Pyrus calleryana Ornamental Pear

[raewynk]

I am wondering if anyone has tried to grow or bonsai an Ornamental Pear

http://www.evergreengrowers.com.au/imag ... ea75/0.jpg

I am in Brisbane and wondering if any special tips I need to know about.



Rae

[Naimul]

im no expert, but i think it might be similar to growing something from the prunus family. You will need to manage your buds, since there should be one bud for leaves and another for flowers

[raewynk]

Thanks Naimul,
All I know that it is deciduous, the flowers stink of rotting fish, but absolutely stunning floral display.
I didn't realise that it would have differing buds from leaves and flowers.

Not a lot of information regarding bonsai usage.

Rae

[lackhand]

I know of people growing them for bonsai in the US. I have one in my back yard that I'm thinking about putting an air layer on, but haven't gotten around to it yet. If I decide to go ahead and layer, I'll let you know how it goes.

The flowers definitely have a . . . unique aroma.

[raewynk]

Thanks Karl,

I actually got two 20 - 25cm seedlings delivered this morning and have been googling most of the week to find out more info. I would be interested in photo. if you have one. I think they are probably one of the most attractive trees that I have seen in photos. next to the Japanese cherry blossom and the Styrax Japonica. But that is my preference.

I am in Brisbane, Australia. Wondering if the humid weather will be advantageous to the tree or if I will have chill over winter.
For the flowering and fruit factor.

Rae

[GavinG]

I have a Himalayan Pear (I think) - somewhat similar. It has developed a good trunk with ground-growing, barking up well between 5 and 10 years. Leaves colour reliably in Sydney, should hopefully in Bris. It does not ramify freely in my experience, and needs a largish tree to be in proportion. Fertilise as you would a plum - flowering ferts from Feb onwards, and as suggested, the flowering and leaf buds are different, you'll only be able to tell by experience. Mine seems to be not well this season - make sure drainage is exemplary in a bonsai pot, not so critical in a grow pot. Please post as things develop.

Gavin

[raewynk]

Thanks Gavin

A couple of photos.
I will definetly post as it happens.
Rae
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[Naimul]

the buds for leaves should be pointy, compared to the flower ones which should be more rounded. you might not get great autumn colour if your winters arent very cold, but im basing that off very general facts i picked up from the forum. ive read a few people having difficulty getting the leaves to drop off 'naturally' their deciduous trees living in a constantly humid environment.

[raewynk]

That's an interesting point about the humidity and not dropping the leaves. Given the temperatures.
I am going to be disappointed if I don't get the autumn colouring.

But given that fact I wonder if we actually get a better growth rate in Brisbane than in the southern cooler states?

I will have to take a particular care and detail the effect on the trees with the humidity.

Rae

[lackhand]

I live in the desert, so very hot, but not very humid most of the year - we do get monsoons so there are a few humid months. Winters are usually pretty warm. Last year it froze five days in a row, but that's very rare here. I'm sure there are lots of differences in climate, but the reason I ended up here in the first place is that mels, eucs, bottlebrush, and various other Aussie trees grow very happily here.

The pear in my yard just seems confused. It gets some autumn color, but keeps some leaves through the year too. Here is a picture of mine with autumn color, green leaves from last year, new leaves, and flowers all at the same time. It grows well and flowers well though, so it must not be too much of a problem. I can't say about fruit as I've never paid any attention to it.

viewtopic.php?f=129&t=16819&p=175304#p175304

[Mount Nasura]

I bought 7 calleryanas to line one side of the drive way, deliverd and planted defoliated they budded prolifically and grew rapidly. Trunks have thickened up alot and I've only had them for a year. The calleryana is the most vertically growing of the pear trees maybe this contributes to their rapid growth. Plenty of water in the growing season with full sun and regular feed. I havnt considered bonsai this cultivar because the vertical growth and large leaves. But I'm sure it can be done with a large trunk to start with.

[raewynk]

I was actually going to wire a seeding and get it to grow with a twist solely because they are such a rapid grower.
Any comments or has anyone tried this with another species or these.

Also does anyone know about leaf reduction on the Ornamental pear

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[dennismc]

Rae

I have Callery Pear that I have been growing for about 20 years as a bonsai. They make excellent subjects in a cool to mild winter climates such as Sydney has, but I am not sure how they would perform in a warmer climate. Additionally probably best suited to larger size bonsai as in my experience leaf size reduction is difficult. But it might be worth giving it a try. Mine is about 90cm tall.

In Autumn it is a blaze of deep red to golden colors - quite impressive and Autumn color is reliable here in Sydney. I get a reasonable amount of flowers in Spring but since a neighbor cut down his pear (not a Callery pear) a few years ago fruiting is unreliable. The fruit is interesting, somewhat similar in shape and size to a crabapple. The color is brown.

The junction between branches and trunk is easily broken so care must be had when bending them.

Dennis Mc

[raewynk]

Thanks DennisM, any chance of pictures please. Sounds awesome 20 yrs old. What style?
Thanks for the tip on the trunk and branch junction being so tender.

Mount Nasura I bought 7 calleryanas to line one side of the drive way, deliverd and planted defoliated they budded prolifically and grew rapidly. Trunks have thickened up alot and I've only had them for a year. The calleryana is the most vertically growing of the pear trees maybe this contributes to their rapid growth. Plenty of water in the growing season with full sun and regular feed. I havnt considered bonsai this cultivar because the vertical growth and large leaves.


What feed are you using on them? When you bought them what size were they? are we talking metre ish trees or seedlings?

Thank you all for your tips.
Rae

[quodlibet_ens]

I kind of wished I read this thread before buying this yesterday. I bought it with the intention to bonsai, but now I'm a little put off by the thought of the flowers having a pungent aroma. Unfortunately (or fortunately, I'm not sure) it now looks like a 1.5 metre long stick as the cockatoos attacked it and now has not branches or leaves.

This thread has been quiet for a while now, so has anyone had any success in training them as bonsai?

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