Pear Forest Beauty

The homeland of the Forest Beauty pear variety is Belgium, it was on the territory of this state in eastern Flanders that this pear variety was first discovered more than two hundred years ago. On the other hand, there is another version: this variety was artificially bred in the 18th century by Belgian scientists. At this time, the Forest Beauty pear is extremely popular and has spread throughout the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, the Baltic States and Central Asian countries. On the territory of Russia, in the southern regions, such a tree can be found in almost every garden. The Forest Beauty Pear has gained popularity not only due to its good yield and delicious fruits, but also due to its excellent winter hardiness and long life span.

Pear Forest beauty is characterized as a late summer or early autumn variety. In this article, we will talk in more detail about the appearance and features of the tree, consider its strengths and weaknesses, and give recommendations on planting seedlings and caring for plants.

Pear Forest beauty: variety description and characteristics

Pear Forest beauty: photo of the variety

Pear Forest beauty is developing rapidly, this is especially noticeable in the first few years after planting seedlings. As a rule, the growth of a tree does not exceed five meters, its crown is quite spreading, but not very dense, the bark of the trunk and main branches is painted gray, and the bark of the shoots has a darker reddish-brown color. Shoots straight or slightly curved, branches slightly drooping.

Small leaf plates near a pear tree, Forest Beauty, elongated-oval, pointed at the ends of the shape. On the edge of the dark green leaves are small denticles, the leaves are located on long and thin petioles. The kidneys are very small and sharp.

Small flowers are pinkish-white. They can be located either one at a time or in groups of six to ten. Flowering occurs in medium terms.

The flowers are highly resistant to temperature changes, so that even in the event of recurrent frosts, the future harvest will not suffer.

The shape of the fruit of the pear Forest beauty can be defined as oval-pear-shaped, without a pronounced elongated upper part. Fruit weight is from 120 to 150 grams, although pears weighing 250-300 grams can be grown on the fertile soils of the southern regions, which is a kind of record.

The Forest Beauty pears have a strong and pleasant aroma. Their skin is thin, but rather dense, slightly rough. Insufficiently ripe pears are colored yellow-green, but when they reach full maturity, they become completely yellow, covered with a red "blush" on one side (stop, which got more sunlight). On the skin, not only subcutaneous points are noticeable, but also small specks of brown color.

Fruit is recommended to be picked in a state of technical ripeness with the preservation of the stalk, so they will be stored for a little longer (about two weeks at room temperature). If you put the fruits for storage in a room with a low temperature and good ventilation, then the shelf life will increase slightly. Ripe pears, moreover, harvested without a stalk, are subject to processing within 2-3 days.

The fragrant pale yellow pulp of Forest Beauty pears has a delicate, slightly oily melting consistency. The taste is sour-sweet (sourness is barely noticeable).In addition to the most important B vitamins, fruits contain trace elements necessary for humans, such as phosphorus, calcium, iron, selenium and many others. The presence of sugars does not prevent the fruit of the forest beauty from being listed among the dietary products.

Pear Forest beauty: variety features

Pear Forest beauty: photo of the variety

As we said above, the flowers, and the rest of the tree, are not damaged by recurrent frosts, which sometimes happen in the morning in the second half of spring, when everything begins to bloom actively. Also, the Forest Beauty pear variety holds one of the records for frost resistance.

The main growth of the tree occurs in the first 8 years. The fruits begin to ripen in August, but depending on the climatic characteristics of the region, the ripening period may shift to September. Fruits are especially good when fresh, and that is how they are recommended for consumption. But it should be noted that both in homemade preparations and as a filling for a pie or pancakes, they are no less good.

The Forest Beauty pear is not a fast-growing variety, and you will receive the first harvest only in the seventh or eighth year. But there is a little secret: if you buy a Forest Beauty pear seedling grafted onto a quince, then fruiting will come in four to five years, that is, three years earlier.

The most productive are the four-year branches.

Pear Forest beauty is partially self-fertile, that is, you will harvest the crop, even if there are no other pears growing in the garden. But the best performance can be achieved by planting nearby one or two of the varieties recommended by experts: "Limonka", "Duchess", "Aleksandrovka", "Bessemyanka", "Bon-Louise Avranches", "Lyubimitsa Klappa", "Vere Hardy" or " Josephine Mechelnskaya ".

Pear Forest beauty forms ovaries every year, but if this year the harvest was high, then next year it will be rather modest, since the tree is resting. A young pear that has not reached twenty years of age is capable of producing from fifty to one hundred kilograms of fruit. And on the territory of Crimea, there are record holders who produce up to 400 kilograms of pears per season.

Pear Forest beauty: advantages and disadvantages

The obvious advantages of the Forest Beauty pear variety include:

• Excellent taste of fruits.
• The ability to withstand adverse weather conditions is one of the best indicators of drought and frost resistance.
• Unpretentiousness in relation to the soil and undemanding care.
• High and growing with age yields.

But for objectivity, some disadvantages of this variety should be noted:

• If the crop is not harvested in a timely manner, then overripe fruits crumble.
• Extremely short shelf life of fruits.
• The tree is susceptible to diseases, in particular to scab, and therefore one must not forget about annual preventive treatments.

