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The Duchess variety is one of the most widespread in the world. In Europe, this pear is known under the name Williams, in the CIS the variety is called Duchess. The pear has earned wide popularity and worldwide fame due to a lot of positive qualities: it is unpretentious to the soil and climate, gives consistently high yields, Duchesse fruits always get high tasting ratings, they are well stored and suitable for transportation and processing. It is recommended to grow Duchess both on private farms and on an industrial scale – the variety is universal. Several varieties of pear are known, the most persistent of them are successfully grown in Our Country.
A description of the Duchess pear, recommendations for planting and growing it, photos and reviews of gardeners about this variety can be found in this article. Here we will talk about the two most popular types of Duchess, give a brief instruction on growing a pear tree.
Variety description
The Duchess pear has a very ancient history. It first appeared in the middle of the eighteenth century. The variety was brought out by a breeder from the English county of Berkshire. The original name of the variety is Williams, in honor of the farmer who first introduced the pear at an international exhibition.
The variety has a lot of varieties, among them Duchesse de Bordeaux, Rouge Delrabu, Angouleme, Winter and Summer pear are most often cultivated. It is worth talking about the last two species in more detail, since they are most often grown in the gardens of the country.
summer variety
The pear variety Duchess Summer is characterized primarily by its unpretentiousness to the composition and type of soil. Of course, the largest yields can only be achieved on fertile and well-moistened land, but Duchess can develop and bear fruit normally in any corner of the country.
Summer Duchess blooms relatively late, the inflorescences of this species are large and very beautiful. It is imperative to take into account the fact that this variety is not self-fertile, that is, a tree needs pollinators to tie pears. Near the Summer Duchess, it is recommended to plant varieties with approximately the same flowering time. For the Duchess pear, the following pollinators are suitable:
- Forest Beauty;
- Bere Bosk;
- Favorite Kappa;
- Williams Bon-Chretien.
Duchesse flowers are resistant to low temperatures, they rarely freeze even in strong return frosts. The first fruits begin to set, somewhere, 5-6 years after planting the tree.
The fruits of a summer pear are medium in size, their weight is about 170 grams. Each adult tree can bear up to 250 kg of fruit, which allows us to declare a high yield of Summer Duchess.
The shape of the fruit is elongated, the surface is bumpy, the peel is thin, yellowish, with small black specks. Pears have a very strong and pleasant aroma. The flesh of the Summer Duchess is tender, very sweet and tasty, has a delicate aroma of nutmeg. At tastings, the fruits deserve at least 4,8 points.
Harvesting begins in the second half of August. Fruits can be stored for 1-1,5 months (at a temperature of +1-+5 degrees), they tolerate transportation well. Pears are suitable for fresh consumption, they make very healthy and nutritious dried fruits, fragrant jams, marmalades and jams.
The description of the Duchess Summer variety will be more complete if we talk about all its advantages, such as:
- unpretentiousness to climate and soil;
- resistance to certain diseases, including scab;
- large and very beautiful fruits;
- excellent taste of pears;
- the possibility of storage, which is rare for summer varieties;
- universal purpose;
- high yield.
The variety also has disadvantages, for example:
- aphids and carnival love sweet fruits, so trees need to be processed;
- the tree needs pollinators;
- Duchess begins to bear fruit relatively late (5-6 years after planting).
Reviews of gardeners about the summer variety are mostly positive. This pear is loved, first of all, for its unpretentiousness: in almost any growing conditions, Duchess pleases with stable crops and tasty fruits.
Description of the winter variety
The characteristics of the Winter Duchess are very different from the summer variety, but the two species also have common qualities. What unites both Duchesses is the appearance and taste of the fruit: winter pears are just as elongated and yellow, they are large and very tasty.
The most important difference between varieties lies in the timing of ripening. Winter Duchess ripens around mid-late October. It would even be more accurate to say that the harvest of this pear is harvested during the autumn leaf fall, but the full ripening of the fruit occurs only after a few weeks.
