medlar fruit and trees

piegirl · January 14, 2008

Has anyone planted one of these? They are offered in Junge's. My friend remembers these from Iran and had been searching for the tree. All I found is they are smaller trees and relatively free of disease. What type of soil, we are zone 5. Do you need two for pollination? He says the fruits are wonderful. Thank you in advance - piegirl

Hristo · February 29, 2008

Disease free. No special needs and care. About your zone 5 I'm not sure, mine is 6. The fruits are really wonderful. Leave them until hard frost, pick (or pick and freez in the freezer for few hours) and then wait about week to soften and go to... heaven... (but who knows - different people - different tastes...)

phreddy · February 29, 2008

Hi Hristo, would you mind describing the fruits, please?

Hristo · March 1, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by phreddy

Hi Hristo, would you mind describing the fruits, please?

This will be difficult for me, because my English is not so rich

See here:
http://images.google.bg/images?hl=en...-8&sa=N&tab=wi

There exist 2 variety types - large fruit on small tree (no more than 2 m.) and smaller fruit on bigger tree (up to 5 m.) these are of a bit better taste (the big are also tasty)

Are you really from Bulgaria?

phreddy · March 2, 2008

Thanks for the pics Hristo, that is what I thought they were. I have decided against them now as I leave BG as the frosts start.
I am not Bulgarian but live there, near Elhovo, from 1st April until end of October. Wonderful place to live but too cold in winter so I am off to Malaysia.

Hristo · March 2, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by phreddy

I am not Bulgarian but live there

That answers why you do not know medlar or mushmula on bulgarian.

phreddy · March 2, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hristo

That answers why you do not know medlar or mushmula on bulgarian.

...and such a lot more Hristo, but we are learning, thanks to local people who are so generous with their advice.

Lamb Abbey Orchards · August 7, 2009

This is an old thread, but I thought I'd respond to it anyway.

I'm a fan of medlars and grafted about 100 or so trees last year of it for our orchard. I believe we've got six different cultivars of medlar from the initial grafting and I added a couple more trees this year of a seventh cultivar that originated in Iran. The original grafts are now about a year and a half old and began branching out after just the first growing season.

They appear to be pretty disease and pest-free and most have flowered after just one year. Not many have put out fruit, but a few have.

The varieties I grafted all came from the Medlar collection that's part of the Nat'l Germplasm Repository. Anyone can request dormant scionwood and could graft trees themselves. You'd simply need to buy separate rootstocks on which to graft. Medlars are closely related to hawthorne and many people grafting medlars will graft onto hawthorne rootstock which is what I did. I grafted onto two hawthorne rootstocks: Crataegus monogyna and Crataegus crus-galli. Of the two, I recommend the C. crus-galli. You can obtain young trees of this to be used as rootstock from Lawyer Nursery.

The fruit, by the way, taste like a spiced applesauce. But they need to be 'bletted' (or allowed to begin breaking down) before the pulp of the fruit is at its peak.

Here are photos of a medlar tree, medlar blossoms, and medlar fruit:

It's a fruit tree well worth growing.

John

garnetmoth · August 7, 2009

the only bletted fruit ive eaten are American Persimmons- those are super cool!

stormymater · August 8, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by garnetmoth

the only bletted fruit ive eaten are American Persimmons- those are super cool!

In a super mush kind of way - possums will hold their ground & then play dead rather than run from a bunch of dropped ripe persimmons!

johno · August 8, 2009

I'd love to have a medlar tree. For now I'm content with persimmons. Those pics are beautiful.

January 14, 2008	#1
piegirl Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 791	medlar fruit and trees Has anyone planted one of these? They are offered in Junge's. My friend remembers these from Iran and had been searching for the tree. All I found is they are smaller trees and relatively free of disease. What type of soil, we are zone 5. Do you need two for pollination? He says the fruits are wonderful. Thank you in advance - piegirl

August 7, 2009	#8
Lamb Abbey Orchards Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Union, Maine / Coastal Zone 5 Posts: 44	Medlar Fruit and Trees This is an old thread, but I thought I'd respond to it anyway. I'm a fan of medlars and grafted about 100 or so trees last year of it for our orchard. I believe we've got six different cultivars of medlar from the initial grafting and I added a couple more trees this year of a seventh cultivar that originated in Iran. The original grafts are now about a year and a half old and began branching out after just the first growing season. They appear to be pretty disease and pest-free and most have flowered after just one year. Not many have put out fruit, but a few have. The varieties I grafted all came from the Medlar collection that's part of the Nat'l Germplasm Repository. Anyone can request dormant scionwood and could graft trees themselves. You'd simply need to buy separate rootstocks on which to graft. Medlars are closely related to hawthorne and many people grafting medlars will graft onto hawthorne rootstock which is what I did. I grafted onto two hawthorne rootstocks: Crataegus monogyna and Crataegus crus-galli. Of the two, I recommend the C. crus-galli. You can obtain young trees of this to be used as rootstock from Lawyer Nursery. The fruit, by the way, taste like a spiced applesauce. But they need to be 'bletted' (or allowed to begin breaking down) before the pulp of the fruit is at its peak. Here are photos of a medlar tree, medlar blossoms, and medlar fruit: It's a fruit tree well worth growing. John

August 8, 2009	#11
johno Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arkansas zone 6b Posts: 441	I'd love to have a medlar tree. For now I'm content with persimmons. Those pics are beautiful. __________________ You create your own universe as you go along. Winston Churchill

February 29, 2008	#2
Hristo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bulgaria Posts: 23	Disease free. No special needs and care. About your zone 5 I'm not sure, mine is 6. The fruits are really wonderful. Leave them until hard frost, pick (or pick and freez in the freezer for few hours) and then wait about week to soften and go to... heaven... (but who knows - different people - different tastes...)

February 29, 2008	#3
phreddy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bulgaria Posts: 260	Hi Hristo, would you mind describing the fruits, please?

March 2, 2008	#5
phreddy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bulgaria Posts: 260	Thanks for the pics Hristo, that is what I thought they were. I have decided against them now as I leave BG as the frosts start. I am not Bulgarian but live there, near Elhovo, from 1st April until end of October. Wonderful place to live but too cold in winter so I am off to Malaysia.

August 7, 2009	#9
garnetmoth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: cincinnati, oh Posts: 492	the only bletted fruit ive eaten are American Persimmons- those are super cool!