A cherry tree or a pear tree? [NA]

poadeleted3

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We've decided that we would like a tree in our small backyard, and have discovered that we can get one from Wal-Mart for only about $25. We are trying to decide between a 4 in 1 pear tree, or a 4 in 1 cherry tree. The little tag says the cherry tree will grow to about 15 feet high, and around 20 feet around, perfect for our back yard. Both are self pollinating, both will eventually produce yummy fruit. The pear tree should be able to handle the cold winter climate here. Does anyone know how cherry trees fare? I'm thinking one should do fine here.

Which is prettier? Which would ya'll choose? I'm kinda leaning toward the cherry tree, just so we can have cherry blossoms in the back yard.
 
Well, gee, Joe. You ask a group of pilots which is better, don't be surprised the answer is a question: what's your mission profile?
 
Joe Williams said:
We've decided that we would like a tree in our small backyard, and have discovered that we can get one from Wal-Mart for only about $25. We are trying to decide between a 4 in 1 pear tree, or a 4 in 1 cherry tree. The little tag says the cherry tree will grow to about 15 feet high, and around 20 feet around, perfect for our back yard. Both are self pollinating, both will eventually produce yummy fruit. The pear tree should be able to handle the cold winter climate here. Does anyone know how cherry trees fare? I'm thinking one should do fine here.

Which is prettier? Which would ya'll choose? I'm kinda leaning toward the cherry tree, just so we can have cherry blossoms in the back yard.

Well, with a Cherry tree, you can test your son's honesty when it gets chopped down :D living in Philly and all....

You'll probably have better luck with cherries. For some reason, trees that are intended to produce larger fruit tend not to. Also, I'm guessing that the "four varieties" are the result of grafted branches. My experience has been that you'll never really get all four varieties... it'll trend toward a single variety.

Some friends in Cincy got a "fruit cocktail" tree (four different kinds of fruit). When it did produce, I think they only got one plum or something.

I think the Cherries have prettier blossoms.

my 0.02
 
I'm not a horticulturist, and have no real knowledge of this subject whatsoever. My only opine is that a mower will go over cherries, but pears might not work so good. My parents had a plum tree and it was a pain to clean up after.
 
Richard said:
Well, gee, Joe. You ask a group of pilots which is better, don't be surprised the answer is a question: what's your mission profile?

Our backyard is only 13x30. Too small to be of real use for much. A little under a 1/4 of the back part is dedicated to a permanent sandbox for Sean. We are going to make about 10 feet of it next to the house into a patio for BBQ and picnics. This leaves the center part of the yard free, and a perfect spot for a not so giant tree, and room for other decoration around. We want pretty, a little shade, and some fruit to eat would be a nice bonus.
 
Cherry trees quite well in our region (mid-Atlantic). I have a ~100 year old cherry tree in the front yard. The trunk is probably 5' in diameter and the height is well over 40'. What cherry varieties do you get in the 4-1? I just planted 2 each standard Bing, Rainier, and Queen Ann trees. I have a Montmorency (pie cherry) on the way. I only wish I'd found the supplier 10 years ago when we moved into this house.
 
Joe:

The cherry tree will make much more of a mess when the cherries fall from the tree. If you don't mind that, go for the cherry tree (I have had several of each over the years).

Tony
 
Cherries grow fine in northern Michigan. Given the temps and snow, I suspect they'll do well in the Philly area as well.

You can always tell new residents here in AZ. They get grapefruit, orange, and lemon trees for their backyards. While they are great shade trees, the fruit gets to be old news after a while. You can't GIVE this stuff away around here. They attract a special kind of rat and some noisy birds. A couple of years later, ask them about the trees and they'll give you a blank look along with a "oh, we got rid of that." :)
 
Joe Williams said:
Our backyard is only 13x30. Too small to be of real use for much. A little under a 1/4 of the back part is dedicated to a permanent sandbox for Sean. We are going to make about 10 feet of it next to the house into a patio for BBQ and picnics. This leaves the center part of the yard free, and a perfect spot for a not so giant tree, and room for other decoration around. We want pretty, a little shade, and some fruit to eat would be a nice bonus.

you might want to make sure that permanent sandbox has a permanent fence around it, or a cover for when he isn't playing on it. you might find it an attractive nuisance for neighborhood kitty cats.
 
woodstock said:
ps. a flowering dogwood eventually becomes an awe to see.

Ooohhh, yes.

That and Mountain Laurel.
 
Joe, unless you plan on harvesting it completely, go for the cherry tree. If you will just do the casual pick some for a pie or personal eating, you will never use all the fruit. Trust me, the remainder will end up rotting on the ground. Pears and apples are large heavy fruits that will attract all kinds of critters as well as bees as they return to the soil from whence they came. Raking them is not an option, they will have to be hand picked up and placed into containers for the recycling folks to take, and in our area they are quite picky about the acceptable container not to metion the weight of the said vessel. Leaving them to compost where they fall will kill the grass under them. Cherries on the other hand are smaller and lighter and more or less mash into the ground. The best years for us are when there is a hard freeze right at blossom time that kills the apple crop in our front yard. Here's to hoping for a real cold night in the next week or two.
 
Here's the easiest way to answer this joe....which do you like better, cherries, or pears?

In the long run it won't matter, because I almost never eat the fruit off of the trees in my backyard anymore. I get excited when they start to appear, and then 4 months later, I grumble to myself as I'm out there picking up rotten fruit off the ground.
 
Joe: Not to be a smart A$$ but you should know that many of the trees called pear and cherry are not actually fruit bearing trees. If you want a fruit bearing cherry or pear make sure the tag says that they are fruit bearing. some of the fruit bearing trees take years to produce fruit. I used to have a small orchard as a kid in the Philly burbs and the fruit bearing trees were a problem primarily because the birds at most of the darn fruit and those fruit that fell to the ground and got soft attracted a heck of a lot of bees. Bad news.

OTH some trees like ornamental cherry and pear can be beautiful as can crab apple and dogwood. Ornamental pears trees are kind of weak and when they get big say 20-30' you can loose a large section of the tree when the limbs break off. That being said Trees are good!! I'd go with an ornamental cherry it costs a bit more than an ornamental pear but is stronger and holds its flowers longer. Also if you belong, check out COSTCO. Their prices for plants beat even walmart.
 
Almost every home built in the last 20 years in the Southeast had ha Bradford Pear trees "installed". They bulldoze all the natural trees and plant them. After they mature, a strong wind comes along and breaks the limbs off at the trunk and they look AWFUL. The only solution is a chainsaw. We lucked out and got Cleveland pear trees in our yard. Neither bear fruit though.
 
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