Pj, it sounded like you tried many methods but NOT air layering, which is well described on this site in other posts. In your case I would have taken cuttings, put them in barely moist towelling in a zip-lock and put them in the vegetable crisper of the fridge for a week. This puts them into dormancy. When they come out of the fridge, I would forget the baggie method for rooting and put them into a very well drained light potting medium (barely moist) in 16 oz plus clear plastic cups with drain holes. Put them on a warming tray covered with a plastic dome to keep humidity high. Your climate may already do both of these 'warm and moist' stages for you. When I do this method, I can usualy see good root development in a couple of weeks as well as budding and leafing out. Don't be in a rush to transplant, and remember that excess of water is a killer at this stage. Air layering works fine too, you just have to be patient, but you can do it anytime. However, it may take months for the branch to throw out roots, or just weeks. You could also try ground layering too if you have branches close to ground and can pin or weight them there for some time. My two cents... John.

Not with pear, but with a Japanese Maple, I've had success wrapping bonsai wire around the branch I want to layer and twisting it tight enough to restrict the flow of sap. You just tighten until you see the wire start to "bite" into the bark - don't crush the bark/branch. If there are enough branches to try layering, this technique might be worth testing.

PW - Thanks for the kind words! also PPE - I received your recent message. I've been very busy with spring pruning/ repotting, which is why I haven't yet expressed my gratitude, but I will. Thank you - I was moved! Is there any downside to starting the layer via ringing method up to a year before I plan to prune + pot the propagule? There is no question things will move along much faster if the layering takes place with the plant outdoors, but you can start the layer a month or so before you expect to move it outdoors, which can be done A) when nights are reliably above 55*F, or B) by moving the plant in and out as temperatures allow (should be above 55*). Is it okay to keep it on over the winter? It depends on where the layer is located on the plant. Since you'll be cutting through the phloem tissue, you'll be cutting off flow of photosynthate from all foliage distal to the layer to roots. So, if the layer is on the main stem proximal to all foliage, there is a very good chance that the plant's root system could die; however, if you are layering the main stem distal to other branches on the stem, it wouldn't be a problem. It's best to start preparing for the layer in early to mid-spring and plan on separating the layer in mid to late summer. Faster is better because it decreases the probability of a fungal pathogen gumming up the plumbing before new roots have an opportunity to form a connection to the propagule's existing vasculature. Does layering on the main stem of a plant have any effect on the growth rate above? Yes. How much, depends on what fraction of the flow of photosynthate (food) is being cut off by the layer. If you have 10 branches below the layer on a main stem, it won't have much impact on growth rate. If you are air layering the main stem at a point proximal to all, the effect on growth rate would be greater. In any case, the reduction in growth rate should be temporal; this, because the layer also blocks the polar flow of auxin (it moves from shoots to roots only). With the flow of auxin reduced to almost nil, auxin's inhibitory effect on new lateral branching will be almost entirely eliminated (in apically dominant plants), so foliage on the new branches will start to provide a net return on energy outlay when the first of the new leaves are about 75% mature. Al

I have done this with other plants. Here are a couple of posts on this method. air propagator Please note the item was NOT a scam in the end. Here is a similar product. Vactison