are watered at least 2 times a month, consuming 4-6 buckets of water per 1 m² of the area of the trunk circle. Young columnar pears need irrigation much more often, since a lack of moisture will lead to a delay in the growth and development of the plant.
You can get a decent harvest from a columnar pear only if the crop is intensively fed during the entire growing season. Each gardener has his own feeding options, developed by many years of experience, but for beginners it is easier to adhere to the following scheme:
- Nitrogen fertilizing in the near-trunk circle with one of the preparations (urea or ammonium nitrate) at the rate of 50 g per 1 tree. It is done in early spring with swelling of the kidneys.
- After 3 weeks, nitroammofosk is added, slightly loosening the surface layer of the soil. Consumption rate - up to 60 g per 1 pear.
- After 3-4 weeks, the second feeding with nitroammophos in the same amount.
- In the middle of summer, a columnar pear needs phosphorus, for this, superphosphate (1/2 tbsp. L. For each plant) is introduced in the form of a solution into the trunk circle.
- At the beginning of autumn, top dressing on the leaf with potassium monophosphate or the introduction of potassium salt into the near-stem circle at the rate.
Mulching in the winter with humus or compost will not only protect the root system from freezing, but also serve as nutrition in the early spring period.
Pruning
A columnar pear, under ideal conditions, does not need to be pruned at all. It is only necessary to pinch off the extra lateral shoots in time, before they have time to woody. Fruit formations are usually shortened by literally 2-3 cm.
The main task when planting and during the wintering of a columnar pear is to preserve the apical bud. If it breaks off or freezes, it is necessary to choose a suitable lateral shoot, which will replace the central conductor after it has been cut. In early spring, mandatory sanitary pruning is usually carried out, during which thin, broken off or frozen branches are removed.
Whitewash
The annual autumn whitewashing of the trunks of pears and other fruit trees is not just a tribute to traditions, but a very effective agricultural technique that allows the plant to successfully overwinter. Adding additional components to the whitewash will help protect the plant from rodents and other pests.
Dilute a package of lime (2 kg) with water to a creamy state, add 50 g of copper sulphate, half a pack of carpentry glue, 1-2 packs of red hot pepper and a little birch tar, which scares away various rodents with its smell. Break an ampoule of any broad-spectrum insecticide into the mixture. Paint the trunks with the resulting whitewash, choosing one of the clear November days for work. Due to wood glue, such a mixture will be more durable than in conventional versions.
Preparing for winter
An important stage in preparing a columnar pear for winter is the timely introduction of potassium into the composition of the last autumn feeding. It is this element that accelerates the maturation of young shoots, including the apical bud, which is responsible for the correct formation of the crown. The best drug for this is rightly recognized as potassium monophosphate, introduced as a foliar feeding.
The columnar Sapphire pear needs a central conductor winter shelter, which can be accomplished in a variety of ways. One of the interesting options: wrapping the trunk with synthetic tights filled with sawdust, while its lower part is covered with spruce branches. The surface of the trunk circle is tightened with geotextiles or mulched with dry humus.
Pollination
For a decent harvest, at least 2 varieties of pears should grow in the garden, approximately the same flowering period, since these trees are self-fertile. The varieties Lyubimitsa Yakovleva, Lada, Chizhovskaya are considered universal pollinators. For the Sapphire pear, the column-shaped Honey will be an ideal partner - they can be planted alternately, in one row. To increase the chances of a crop, it is recommended to additionally spray the flowering trees with honey or sweetened water to attract pollinating insects.
Yield
You can count on a rich harvest of Sapphire pears only if the following conditions are met:
- at least 2 different varieties of pears grow in the garden;
- the columnar tree is correctly formed;
- watering and feeding are carried out regularly, according to the scheme;
- the columnar pear completely preserves fruit buds in the winter, which is almost impossible without providing shelter;
- and, finally, the purchased Sapphire pear is really such, that is, a real columnar variety.
If all the requirements are met, then the maximum yield from an adult plant will be 12-15 kg. In the first years after planting, while the columnar pear is very young, it is necessary to normalize the number of future fruits, leaving no more than 3-4 ovaries in the first year of flowering. The next year, leave 2 ovaries in each bouquet branch, and then look at the state of the culture.
About the first harvest from columnar pears:
Diseases and pests
As noted above, Sapphire's columnar pear is resistant to scab, fire blight and powdery mildew. But early spring preventive treatment of trees with copper-containing preparations before bud break is also highly desirable for disease-resistant varieties.
A number of insects, such as moths, leaf rollers, aphids, gall mites and many others, can cause considerable harm to a pear. At the first sign of pests, action should be taken by spraying trees with suitable insecticides and acaricides. Carefulness in the choice of the drug is especially important during the period of flowering and fruit formation, it is necessary to strictly control the waiting time, not using hazardous components shortly before harvest.
Reviews of the columnar sapphire pear
Conclusion
The columnar sapphire pear, when creating optimal growing conditions for it and proper care, is able to surprise with a combination of excellent health, excellent yield and harmonious taste of ripe fruits.