Pear Forest beauty: planting and care

Pear Forest beauty: photo of the variety

Landing. Preparation for planting Forest Beauty pears begins with choosing a place for the future tree, which should be dry and light, ventilated, but protected from the cold winds on the north side. Make sure the water table is low and will not damage the roots of your tree.

Purchase forest beauty pear seedlings for planting at the age of two years, when buying, make sure of the elasticity of the branches and the health of the root system.

The landing pit must be prepared in advance. Its depth should be about a meter, and the diameter should be from 70 to 90 cm. Fertile soil from the pit should be mixed with compost (or humus), coarse sand and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers should be added. Drive a stake into the bottom of the pit - the future support for the seedling for the first time, then pour the prepared nutrient mixture and place the tree on the resulting mound and straighten its roots.

Make sure that the root collar rises about five centimeters above ground level.Then carefully cover the roots with soil, without injuring the bark, attach the seedling to the support and water it. To make the moisture evaporate more slowly, mulch the tree trunk circle with sawdust, pine needles or dry soil.

Watering schedule. The first time after planting, the seedlings should be watered at least twice a week, using 15-20 liters per watering.

Adult pears are watered three or four times a year:

• The first watering is before flowering.
• The second is about three weeks after the first, when the flowering has already ended.
• During the period of fruit ripening in a dry summer, additional watering is necessary.
• And the final watering in the middle of autumn, it is also called water-charging - for each adult tree you need 8-9 buckets of water.

It is important to remember that any watering schedule must be adjusted depending on the weather.

Fertilizers. If the soil in your area is poor (for example, sandy), then fertilizing should be carried out annually. If the pear was planted in black soil or light loam, then it will be enough to fertilize it every 2-3 years.

In the spring, pears are fertilized with organic matter, using 2 kg of humus or compost for each square meter of the trunk circle.

In the autumn period, mineral fertilizers are used, embedding them in the soil during the digging process. For each square meter of the trunk circle, 0.65 kg of ash, 0.015 kg of carbamide, 0.02 kg of ammonium nitrate and 0.05 kg of superphosphate will be required.

Pruning. The first time the pear should be trimmed immediately after planting. The top of the trunk should rise by 25-30 cm, and the main branches should be shortened by about a third. In the second year, in early spring, they are also shortened to the main branches, and the trunk by 20-25 cm.

In the fall, after leaf fall, the branches damaged by the disease or broken are cut off; in early spring, in addition to the formative pruning, frozen twigs and shoots growing deeper into the crown should be removed.

For work, only very sharp tools are used, which are preliminarily wiped with alcohol (for disinfection). All places of cuts should be lubricated with garden varnish, and cut branches should be burned.

How to prepare a tree for winter

Pear Forest beauty: photo of the variety

Even in the year of planting, a pear seedling Forest Beauty does not need additional shelter - we have already mentioned the phenomenal frost resistance of this variety more than once. But the trunk of the tree must be covered from hares and field mice. For this purpose, you can use a fine mesh. Which is loosely wrapped around the tree, nylon tights that can be wrapped around the trunk are also suitable. Another option is whitewashing with a special compound. In eight liters of water, 0.2 kg of copper sulfate is diluted, a kilogram of lime and mullein are diluted. The resulting mixture is infused for about three hours, and then the trunks of fruit trees are covered with it.

Diseases and pests

To prevent the emergence and spread of harmful insects, the tree should be sprayed with an insecticide before it blooms. In addition, you should put a sticky belt on the trunk, to which the pests will stick (do not forget to periodically update it).

To combat scab, rust and powdery mildew, copper oxychloride, Bordeaux liquid, and copper sulfate are used. The best solution would be not to wait for the onset of the disease, but to carry out preventive treatment twice a year (in spring and autumn, after the leaves have fallen off).

Hom or Oxyhom preparations will help you cope with fruit rot. In case of a bacterial burn, the same Bordeaux liquid or streptomycin should be used (the tree will need to be processed five times).

Conclusion

Having read the material of the article, you now know that the Forest Beauty pear has much more advantages than disadvantages. The vast majority of gardeners will share with you their positive reviews, which will mention the taste of fruit, winter hardiness and longevity, high yield and beauty of the tree during the flowering period.

Of course, there will also be those who complain about tree diseases and insufficient fruit storage, but, believe me, there will be very few of them. The tree of the pear variety Forest Beauty is quite unpretentious, and by spending time on the prevention of diseases in a timely manner, you will solve most of the problems and will be able to enjoy delicious and aromatic pears.

Pear Forest Beauty: reviews of gardeners

Anastasia, twenty four years old, city of St. Petersburg

Pear tree Forest beauty has surrounded me all my life, even with my grandmother it grew in the country. Parents gave a seedling for housewarming a few years ago, now my children will also take care of the pear, and then they will eat sweet pears. The best grade! Pears can be sold due to their excellent presentation and juice inside.

Anatoly, fifty-six years old, city of Norilsk

I never liked pears, but one day my wife and I went to visit a neighbor, she then treated us to these juicy and sweet fruits. Recently we purchased a sapling of the Forest Beauty pear variety, we are waiting for the time when it will be possible to harvest the harvest with the grandchildren and cook compotes.

Roman, sixty years old, city of Moscow

My pear this year turned twenty-five years old and she was ill once. The disease was quickly removed, the harvest did not suffer. My daughter says that the Forest Beauty pear is too sweet, but it is just right for me!