In the spring of 2012, I attempted to graft a Pear scion onto my apple tree using Winter Banana Apple as an inter stem. (All of he grafting i do is "Whip and Tongue" grafts wrapped in grafting tape. I then coat the wrapped union with grafting wax) The parent branch was a Winesap Apple branch with a grafted Winter Banana Apple scion from a few years before. (I actually have two of these paired branches.) I then attempted to graft two "Kieffer" Pear scions onto my two Winter Banana Apple inter stems. The "Kieffer" Pear scions started to grow, but died a few weeks later. This spring (2014) I attempted to graft this Apple / Pear union again using the same Winter Banana Apple inter stems. I had just enough branch on my Winter Banana branches to try this experiment one more time. This time around, I used "Sunrise Pear" scionwood. The grafting was a screaming success! (I had enough "Sunrise Pear" scionwood to graft two branches onto my apple tree, and two more onto an ornamental pear. All four pear grafts were a success!) I have no idea why this experiment failed in 2012 and was a success in 2014. I do not know if it had to do with the pear variety used, or if it had to do with environmental circumstances. I will re-post in 2015 with an update. There are a few different treads on this subject so I will be re-posting on those threats also. Below are pictures taken on 07/27/2014.

In the spring of 2012, I attempted to graft a Pear scion onto my apple tree using Winter Banana Apple as an inter stem. (All of he grafting i do is "Whip and Tongue" grafts wrapped in grafting tape. I then coat the wrapped union with grafting wax) The parent branch was a Winesap Apple branch with a grafted Winter Banana Apple scion from a few years before. (I actually have two of these paired branches.) I then attempted to graft two "Kieffer" Pear scions onto my two Winter Banana Apple inter stems. The "Kieffer" Pear scions started to grow, but died a few weeks later. This spring (2014) I attempted to graft this Apple / Pear union again using the same Winter Banana Apple inter stems. I had just enough branch on my Winter Banana branches to try this experiment one more time. This time around, I used "Sunrise Pear" scionwood. The grafting was a screaming success! (I had enough "Sunrise Pear" scionwood to graft two branches onto my apple tree, and two more onto an ornamental pear. All four pear grafts were a success!) I have no idea why this experiment failed in 2012 and was a success in 2014. I do not know if it had to do with the pear variety used, or if it had to do with environmental circumstances. I will re-post in 2015 with an update. There are a few different treads on this subject so I will be re-posting on those threats also. Below are pictures taken on 07/27/2014.

Clark, First Asians that I bought came on P.ussuriensis (Harbin pear). Two(Chojuro & Niitaka) are still here, and going strong at ~ 20 years. Shinko was taken out when my wife put in a tennis court. The other one was Korean Giant, which was a FB cripple, and finally died back to the rootstock - but the rootstock kept suckering, so I moved it; think it's still throwing out some suckers, but never has regained enough stature to graft anything onto it; maybe I ought cut it to the ground and stool it - but I have so many volunteer calleries popping up all over the place that it's hard to think about expending any effort... In the meantime, I've used OHxF 513, which is reputed to be compatible with Euro & Asian pears - without issues associated with 'pear decline' of Asians on some understocks. Have also stuck an 8-10" piece of 513 on callery as an interstem between the callery and fruiting selection. Those trees are still in a nursery row - and would be tough to dig and move now. Noticed a couple of them just the other day - approaching 15 ft tall - not sure the 513(semi-dwarfing) has exerted any dwarfing effect whatsoever, though...

MY property in particular is literally infested with them. If I go back in time on google earth I can see how with in 10 years an empty field became full of 10 - 20 foot tall Bradford pears. They are extremely hard to get rid of, and their terrible gnarly thorny limbs makes cutting them really difficult. They spread like privet, sending up new trees from their root system. I cut several down and treated the stumps only to find new growth sprouting from the stumps! One tree which I cut down still had a tiny bit of bark attached to the stump and the fallen section was still alive and well! In fall the migrating birds eat the fruit and where ever they poop a new tree pops up. Even pulling a 1 inch sprout is difficult because it forms a long cork screw tap root. I'm not sure how I'm going to ever eradicate them from my land. I have one acre that has literally 1 tree per square foot. I would rank this tree with private and kudzu in it's ability to take over and completely displace other native trees. I hate them soon much!!!! Thorny menace.