Hosui asian pear trees
Pyrus pyrifolia - Picking season: Early
- Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
- Flowering group: 4
Hosui is an early-season Asian or Nashi pear, sometimes considered to have the best flavour of any Asian pear variety.
The flesh is very juicy, crisp, and very sweet.
Hosui will not store as well as other Asian pear varieties, perhaps 1-2 months in the fridge - but this is a small price to pay for such excellent flavour.
Hosui organic asian pear trees - graft to order
Sorry we have not produced any trees of this variety this season.
Contact us if you would like to go on the waiting list for next season.
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Growing and Training
Hosui grows with a spreading habit, becoming semi-weeping as it gets older.
History
Hosui is a relatively new variety, and was introduced in the 1970s by the National Horticulture Research Station, Tsukuba, Japan.
Hosui characteristics
- Attractive featuresAttractive flowersAttractive fruit
- Gardening skillAverage
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group4
- Disease resistanceAverage
- Picking seasonEarly
- Season of use1-2 months
- Food usesEating fresh
- Cold hardiness (USDA)Zone 5 (-29C)
- Summer average maximum temperaturesWarm (25-30C / 76-85F)
- Country of originJapan
- Period of origin1950 - 1999
- Flower colourWhite
- Flesh colourCream
- Fruit colourBrownGoldRusset
More about asian pear trees
Asian pears, or Nashi pears, belong to the species Pyrus pyrifolia and are closely related to our more common European pears (Pyrus communis).
Despite the close relation, Asian pears have a very different character to European pears. They have a spherical shape, more like an apple than a pear. The flesh is also crisp like an apple.
The fruits are delicate and bruise easily, and hence are not often available in shops, so growing them at home is a good idea. They are usually eaten fresh (and usually peeled), and have a distinctive very sweet flavour, with little or no acidity. The fruits and can be stored in a fridge for a couple of months, or dried or frozen.
Like apples, and unlike most European pears, Asian pears are picked when they are ripe (European pears must usually be picked before they are ripe). Conversely, Asian pears cannot be picked before they are ripe because they will not continue to ripen after picking - another reason why these fruits are rarely available for sale.
Although the fruits may be very different, Asian or Nashi pears grow in a similar way to European pears, and if you have a location which is good for European pears it will also be suitable for Asian pears. Furthermore, Asian and European pears will often cross-pollinate if they are in flower at the same time.
