Red Clapp's Favorite pear trees

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• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Pollination group: 4

A red form of Clapp's Favorite, also known as Kalle. The pears have a sweet flavor, and ripen in late summer.

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Red Clapp's Favorite pear trees for sale

Pre-order for delivery in spring 2027

• Semi-standard, 1-year bare-root tree $39.95 Mature height: 10ft-16ft after 10 years
  Semi-vigorous rootstock
  

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All about Red Clapp's Favorite pear trees

Red Clapp's Favorite, also known as Kalle, is an attractive red-flushed early-season pear.

It is best to pick the pears towards the end of summer, as soon as the color develops, and bring them indoors to ripen. As a guide, this variety is likely to ripen 1-2 weeks ahead of Bartlett.

How to grow

Red Clapp's Favorite is suited to most climates, including the maritime climate of the Pacific North West, and colder climates of the northern states. However it is susceptible to fireblight.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Red Clapp's Favorite is a good example of a "sport", a natural genetic mutation. The original Clapp's Favorite was raised by Thaddeus Clapp of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1850s, possibly a cross between Bartlett and Flemish Beauty. It is essentially a green pear but with a tendency to show some red flush. In the 1930s Adrian Kalle, a grower in Van Buren County, Michigan, noticed that one of the branches of a Clapp's Favorite tree growing in his orchard had pears that were a solid dark red color - quite different from the normal red-flushed green pears on the other branches. This new form was patented in 1952 and taken on by Stark Brothers nursery under the name Starkrimson, but today it is more widely known as Kalle or Red Clapp's Favorite.

Red Clapp's Favorite characteristics

• What level of gardening skill is needed to grow Red Clapp's Favorite?Average
• Is Red Clapp's Favorite self-fertile?Not self-fertile
• What flowering group is Red Clapp's Favorite?4
• Is Red Clapp's Favorite good for pollinating others?Average
• What season do you pick Red Clapp's Favorite?Early
• UsesEating freshCulinary
• How long can you keep Red Clapp's Favorite in a fridge?1-3 days
• What is the overall disease resistance of Red Clapp's Favorite?Poor
• How resistant is Red Clapp's Favorite to fire blight?Some susceptibility
• Is Red Clapp's Favorite resistant to scab?Very susceptible
• What is the USDA hardiness zone for Red Clapp's Favorite?Zone 3 (-40C)
• Summer maximum temperaturesWarm (25-30C / 76-85F)
• Where does Red Clapp's Favorite originate from?United States
• Fruit colorYellow / Red