Pear Faithful

Along with apple trees, pears are one of the most popular fruit trees in all regions of our country. Surprisingly, pears, like apple trees, are close relatives of the queen of the garden - roses, since all these plants belong to the same family "Rosaceae".
There are many different varieties, and when choosing a pear for your garden, one must take into account not only the high yield, but also the individual characteristics of the variety, its ability to adapt to the climatic characteristics of your particular region. Pear Vernaya belongs to high-yielding and rather unpretentious varieties. With more detailed characteristics of this plant, as well as with the features of its cultivation, we will introduce you in this article.

Pear Faithful: description of the variety and characteristics

Pear Faithful: photo of the variety

The Vernaya pear variety has been listed in the State Register since 2001, although work on its breeding began a long time ago, in 1958. In VSTISiP, breeders Y. Petrov and N. Efimova crossed interspecific hybrid 3 with the variety Josephine Mechelnaya.

Pear Vernaya has an average height, the crown is not quite regular in shape with drooping branches. Branches depart from the trunk at an angle of 90 degrees, but have a curved shape, grow chaotically both up and to the sides. The smooth bark of the trunk is brown. Oval leaves with pronounced veins have a smooth surface and are painted in a rich green color. White and rather small flowers exude a strong aroma.

Vernaya pears are formed on simple or complex ringlets. The fruits are not very large, the average weight is from 120 to 150 grams. The shape of the fruit is classical, the color is technically green, when it reaches full ripeness it changes to yellow. The rind is shiny and dry, without bloom. Subcutaneous points are hardly noticeable. The pulp of the fruit is fleshy, tender, homogeneous, juicy. The aroma is not strong, but the taste is very pleasant, there is less acidity in it than sweetness. On a five-point scale, the taste of fruits is estimated at four points, the amount of sugar in their composition exceeds 10%.

The ripening of the fruits of the Vernaya pear variety begins in the middle or second half of September, that is, the variety is considered late-ripening. The yield is quite high. Having created comfortable conditions for the tree and providing good care, you can collect about forty kilograms of pears from it per season.

The declared shelf life of the fruits is one to two months, but if you place them in a basement, cellar or refrigerator, then they are quite capable of being stored for three months. Also, the fruits of this variety tolerate transportation well without losing their presentation.

Pear Vernaya is a fast-growing variety - fruiting can occur as early as four, and sometimes even three years after you have planted the seedlings. But, as a rule, by this time the tree still does not have enough strength to ripen the fruit, so experienced growers recommend sacrificing the expected harvest and removing all flowers. The next year, at the end of flowering, part of the ovaries should be removed - this procedure will help you get a better and tastier harvest (the remaining fruits will be larger and sweeter). The Vernaya pear variety does not always bear fruit annually, and by removing part of the ovaries, you can avoid interruptions in fruiting, since the tree will not be exhausted by the end of the season.

Pear Faithful: advantages and disadvantages

The study of the advantages and disadvantages of a variety is a mandatory stage in preparation for the selection and purchase of seedlings.

The advantages of the Vernaya pear variety include the following qualities:

• First of all, this is an excellent yield, appearance and taste of fruits, as well as their versatility in terms of culinary. Fruits can be eaten fresh, dried, prepared from them various desserts of varying degrees of complexity, preserves, jams, compotes and juices.
• Shelf life of fruits and their ability not to lose their quality during transportation.
• Frost resistance. This is the second most valuable quality after the yield and taste of the fruit, which is appreciated in trees by gardeners. In the first years after planting, it is recommended to cover young trees with geotextiles and mulch the trunk circle, but a grown and sufficiently strong tree is quite capable of surviving wintering in the middle lane without additional shelter.
• The variety is resistant to diseases (eg scab) and harmful insects. Often trees suffer from rodents who like to feast on the bark, but in this case, the problem can be solved quite simply. Wrap a fine metal mesh around the trunk of the pear to prevent rodents from reaching the plant and the tree will be saved.

But in addition to the advantages, each plant has weaknesses, in this case, some rules for caring for a tree can be considered disadvantages, without which it is impossible to achieve a good result and obtain a rich harvest:

• In the spring, before the start of sap flow, pruning should be carried out annually, which will perform not only sanitary, but also formative function.
• It is important to constantly maintain order in the tree trunk circle, that is, regularly remove weeds, loosen the soil. Planting other plants under the tree is not encouraged, especially those belonging to the same family as the pear. For example, roses should be placed as far away from the fruit tree as possible.
• If you do not remove some of the ovaries, then the tree will not bear fruit every year, since it will need rest.
• To obtain a harvest in the garden, in addition to the Vernaya variety, it will be necessary to plant other varieties of pears that bloom at the same time, which will act as pollinators. The best candidates for this role will be the pears Lyubimitsa Yakovleva, Lira and Chizhevskaya.

Pear Faithful: variety care

Like all pears, Vernaya pear is a light-loving tree, so a well-lit place must be chosen for planting seedlings. Under the influence of sunlight, fruits and berries accumulate sugar, so the sweetness of the fruit will depend on the amount of sun. In the shade, not only the quality and quantity of the crop is reduced. But also the immunity of the tree, and therefore it becomes more susceptible to the negative effects of the environment.

Pear Vernaya is undemanding to the composition of the soil, but still it is preferable to plant it in light and loose soil, which is good for moisture and air. A more important factor when planting a pear will be the drainage layer, which must be placed in the planting pit, you can use construction residues (broken brick and stones, crushed stone and gravel) for this, or purchase large expanded clay specifically for this purpose.

In addition to the drainage layer, you must install a pole in the pit before planting, to which you attach the seedling. Until the tree is finally rooted, it will need additional support, then the pole can be broken off or sawed off, leaving the lower part in the soil, it will not interfere with the further development of the tree.

In the spring, it is necessary to prune the tree, cutting off damaged, broken or frozen branches, shortening the shoots and thereby forming the crown and rejuvenating the plant. Places of cuts must be processed with garden varnish.

As we said above, after flowering, it is necessary to remove part of the ovaries so as not to overload the tree and maintain its ability to bear fruit annually. Also, thanks to this procedure, the sugar content in fruits will be higher.

Despite the resistance to pests stated in the description, experienced gardeners recommend regular preventive treatment with appropriate preparations in order to prevent the appearance of aphids, moths and other harmful insects on the Vernaya pear variety.

Outcome

Having carefully studied the advantages and disadvantages of the Vernaya pear, most gardeners are inclined to buy these particular seedlings. Those who grow this variety and have been harvesting for more than one year, argue that the "shortcomings" of the variety can hardly be considered disadvantages, since they all relate to the rules of care, and any gardener knows that to get a rich and high-quality harvest, you will have to work hard ... Despite the ongoing work, breeders have not yet managed to breed fruit trees that would not require care at all. And the Vernaya pear will thank you for your care with an excellent harvest!