In order for the fruits to fully ripen, they must be properly stored, controlling the level of temperature and humidity, protecting the crop from sunlight. By the way, the fruits of Winter Duchess can be stored for a very long time – up to March or April.
Unlike Summer, Winter Duchess is capricious in terms of the composition of the soil and its nutritional value: the tree loves well-fertilized, loose and moisture-intensive soils. The yield of the variety is high – at the level of one hundred kilograms per tree.
Winter pear also needs pollinators, suitable:
- Bere Ardanpon;
- Williams;
- Olivier de Sar.
The fruits of the Winter variety are distinguished by the presence of a subtle sourness in taste. On the one hand, such pears have a slight “blush”. Their mass is also several times larger – on average, about 600 grams.
The Winter variety has its advantages:
- large fruits of excellent commercial quality;
- long shelf life of the crop;
- high yield;
- frost resistance of trees.
The disadvantages of Winter Duchess are the same as those of Summer – self-fertility and instability to scab. Do not forget about the requirements of the variety to the composition of the soil: the gardener will have to devote time to fertilizing and watering fruit trees.
Rules of landing
Planting a Duchesse pear begins with choosing a suitable place: preference should be given to an elevated area that is well lit and warmed by the sun. The soil should be nutritious and well-moistened, the pit for the seedling must be prepared in advance.
Since Duchesse seedlings are already budding in mid-April, this pear should be planted very early – in early spring. A pit, about a meter deep and 70 cm in diameter, has been dug since autumn. At the same time, the upper fertile layer is mixed with three buckets of humus and placed in a planting hole. A glass of superphosphate and a liter of wood ash should also be added there. All fertilizers are mixed. The soil should sit well so that the root neck of the seedling does not subsequently end up underground (this significantly slows down the development of the pear tree).
The Duchesse pear seedling is placed in the center of the pit and its roots are straightened. Now the tree is carefully sprinkled with earth, watered.
How to care for a tree
Like all trees in the garden, the Duchess pear needs the attention of the owner. To get a good harvest of tasty fruits, it is necessary to provide the tree with the following care:
- Pear trees are a must pour before flowering. It should be noted that this period for the Summer and Winter versions does not coincide. A few weeks after the first watering, when the fruits begin to set, the tree is watered again. The third time, the Duchess pear must be watered after harvesting, that is, in the fall. If the summer in the region turned out to be dry and hot, the amount of watering should be increased. The calculation of the required amount of water is simple: for each year of life, the pear “receives” two buckets of water.
- Mulch from organic materials preserves the soil moisture around the pear, prevents the roots from being exposed and drying out, additionally nourishes the tree, and protects from frost.
- Pear trees are recommended prune in spring. Until the age of five, seedlings are pruned forming, trying to give the crown the necessary appearance. In older pears, dry or diseased shoots are simply cut out (sanitary pruning), if necessary, anti-aging pruning is performed.
- In spring, Duchess pears need handle a preparation containing copper (copper or iron sulphate, Bordeaux mixture). To save the tree from scab, it is sprayed with a solution of urea. In autumn, it is advisable to treat Duchesse with an antifungal agent.
- It is not necessary to cover trees for the winter – the Duchess variety tolerates the winters of central Our Country well. To protect the bark of young seedlings from rodents, you can wrap it with burlap or non-woven material in the fall.
- yearly tree feed mineral complex fertilizers. Every three years it is necessary to introduce organic matter (cow dung or bird droppings), scattering it around the pear.
Growing a Duchess pear is not difficult at all – planting and caring for this fruit tree is completely ordinary.
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Conclusion
Pear Duchess is a great option for a simple summer resident, the owner of a suburban area or the owner of a large farm. This variety is universal, as is the purpose of the fruit: pears are very tasty fresh, they can be dried or dried, added to preserves and jams, used as a filling for fragrant pies.
It is not difficult to grow Duchess in your own garden: the rules of agricultural technology for this variety are very simple.
