Content
Dacha plots are, as a rule, modest in size. Therefore, fruit trees for the garden are selected to be small, beautiful and productive.
Characteristics of the variety
Trout pear is an ideal fruit tree for a small plot. The tallest trees are no higher than 6 m. The pear trunk has a classic dark brown color. Grayish-brown branches form a spreading crown. A distinctive feature of the Trout variety is small leaves with a rich green glossy surface and yellow veins, which look like an intricate decor.
The first flowers appear in early April. The Trout pear variety is not self-fertile. The first harvest can be harvested after 3-4 years. It can be assumed that it was precisely thanks to the elegant color of the pears that this variety received the name Trout. The yellow color and abundance of bright red dots give the Trout fruits a colorful appearance. The skin of pears is thin and smooth, and the fruit itself, weighing 130-150 g, has a traditional elongated shape. Description of the fruit: soft and juicy white pulp, sweet taste with a hint of cinnamon.
You can start harvesting trout pears from mid-September, without waiting for the fruits to fully ripen. Picked fruits can be easily stored for about a month.
Planting and care
Select Trout pear seedlings for planting, preferably one to two years old.When choosing a tree of the Trout variety, special attention should be paid to the branches of the tree: they must be without visible damage and intact. When a little force is applied, the branches bend rather than break. The optimal root length is 60-80 cm.
However, you should not plant a pear in a bare area that is blown from all sides, since seedlings of this variety do not like strong winds.
The most suitable location for the Trout pear is the southern or southwestern part of the summer cottage.
When forming a garden, the size of the future pear crown must be taken into account. Therefore, in order to avoid close contact with neighbors, Trout is planted at a distance of 4 m from the nearest trees.
It is also advisable to exclude areas with high groundwater levels. Trout has no special requests regarding the quality of the soil. Even clay soils are suitable. But, naturally, poor lands are pre-fertilized, preferably in the fall.
Planting a seedling
To fertilize the soil when digging a site in the fall, it is recommended to use organic compounds. Per square meter of area, take 3 kg of litter/manure, 3.5 kg of compost, 1 kg of ash.
It makes sense in the fall to dig a hole for a pear seedling: one meter deep and about 80 cm in diameter. Moreover, the top fertile layer of soil is placed separately. The right time for preparatory work is after the leaves have fallen and before the first frost.
If it was not possible to prepare the soil and dig a hole in the fall, then in the spring the following work is carried out:
- two weeks before planting, a hole of appropriate size is dug, and two buckets of sand and humus, a glass of superphosphate and 3 tbsp are poured into it.l potassium sulfate;
- Lime is diluted in ten liters of water and the solution is poured into the pit.
Before planting, pear seedlings should be kept in a cool, shaded place.
The cut site is carefully treated with garden varnish. Immediately after these manipulations, the tree is placed in a bucket of water, where it is kept for at least an hour.
Planting stages
- The fertile part of the soil is mixed with water and ash. The roots of the Trout pear are dipped into the resulting mixture.
- Place drainage (small stones, twigs, pebbles) at the bottom of the hole. Part of the fertile soil is poured on top of the drainage layer in the form of a hill. A wooden stake is driven in slightly to the side of the center of the pit.
- A seedling of this pear variety is lowered into a hole and the roots are carefully straightened. The hole is filled up first with fertile composition, and then with the usual one.
- As soon as two-thirds of the hole is filled, you need to pour out a bucket of water. When the water is absorbed, fill the hole completely with the remaining soil.
After the soil shrinks, the neck of the Trout seedling should be at ground level. Burying it is not allowed.
In areas with high groundwater (at a distance of a meter from the surface), it is necessary to make a thick layer of drainage, approximately 40 cm.
Crown formation
It takes five to six years for the crown of the Trout variety to reach its final shape. At this time, the tree already has 5 skeletal branches.
The gradual stage of crown formation can be defined as follows:
- in early July, the three strongest shoots are distinguished, which are located at intervals of 15-20 cm. The lower tier of the crown is formed from them. When pruning a trout pear, you must keep in mind that the central conductor should always be 20-25 cm higher than other branches:
- then sanitary pruning is carried out - weak branches and shoots directed into the crown are removed;
- starting from the third year, they begin to form the crown of the Trout pear variety. To do this, do not touch 3-4 branches that extend evenly from the crown (these are skeletal branches). The remaining branches are shortened by two thirds;
- in the fourth and fifth years, the lateral branches of the second order growing upward are removed from the base of the skeletal branches.
The crown of the Trout variety is considered to be fully formed if it has clearly defined skeletal branches, there are no large parallel branches and there are no branches that intersect. In general, the tree should look proportionate.
There is an opinion that thinning the Trout variety does not affect the yield. Therefore, the tops must be removed, and the vertical branches are shortened and “converted” into fruit-bearing ones. To do this, the branch is tilted and twisted under the lower branches. This practice can be used from the fourth or fifth year after planting the Trout variety.
Watering and fertilizing the soil
In summer, it is recommended to water the seedling with warm water. Moreover, it is necessary to literally flood the Trout variety so that the soil settles and the soil is well saturated.
Starting from the second year, watering the pear is carried out once or twice a month. After watering, be sure to loosen the soil, weed and mulch. You can put straw, sawdust, and mown grass inside the tree trunk circle. A sufficient layer of mulch is approximately 4-6 cm.
In the autumn, superphosphate and potassium chloride are added. It also doesn’t hurt to add wood ash to the soil when digging around the tree trunk.
Harvest
Trout fruits finally ripen at the end of October. Ripe Trout pears have a yellowish color with elegant red specks (as in the photo). In cool rooms they can last for about a month, and at normal room temperature pears will last for one and a half to two weeks.
If you want to stock up on fruit for the winter, then Trout pears are usually picked unripe. In this case, provided the correct storage conditions are provided, the pears will last for about six months.
Preparing for winter
The most important stage of work in the autumn is to insulate the Trout pear for the winter. The traditional method is to form a “fur coat” for the trunk. For this purpose, felt and straw are placed along the trunk and secured with burlap. Some summer residents practice wrapping the trunk of a pear with roofing material, but this only makes sense in regions with cold winters and little snow.
Don't forget about winter rodent guests. To protect pears from mice, hares can be wrapped in metal mesh or spruce wood around the trunks (with the branches placed with the needles down).
Diseases and pests
The most common diseases of the Trout variety include “fruit rot”. This fungal infection spreads especially quickly in humid and warm weather. The fruits become covered with dark brown spots and rot. Moreover, the pears do not fall off, but remain on the stalks, infecting neighboring fruits.As a preventative measure, one month before harvesting, spray Trout pears with Fitosporin-M. Damaged fruits, twigs, foliage must be removed and burned.
Scab is a fungal disease that affects leaves, shoots, and pears. Appears in the form of spots and black dots. Leads to shedding of flowers and leaves. The pears set small and do not develop. Control measures: in the fall, all foliage is carefully removed; in the spring, before the buds open, the tree is irrigated with Bordeaux mixture.
The main pest of the trout pear is aphids, which suck the juices from the leaves and young shoots. This leads to leaf fall. In early spring, it is advisable to spray this variety of pears with Bordeaux mixture and whiten the trunk.
An elegant pear of the Trout variety will adequately decorate any summer cottage. It belongs to the late varieties and therefore you can enjoy delicious fruits in late autumn. And with proper storage, the Trout pear will become a decoration for the New Year's table.
