Pear Just Maria: variety description and characteristics, cultivation and pollinators with photo

Pear, known as Just Maria, appeared in the gardens of summer residents relatively recently. This is a frost-resistant species, which, despite severe winters, recovers well and gives an excellent harvest. It's just that Mary does not require any special attention. Like all types of pears, it likes plenty of sunlight, regular fertilization and moderate watering.

Description and history of pear breeding Just Maria

At the very end of autumn, a newly bred variety ripens in the gardens of experienced gardeners and just amateurs.It's just that Maria appeared thanks to Belarusian breeders, in 1990, by crossing the winter-hardy Belarusian late and disease-resistant Oily Ro. Initially, the new variety was given a name - Maria.

Later, the fruits became popular with gardeners and became known as Just Maria. This variety tolerates winters well and gives a good harvest. It's just that Maria can endure frosts up to 37 degrees, and in the spring she quickly comes to life and bears excellent fruit.

Characteristics of the variety

Simply Maria is a relatively late variety, its fruits ripen only in October. The fruits are large, pear-shaped. The weight of one fruit is 180-200 grams. The skin of the pear is smooth and shiny. Green dots are visible on the surface.

The color of the fruit is green at first. As the fruit ripens, it turns yellow and acquires a pink blush. Fruit tastes sweet and juicy, slightly sour. The pulp is a pleasant cream color, not very dense, but oily. This is a dessert variety.

The tree grows fast, but grows only up to 3 meters. The crown of an adult plant takes the form of a wide pyramid. The branches grow strongly up and in width, but under the weight of the fruits they bend a little to the ground. From one adult plant, 40 kilograms of fruit are harvested.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• excellent frost resistance;
• disease resistance;
• regular fruiting;
• superb fruit flavor profile;
• marketable appearance of ripe fruits;
• bearing in the third or fourth year after planting.

Cons:

• relatively low yields;
• susceptibility to pest attacks;
• grinding fruits at high yields.

How to propagate a pear?

Just Mary reproduces in these ways:

1. Shanks.

A branch with leaves is cut off from an adult tree and lowered into a container of water. A few weeks later, the cutting gives roots. For better root formation, a Heteroauxin tablet is placed in the water. Then the stalk is planted in the ground and watered abundantly. This procedure is desirable to carry out in the summer. Previously, the stalk can be planted in a greenhouse. For better rooting, the plant is watered up to 4-5 times a day.

2. Layers.

The branch of an adult tree is bent down and sprinkled with earth. The soil is well irrigated with water, the soil can be loosened beforehand. The top of the branch with leaves remains above the ground. Roots form where the shoot meets the soil.When the branch is well rooted, it is cut off from the parent tree. The time of the procedure is the season of intensive growth (from mid-spring to late summer). Branches for layering should be young and not yet lignified.

3. Grafting.

A stalk with dormant buds is cut from the mother tree. A sharp cut is made at one end, a blunt one at the other. A thin branch with two or three unblown buds in early spring, at the moment the juice begins to move, is grafted under the bark of a tree, for example, pears of a different variety. You can insert the cutting into a rootstock cut in half. Tree branches into which cuttings from another tree are inserted are cut to stumps. Then Just Maria is implanted into them. The junction is tightly wrapped with tape.

Features of growing a tree

Just Maria, like all pears, loves a lot of sunlight, does not tolerate winds and too marshy soil. The tree is planted on the south side of the garden, on a hill, preferably in a fenced area.

Date of planting

Just Mary is planted in early spring, before the leaves bloom, or in late autumn, before the arrival of frost. Spring planting is preferred. The tree will be able to adapt well to the new environment in warm conditions.

Light and soil requirements

Just Maria loves black soil, well-fertilized soil and does not tolerate acidic soil. To equalize the acid-base balance, dolomite flour or slaked lime is added to the ground. A pear can grow on sandy and clay soil if organic matter and mineral supplements are added to it. The pear does not tolerate too wet soil; its roots can rot in swampy soil.

It is undesirable to plant a tree in the shade of other trees. A pear in conditions of insufficient lighting develops poorly and produces small and sour fruits. Just Mary loves the sunshine.

Selection of seedlings

It is advisable to buy planting material in nurseries. Seedlings should be resilient and he althy in appearance. The age of the tree for planting is 1 or 2 years. It is undesirable to buy older plants - they take root poorly and for a long time. The planting tree must be no more than 1.5 meters high.

How to properly plant a seedling?

Before planting, the roots of the seedling are placed in water for 12 hours, to which Heteroauxin is added to stimulate the growth of the root system. The tree is planted in a hole, the depth of which is about 1 meter. The excavated earth is mixed with mullein and mineral fertilizers (superphosphate, potassium nitrate).

Small stones are poured on the bottom of the pit for drainage and a little fertilized earth, then a tree is inserted and sprinkled with soil to the root neck. After planting, 2 buckets of settled water are poured under the root. Near a young tree, you can drive a stake, which will serve as a support for it.

