I grafted one pear on quince and it didn't grow much because it was too shaded.
John S
PDX OR

[quote="Jerilee":tazl5900] Maybe I should start another tread for this, but here goes: If I got rid of this pear could I graft its variety onto my other (only) pear tree to make sure that one gets the pollination it needs? My main concern is the longevity of that tree. More grafts, more potential for problems in the future maybe??[/quote:tazl5900]

Yes, I’d cut and store your pear scions now. And when you graft it to the established pear, be sure to ‘open up’ an area with enough sunlight to allow the graft to grow. Otherwise, it will likely live, but not acquire the vegetative growth necessary to become a producing limb.

…I don’t believe local pears are infected with any viruses that our apple trees are prone to..? So there should be no danger or harm by adding pear varieties. With apples, many have several diseases that, every time a new variety is grafted, have a chance of infecting the entire tree.

As for your original over-growth question… I believe I’ve seen several pears in this condition. Though dwarfed, they were healthy and producing. I like Rooney’s suggestion of planting an OHxF333 or OHxF513 at the base of the pear and grafting it’s top into the pear trunk. Definitely a ‘conversation piece’ solution

[quote="Jerilee":2gkgnkrq]Any tips on doing the approach graft with a OHxF513 to the pear trunk? Do I have to do it differently/special since the trunk and the new rootstock won't be the same size? [/quote:2gkgnkrq]

Yes… you’ll have to wait until the bark above the current graft union is ‘slipping.’ So you’ll need to procure the rootstock and likely pot it until the sap has begun to rise in the pear before connecting the two.

I’d have a nice hole dug near the base of the pear trunk (avoiding any ‘large’ existing roots) - on a side with some ‘smooth bark’ above the graft union. I’d have potted the rootstock and sat it along side the pear tree; remove it from the pot and mound some soil in the hole it will rest; place the top against the smooth portion of the pear trunk and make an ‘opening’ cut into the pears bark – matching the width of the new rootstock at ‘that height.’

Then make a one-sided (inch and a quarter) slanting cut on the rootstock where it will be inserted into the pear trunk; ‘pop’ open the bottom flap of the pear tree cut and carefully insert the rootstock’s cut surface up and beneath the bark (I’d try to run it up a bit beyond the top sides of the bark flap cut). With the ‘flap’ down, I’d hammer a small ‘headed nail’ through the bark flap – through the rootstock – and into the pear trunk … as the rootstock rested loosely below… I’d also smash a little ‘plumbers putty’ inside any ‘open gaps’ between the flap and the connection ... then paint grafting sealant over the wound (two coats), and begin to cover the scion roots with soil.

My main concern is attempting this too soon, thus tearing the bark on the pear trees trunk. You can leave several suckers on the pear tree (if you’ve not pruned yet), and ‘test them’ to find when the sap has risen by ‘snapping one over’ and seeing if the bark tears or ‘slips’ away from it’s wood…

You could also ‘pre-plant’ the rootstock at the base of the pear, then cut and ‘bend’ the rootstock into the bark cut… but you’d need/ want to have the ‘face cut’ on the rootstock at the ‘exact angle’ of the pear wood, otherwise it might be difficult to straighten ‘a twist.’ You’d also want to do the ‘slanting cut’ prior to the bark-flap cut on the pear trunk so you’d know exactly where to cut that flap… I think you’d have more time and room for error with the ‘open hole’ method above…

This is by no means the only way to accomplish this graft … but off the top of my head, it’s where I’d start