@Yarg
Kieffers can get cedar rust…but it never seems to affect them much.
Speaking of Kieffer leaf colors. We had an unusual record deep freeze Monday down around 4F. I hadn’t paid attention to these leaves so they might have been purple before, but maybe it was the deep freeze. Now I can say I have a “purple autumn kieffer”. New variety 
I bought three pear trees that were labeled Kieffer (at three different times. One turned out to be Orient and one turned out to be Ayers. This last one has not fruited yet BECAUSE it blooms so early that either the blooms get nipped or in last years case the tiny fruits are frozen. I’m looking at it yesterday and there are blooms opening on it just ahead of this very cold front coming in this weekend. Kieffers are supposed to do well here and fruit reliably. So…would this be a different pear? Again??? It is so much ahead of everything else…three years running. (Oh, and yeah, they all came from big box stores…)
It’s hard say if it is a Kieffer or something else. My Kieffer blooms reliably with Orient. I don’t have hood anymore but it bloomed ahead of both of these. I got tired of Hood always getting frost killed every year.
Just doesn’t act like any Kieffer I’ve ever known…
I would be glad to send you scion wood from my Kieffer trees if you were so inclined. I’m in Zone 6a in Illinois and get fruit every year. Maybe you got the trifecta of oddballs.
Thanks! I’ve already had an offer of scion from someone that was trading with me already. I’m ready to rework the wretched thing!!! 
Opinion?
Should I just cut it off and top work that pear? I’ve never done that. Would you do it from the trunk or individual branches? And will this interstem have effect on the bloom time, etc of the final tree?
Never grafted pears. At what stage should you start? And will that work… this particular tree already has rising sap and ‘way to early weather wise to graft!!!
I am by no means an expert but I have grafted Bartlett to a couple of Kieffers. Some I matched scion size on branches and some I sawed the branches close to the trunk and bark grafted .Most of the grafts took, the bark grafts really took off. The grafting I did was at bud swell. My trees were maybe 20 years old at the time. Hope that helps.
I’ve got opening blooms… bud swell long past!
I have done summer grafting. Will pears still take with late grafts?
I wish I knew but I don’t. Maybe try on part of it ?
I have @ huge Kiefer trees. Probably 400 lbs a year . My Labradors eat most of them. As soon as they hit the ground
Visually you can tell the difference by looking at the bark and buds… Ayers is silver and the buds are thinner and longer and Kieffer is much darker with fat buds… Dramatic difference if you’re able to compare them side by side in the nursery or the box store.
k8t, There are many others more qualified to help you with your grafting questions, so I don’t think I should offer an opinion. I am curious how the experienced folks will respond. Could you fill in a few details for us?
What is the age of the tree? Height? It has established scaffolds and secondary scaffolds? Could you post a couple pictures of your pear tree?
This info would help to know what the best grafting approach to take would be. At least for me! 
If pear scionwood is dormant, grafts can be made and will usually take even up to mid-summer. I’ve made a few pear grafts with limbs taken from trees that were already blooming and so long as the buds were not yet opened, I usually got it to take. Pear and apple are relatively easy to graft. Do NOT try this with pecan or walnut.
Okay. That sounds promising.
Do you know if that interstem is going to cause the grafted branches to bud out early every year? Will it have any effect?
You should be at the right stage for bark slip. If you choose to graft the whole tree, try to keep at least one branch until your grafts are established, just cut the tree off above that branch a few inches and place 2-3 bark grafts there, as many as your trunk circumference will comfortably allow. Bark grafts can be done in general for about a month after bloom.
I have three Kieffer on OHxF333, two of which are loaded with blooms this year. I’ve been happy with the precocity (precociousness?) of 333.
Kieffer is a perfect tree for ohxf333. Many low vigour pears are not. I really like my kieffer on ohxf333 very well i got from @39thparallel ! Most of my improved kieffer are on callery.
