Ripe pears are so sweet and flavorful. It is impossible to refuse them, because even the sight of these fruits stimulates the appetite. Imported pears can be bought at the store, but their quality is often questioned. At the same time, there is no more useful fruit than the one that is grown with your own hands in your garden. Therefore, every year the owners of the backyard plots purchase seedlings and carefully look after them in anticipation of the first harvest. So that he does not disappoint, you need to choose the right variety with the desired characteristics and, when growing a fruit tree, observe the basic rules of its cultivation. Today, the focus of our article will be the honey pear, because this particular variety is famous for the taste and external characteristics of the fruit, thanks to which it finds many admirers among gardeners.
Detailed description of the variety
The pear of the "Medovaya" variety was bred by Russian scientists at the Crimean breeding station back in 1962 by pollination of the French variety "Bore Bosk". The authors of the novelty were three scientists at once, who, after many tests, presented their brainchild to the public only 30 years after its creation. It should be noted that the honey pear is still the object of attention of breeders who regularly research this variety.
Based on the results of long-term tests, breeders entered the variety into the state register of Russia and zoned it for the North Caucasus region. The pear received the official name "Crimean Honey".
Characteristics of the fruit tree
Column-shaped "Honey" pear with its height rarely exceeds 2 m. Its crown is ordinary, not very dense, throughout the growing season it retains the shape of a pyramid. Such a medium-sized fruit tree requires periodic formation, with the removal of diseased, dry branches.
The plant is resistant to low temperatures and other features of various climatic regions. The pear successfully withstands winter cold snaps up to -250C. The only exceptions are young seedlings, which can suffer from frost without adequate shelter.
Fruiting of "Honey" pear is regular. Every year, starting from the age of 4-5 years, it gives off a large number of ripe, high quality fruits. Weather conditions in the region in spring can only slightly affect the yield of the fruit tree.
Blossoming of "Honey" pear is observed in May. It is always abundant and long lasting. Pear flowers are simple, collected in inflorescences of 2-5 pcs. Ripe fruits hold well on short stalks and require manual collection. The yield of an adult Medovaya tree is 20-30 kg. In some cases, this figure can reach 40 kg.
Fruit characteristics
It is not for nothing that the proposed variety of pears got its name, because in its taste there are indeed notes of honey. The most delicate fruit pulp, creamy in color, is poured with sweet, aromatic juice. When bitten, it literally melts in the mouth.
Honey pears are quite large. They weigh about 400 g, and some specimens of fruits reach a mass of 500 g. Their surface is dull, the skin is thin. Some roughness of the fruit can be detected by touch. The pear shape is classic, the base is thickened. Coloring of "Honey" fruits is yellow-green, in some cases brown or pink blush is observed. On visual inspection, you can see small gray or green subcutaneous dots on the surface of the pear.
Microelement composition of pears
The taste of "Honey" pears is largely determined by their microelement composition. So, the special sweetness of fruits is provided by a large amount of sugar, which exceeds 10%, while other varieties of pears contain only 6-7% of this substance.
In addition to sugar, the fruit contains 6% vitamin C, a certain amount of organic acids and a huge variety of minerals. The fiber content of fruits is not high.
Purpose of fruit
"Honey" pears are so tasty that they are usually quickly eaten without waiting for processing. However, if necessary, you can make juice or jam from them. Sweet fruits are also suitable for preparing baby food.
An important advantage of the variety is the possibility of long-term storage of pears. So, for 3 months, fresh fruits can be successfully stored at a temperature of 0- + 50FROM.
Subspecies of the proposed variety
Research on pears of the "Medovaya" variety has been going on for many, many years. And during this time, 5 subspecies of this variety were obtained. All of them are distinguished by their early maturity and some peculiarities in taste, shape, color of fruit:
- G-1 is the latest (winter) subspecies of all "Honey" pears. Its fruits ripen with the arrival of frost. They have a bright yellow color, weight up to 250 g, and some roughness of the surface.
- Pears of subspecies G-2 ripen in the middle of autumn. Their mass rarely exceeds 200 g. A brown blush can be seen on the surface of such fruits. There is a special aroma and sweetness in the taste of the fruit.
- Subspecies G-3 symbolizes a classic, bright yellow pear, weighing up to 400 g. Such fruits ripen with the arrival of the first autumn days.
- G-4 is an autumn variety bearing fruit of medium size (pear weight up to 300 g).