Pollinators

Just Maria can self-pollinate, though only partially. For better yields, it is recommended to plant other varieties of pears near the tree, which will provide it with cross-pollination. For example, a variety of Memory Yakovlev or Duchess.

Caring for Just Maria

It is recommended to take care of the tree, water it during the dry season and prune dry and diseased branches annually. If the yield is weak, the soil near the plant is fertilized with organic matter or minerals.

Irrigation

In the dry summer season, the tree needs to be watered. 2 or 3 buckets of water are poured under the root. The procedure is carried out 3 times a week. Young trees immediately after planting in the first month are irrigated regularly - every other day one bucket of water is poured under the root. It is also recommended to moisten the ground near the pear in a dry spring, at the time of flowering and the formation of ovaries.Immediately after watering, the soil around the tree is loosened. Do not allow waterlogging of the soil. In conditions of excess moisture, the roots will begin to rot.

Mulching

The ground around the tree can be sprinkled with mulch. It delays the evaporation of moisture and prevents the growth of weeds. As mulch, cut grass, straw, small bark or sawdust are used.

Shelter

Just Maria tolerates winter well, but it is advisable to warm young trees so that they do not die in severe frosts. Before shelter, the place near the tree is cleared of fallen leaves and weeds. It is desirable to whitewash the trunk with a solution that will protect the pear from rodents.

The tree is furnished with dry reeds or straw and tied with burlap on top. You can buy a special cover for the winter shelter of garden trees. The ground near the tree is sprinkled with a high (up to 30 centimeters) layer of mulch.

Cutting

Crown formation is carried out in early spring or late autumn. Spring pruning is carried out before the leaves bloom. Autumn - after all the foliage has fallen from the tree. The crown is thinned out, diseased and dry branches are cut off, several main branches are left on the pear. The upper branches are removed - they do not bear fruit. Lateral shoots are shortened by a third. The crown is formed in the second or third year after planting a young plant in open ground.

Fertilizer

Just Maria needs to be fed for the third season after planting. In one year, the tree should grow by 30-50 centimeters. If the growth rate is low, the pear needs top dressing. In the spring, before the buds open, you can pour a bucket of mullein or bird droppings dissolved in water under the pear tree. A month later, during the blooming of the leaves, the soil is fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers (Urea).

An adult tree needs to be fed at the time of flowering and the formation of ovaries. It is recommended to fertilize the pear with such preparations: Nitrofoska, Azofoska, Diammofoska, Bona Forte, Master, Agricola. At the time of fruit ripening, the pear is fertilized with superphosphate and potassium nitrate.

For the winter, Simply Mary can be sprinkled with dry wood ash (200 grams are added to loosened soil). This natural fertilizer is rich in potassium and phosphorus.

Possible diseases and their treatment

Just Maria has excellent immunity to many diseases. However, in rainy and cool summers, the plant can get sick. To prevent diseases, the pear is sprayed with chemicals and fungicides.

Diseases and treatments:

1. Scab.

A fungal disease that affects foliage and fruits. First, brown spots appear on the leaves, then on the fruits themselves. The fruits crack and become hard. Diseased fruits are removed from the tree. The pear itself is sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or fungicides.

2. Moniliosis.

The fungus infects the fruits with rot, after which they become completely unfit for consumption. Diseased fruits are removed from the tree. The pear is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid, Copper sulfate or fungicides (Fitosporin, Strobi).

3. Sooty fungus.

Appears after the aphid raid. The secretions of this insect are a breeding ground for microorganisms. A black coating appears on the fruits and leaves, resembling soot. Sick fruits are removed from the tree. The pear itself is sprayed with fungicides.

During fruit ripening, for the prevention and control of fungi, it is recommended to irrigate the tree with solutions prepared with the addition of soda, colloidal sulfur. Pear can be sprayed with infusion of garlic, onions. A couple of crystals of potassium permanganate can be added to the water for irrigation.It is advisable to sprinkle the base of the tree with a handful of ash or lime.

Pests and their control

Prosto Maria has a lot of pests. Insects (aphids, pear beetle, mites, pear codling moth) damage leaves, flowers and fruits themselves. Pests do not tolerate too strong odors. It is recommended to plant wormwood, marigolds, lavender, sage near the tree.

During the period of maximum activity of insects, sticky tapes are hung on the branches. The tree is recommended to be sprayed with drugs that repel insects (Lepidocid, Bitoxibacillin). To combat insects, insecticides are used (Aktellik, Aktara, Konfidor-Maxi). Ticks are destroyed with acaricides (Neoron, Apollo).

Harvest and storage of crops

Prosto Maria ripens in late autumn. Pears are picked from the tree while still unripe, when they are firm and have a yellow-green surface. The harvest period is the whole of October and the beginning of November.Fruits are stored in a cool room. Storage temperature - from 0 to 2 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, the fruits can lie and not lose their marketable appearance and taste until the New Year.

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