Anyone have experience on grafting apple-pear/sand pear on dwarf pear rootstock?

Trying to mound layer dwarf pear suckers in hopes of making it root, then trying to graft an apple-pear onto said sucker. Any information or experience on doing this would be much appreciated!

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Are you referring to quince or ohxf333 or another rootstock? Many things like aronia, cotton easter, hawthorn etc. can be used to dwarf pears. There is different degrees of success based on what you use. Apples and pears are not compatible but they are pomes so they can be partially compatible at least for a time. Apples such as winter banana are more compatible with pears than others. There are much better choices for dwarfing apples than pears.

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My grandfather said they were Asian Pears, I don’t know if any quince rootstocks develop suckers, I’m also sort of new to grafting so I’m still trying to understand all the different rootstocks available and their growing habits.


This image is dwarf Asian pear, unknown rootstock; all I know is that its a dwarf because of the stake.

And then here’s the apple-pear, I do have other apple trees nearby, but they don’t seem to produce any suckers.
Seems like if chances of me grafting apple-pear onto an Asian pear are limited, perhaps I should try to air layer the apple-pear come early next spring?

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@Taylorinshirewood

Apple pear / asian pear in most cases should be one in the same. They graft to pears normally. There are exceptions.

There is a interspecific hybrid called an apple pear grown on apple rootstock. @39thparallel grows it. Very large green fruit that ripens in late summer/ early fall. Mike can likely tell you more about the apple/pear than nearly anyone. They are good tasting fruit.

Was your grandpa a grafter?

We will gladly help you get started with this. Do you know where the tree came from?

The apple pear interspecific hybrid if thats what it is may have originally came from Richard Fahey who can only be contacted via mail. It may have originally been from ars/grin. To contact Richard send a SASE for his scions list. He might respond to questions if you send a sase. The address is Singing Tree Acres Rd 2, Oxford, NY 13830. Richard is in his 70’s+ so he does not use things such as email or internet.

Interesting to know that asian/apple pears can grow true to type from seed, and hopefully cuttings. We have unfortunately harvested all the fruit this year, and have eaten all of them with seed inside… I could possibly try to root some of the new growth it has produced in the late summer and see if they will take.

Unfortunately the sources you’ve provided to me are all in the US - I live in Canada British Columbia specifically. The CFIA controls most imports of scions, rootstocks and or dormant cuttings/live plants from entering BC.

My grandfather was not a grafter, he bought most of his trees from a nursery that has since closed down back in the mid 80’s. Most of the trees on this line were planted in 86, exceptions including the two Asian pears, and apple pear.

I would really like to know however, if I were to take a softwood/semi-hardwood cutting, and dip it in some rooting hormone, and plant it in soil indoors and overwinter it, will I have a the same type of fruit that grows on this tree?

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@Taylorinshirewood

Seedlings dont grow true to type. Some things are close like wolf river apple. If you want to take a cutting from the fruit bearing part of the tree and root it the fruit will be the same but the tree may no longer be a dwarf. The suckers coming up from the roots are likely a different type of tree. There are plenty of topics on grafting which is one way to get what you want.

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Some varieties of pears are not compatible on Quince rootstock. There was a list posted on this message board of compatible and incompatible varieties.

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@wfwalton

Yes here is a list i put up years ago What pears are quince compatible?

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