- G-5 is the earliest maturing subspecies. Its fruits ripen in summer. Their mass is small (only 250 g), but the taste is excellent, sweet, aromatic. On the surface of such pears, a brown tint is clearly visible.
Thus, under the name of one variety, 5 different subspecies are hidden at once, each of which has its own characteristics, which means that when purchasing a seedling, it will be useful to clarify which marking this or that fruit tree belongs to.
Disease resistance of the variety
The "Honey" variety demonstrates high resistance to only two common diseases: moniliosis and clasterosporiosis. Resistance to other diseases is not observed, therefore, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment of plants when growing a variety:
- The scab covers the leaves of the fruit tree with dark spots that grow over time. Velvety olive spots appear on the fruits. The disease can be prevented by spraying the plants in the spring before the buds dissolve with Bordeaux liquid. The affected areas of the tree should be removed and burned.
- Rust is orange or red spots on the leaf surface. As a prophylaxis of the disease, you can use the drug "Skor". Also, antifungal drugs introduced into the soil along the near-trunk circle during digging up the soil demonstrate high efficiency.
- Fruit rot is represented by characteristic spots on the surface of the fruit.For the treatment of the disease, it is necessary to use the drug "Dnok".
In addition to diseases, various pests pose a threat to the "Honey" tree. The most common of these are aphids and mites. Information on insect control methods can be found in the video:
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Having thoroughly studied the description of the honey variety pear, photos and reviews about it, one can objectively talk about the advantages and disadvantages of culture. So, gardeners note the following positive points characteristic of the proposed variety:
- Fruits are distinguished by their special juiciness, sweetness and aroma.
- The fruits keep well for a long period of time.
- Sweet pears can be used to prepare baby food.
- Fruit trees are characterized by good winter hardiness.
- The yield of the variety is consistently high.
- Good presentation and excellent transportability.
- High immunity to some common diseases.
- Fruit shatter resistance.
- Decorativeness of the fruit tree.
- No need to form a crown regularly.
- Regular, annual fruiting.
There were no serious shortcomings in the cultivation of the "Honey" variety, so it is worth highlighting only some of the features of these fruit trees:
- Ripening fruits are not uniform in weight. Large and small pears can ripen on one tree.
- For some diseases, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment.
- The unusually high fruit yield reduces the frost resistance of the fruit tree.
The listed advantages and disadvantages must be taken into account when choosing a variety and growing a crop. So, after collecting a particularly rich harvest, you need to take care of treating the plant trunk with whitewashing, applying appropriate fertilizers to the soil and mulching it. All other intricacies of cultivating the "Honey" variety can be found further in the section.
Growing features
The honey pear should be planted in the fall on the sunny side of the site. At a distance of 3 m from the seedling, it is recommended to place pollinating seedlings, varieties "Tavricheskaya" or "Miracle". The soil on the site should be dominated by sandy loam, neutral or alkaline acidity.
After planting and in the future, throughout the entire cultivation period, a pear of the "Honey" variety should be watered abundantly once every 7 days. During flowering and fruiting, the tree is watered less often, but more abundantly, based on the calculation of 20 liters. water for 1 m2 trunk circle. After watering, the soil in the trunk circle must be loosened and mulched with organic matter or straw.
On fertile soil, seedlings of the "Honey" variety do not need to be fertilized for 2 years. In the future, it is recommended to apply fertilizers 4 times per season:
- during flowering, nitrogen should be used;
- after flowering, it is necessary to apply nitroammofosk;
- in the middle of autumn, add superphosphate;
- with the arrival of stable cold weather after harvesting, wood ash should be added to the soil.
Young seedlings in harsh climatic conditions must be prepared for frost as follows:
- Water the plants regularly and abundantly.
- Whitewash the trunk and wrap it in burlap.
- If possible, wrap the crown of a young pear with breathable material.
The listed rules will help to grow a healthy, abundantly fruiting pear and protect it from even the most severe frosts.
Conclusion
"Honey" pears are a wonderful, healthy delicacy for adults and children. They are so delicious that you can't refuse them. And no matter how many fruits grow in the season, there will always be few of them. Therefore, giving preference to this variety, you need to plant 2-3 seedlings at once. Perhaps, in this case, it will be possible to eat plenty of fruit and put some of them for storage.
Crimean honey was brought out not by Russian, but by Soviet breeders!