Description and characteristics of the Forest Beauty pear variety, planting and care

The Forest Beauty pear has been grown for centuries. The first seedlings were discovered in a Belgian forest in 1810. The autumn variety is frost-resistant, bears fruit abundantly, and its genetic properties are used to obtain new promising forms. In Russia, the Forest Beauty can be found in amateur gardens of the Lower Volga region, the Urals, Trans-Urals, and Siberia.

Description and characteristics of the variety

A dessert variety, the fruits are not large, egg-shaped. Only a few specimens weigh 250-300 g. The weight of most fruits does not exceed 120-150 g. They are covered with a rough, durable skin - first green-yellow, then golden-yellow. Ripe pears are painted with a bright blush. Brown spots and gray dots on the skin are a varietal feature. The fruiting period depends on the climate zone. It falls in the second half of August - the first half of September.

The taste of the juicy fruits of the Forest Beauty is wine-sweet. They do not last long, so they are used as raw materials for homemade preparations. Delicious preserves and jams are made from fragrant pears, compotes are rolled up, and they are dried.

Pollinator varieties

There is no point in planting one Forest Beauty pear tree in the garden. Without external pollinators, the harvest will be small. The following varieties are suitable for this purpose:

• Limonka;
• Williams;
• Mechelnskaya.

Tree height

Medium-sized tree species. By the end of the 10th year of life, the pear reaches 5 meters in height. The crown is wide, pyramidal. It is formed by straight, thick, slightly bent dark red branches. The foliage of the crown is medium. The edge of the leaves is serrated (finely serrated, finely serrated).

Lifespan

Trees of the Forest Beauty variety are distinguished by great vitality. The variety is old, so specimens of pears have been recorded that lived up to 100-150 years.

Winter hardiness

The variety is winter-hardy and tolerates short-term temperature drops down to -50 °C. The minimum threshold is indicated for mature fruit-bearing trees. The aboveground part of young pears may freeze slightly.

Productivity

The variety is productive; from one tree they harvest from 100 to 200 kg of fruit. The volume is affected by the weather. Productivity falls in hot, dry years, but increases if the summer is moderately warm and humid.
Cyclicity of fruiting Forest beauty blooms and bears fruit every year.

Self-fertility

The Forest Beauty variety is characterized by partial self-fertility. To obtain stable harvests, pollinating pears are planted in the garden and bloom at the same time as the pears.

Disease resistance

Fruits and leaves suffer from scab. The Forest Beauty variety is not resistant to the fungus Venturia pirina.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Forest Beauty pear is loved by gardeners for its productivity, tasty fruits, unpretentiousness, quick adaptation to weather conditions, undemanding conditions on soil composition, and consistently high yields.

The variety has some disadvantages. They must be taken into account before purchasing a Forest Beauty seedling:

• short storage period of the crop;
• fruit shedding;
• susceptibility to the scab pathogen.

How to grow Forest Beauty?

There are no problems with growing. The result when planting a healthy seedling is always positive. Gardeners choose the Forest Beauty variety for good reason. With proper planting and proper care, a fruit tree bears fruit for at least 50 years.

When is the best time to plant a pear tree?

Seedlings of this variety take root better when planted in spring. The suitable time for it is from April 10-15 to May 10. In regions with long, warm autumns, Forest Beauty is planted in October.

Selecting a planting site and preparing the soil

Well-lit areas behind the wind are suitable. Close occurrence of groundwater is undesirable. The tree will not fully develop. The soil should be light, well conductive of water and air.

The soil for filling the planting hole is prepared as follows:

• fertile garden soil is mixed in equal proportions with humus, sand is added to clay soil;
• Long-acting fertilizers are added to the soil mixture (superphosphate 250 g, potassium sulfate 120 g).

The process of planting a seedling

The hole is dug a week before the planned planting. Its dimensions are: width - 0.7 m, depth - 1 m. The seedling needs support for the first time. A stake 1.5-2 m high is driven into the center of the prepared hole. A mound of fertile soil mixture is poured around it. The seedling is placed on the south side of the support, the roots are covered without deepening the root collar. It should ultimately be 5-7 cm above the ground. The pear is watered abundantly. The tree trunk circle is mulched with humus.

When planting, adhere to the following schemes:

• seedlings on tall scions are planted at intervals of 4 x 6 m;
• trees on a dwarf scion - 3 x 5 m.

Tree care measures

Activities for caring for the Forest Beauty come down to watering, fertilizing, and working with the crown. Supports are placed under the branches during the fruiting period. Despite their strength, they can break under the weight of the harvest.

How to water correctly?

The annual Forest Beauty pear is watered once a week. 10 liters of water is enough for her. As it grows, consumption increases. For 1 m² of water, 2 buckets are already consumed. The frequency of procedures is reduced to 1 time every 10 days.

Mature fruit-bearing trees are watered three times:

• before the buds open;
• during the shedding of excess ovary;
• when filling fruits.

In August, pear trees do not require irrigation. The last watering of the season (moisture-charging) is carried out in October. It requires a large volume of water. About 80 liters are consumed for 1 adult pear.

Feeding application rates

Up to 3 years, the pear receives nutrients from the soil mixture placed in the hole during planting. A mature fruit tree is fed with organic matter and mineral fertilizers:

• every year if the soil is sandy;
• after a year if the soil is black soil or loam.

Subtleties of crown molding

The first tier of the crown is laid in the first year. Leave 3 skeletal branches. Shorten them by ⅓ of the length. The crown of the central conductor is cut off by 15-20 cm. In the 2nd year, they begin to form the 1st tier. Shorten side shoots.

The next 2 years form the 3rd and 4th tier of the crown. In the future, sanitary pruning is carried out annually, rejuvenation is carried out when the yield falls and the growth of new shoots stops.

Preparing for winter

For the first 2-3 years, the young tree is insulated for the winter. The trunk is covered with spruce branches, straw or wrapped with lutrasil. Fix the insulating layer with twine.

Preparation for wintering adult plants is standard:

• autumn feeding with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers;
• barrier irrigation on the eve of the first frost;
• mulching the tree trunk circle with a mixture of dry pine sawdust and humus.

During the summer, the leaves of the Forest Beauty are sprayed with ash infusion: 10 liters of water, 2 tbsp. sifted ash.

Disease and pest control

The main threat is scab, but other diseases (rust, powdery mildew) cannot be excluded. The cause of fungal diseases is damp weather (rain, cold dew, fog).

Timely preventive measures are the best cure for infection.

List of preventive works:

• loosening the tree trunk circle;
• sanitary and formative pruning of the crown of the Forest Beauty;
• recycling of fallen leaves;
• chemical treatment.

For insect pests (psyllid, fruit mite), the Forest Beauty is treated with the following preparations:

• "Fufanon";
• "Fitoverm";
• "Nissoran".

Harvesting and storage

The fruits must be picked when they are green. When fully ripe they fall off. You have to wait 6-7 years for the first harvest. Pears grafted onto dwarf rootstocks of quince, serviceberry, and rowan begin to bear fruit 2-3 years earlier.

The harvest is stored for no more than 2, maximum 3 weeks. The period is given for rooms with a temperature of about 0 °C. Pears must be laid with their stems up, each layer covered with paper. The variety has not lost popularity for more than 200 years. This is due to its advantages: unpretentiousness, frost resistance, good immunity, and wonderful fruits. Having a long-lived tree in the garden is very convenient.