There are only a few trees left of some apple and pear varieties.
Pomologist Georg Loferer has set himself the goal of saving them from extinction.
District - Valuable treasures can be found in some of the district's old orchards: rare apple and pear varieties, of which only a few trees still exist.
The “Apple-Pear Mountains” project has set itself the task of identifying these old varieties and securing them in conservation gardens.
Pomologist Georg Loferer was out and about in Weyarn, Bayrischzell, Valley, Irschenberg and Gmund, among others.
Mr. Loferer, you were looking for old apple and pear tree varieties in the district. What did you find?
Some very interesting varieties.
For example the real Fromms Goldrenette, an apple that is almost extinct.
Or the Röthaer Blenheim, also an apple variety that we discovered in four different districts.
The interesting thing is that it is a local variety that originally comes from Saxony.
It must have been very common here 100 years ago.
A blood pear with red meat is also worth mentioning.
Are the trees in old orchards?
Usually yes.
Especially when these gardens were laid out before the world wars or there was or is a schnapps distillery, we find rare varieties.
Some trees are over 150 years old, for example a pointed apple from Irschenberg, which could not be genetically determined.
How do you know they are old varieties?
First I look at the tree, the location and the fruit myself and freeze some leaves.
I pass on samples of particularly interesting fruits to other pomologists.
The leaves are genetically examined in a Swiss laboratory and the results are compared with a database containing information on around 1000 varieties.
That gives the final security.
From the trees you have taken branches that are used to grow new trees. How can you imagine that?
I looked for strong annual shoots, which incidentally was not so easy with some of the old trees, and cut ten to twenty of them.
They were then given a code, wrapped in sand and stored in a cool place.
The shoots were then refined in the tree nursery, which means that they were placed on young trees.
From 2022, the young trees will be planted in conservation gardens, also known as Noah's Ark gardens.
The project
Since 2015, old fruit trees have been mapped in the districts of Weilheim-Schongau, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Miesbach, Rosenheim, Traunstein and Berchtesgadener Land. Rice is taken from rare varieties that are worth preserving and new trees are grown with them. At the Schmitt tree nursery in the Forchheim district, apple and pear trees are currently growing in 255 varieties. The trees will later be planted in so-called Noah's Ark gardens. The largest will be on the outskirts of Rosenheim. Later, the trees will also be available to private garden owners. Project manager Eva Bichler-Öttl already has a list of interested orchard meadow owners. The project "Apple-Pear Mountains - Old Fruit Varieties in the Upper Bavarian Pre-Alpine Districts" is financed by the Bavarian Nature Conservation Fund, the Upper Bavaria District,the district association for garden culture and state maintenance as well as the districts involved and the sponsoring association of the Berchtesgadener Land biosphere region. Further information: www. apple-birne-berge.de.
Do garden owners ever have a chance to buy these old varieties?
That is the goal of the project.
Noah's Ark Gardens will be open to the public and tastings will also take place there later.
There will of course be varieties that are not necessarily suitable for cultivation, for example because the apples are too acidic or the trees need a lot of space.
But some of the old varieties will be of interest to gardeners.
At least in the Noah's Ark Gardens the genetic material is assured.
