Title pretty much says it. While I love eating Euro pears, they are annoying to harvest/ripen next to Asian pears. I picked my first homegrown Shinseiki yesterday and now want a whole tree of them! I have already topworked one tree to Korean Giant, my 2nd tree is a multi graft Euro with multiple Asian pear varieties, and my third is Euro. That third would be an awful nice Shinseiki…
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I would change the tree to what you like. If it is all Asian pears then so be it. My preference is some of both.
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Kelby,
Go for the one you love. I would not hesitate.
Tony
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I would hesitate … a little …
Being a person of transient enthusiasms that wane and wax according to I don’t know what, I’ve learned to hedge myself a bit and therefore I would suggest working over a bit at a time. Who knows? You may discover partway through that you like a bit of balance.
Just thoughts,
M
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I think it would be a crazy mistake to graft the 3rd to Shinseiki . Make it a Hosui to spread the season out and fruit between the other 2
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Your question is answered,YES! You wouldn’t be on this forum if you weren’t like all the rest of us, Loony tunes, A brick short, March hare, Whacked in the head, and proud of it!! Graft 'em all over but just remember, you are so crazy!
Have a blast and enjoy them new pears.
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You have pears producing now. I’m not the norm but why give up high quality productive trees? Remember changing variety will cost you 2-3 years of fruit. In 2-3 years scions on ohxf333 will produce fruit.
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Pretty sure I’ve got a branch of Hosui on my multi graft tree, how about a Shinseiki/Hosui split? I’m most excited for Shinseiki because it is so early. My figs aren’t even ripening yet, but Shinseiki is.
Can I change or modify my opinion. Some others brought out some very good opinions on how to proceed @marknmt, @clarkinks. I’m not trying to say you should abandon switching to all Asian pears if that is what you really want but they could be slowly converted with scions. You might see some cross pollination benefits to at least leaving a few limbs of the European pears. Getting my pears pollinated has been more difficult than apples due to their earlier blooming time. Bill
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PArt of my consideration is that despite heavy bloom on my Euro pears this spring…pretty poor fruit set (multiple varieties blooming at the same time). Asian pears had to be thinned like mad.
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I’m having similar problems but it is with both European and Asian pears and I’m still trying to figure out what is the best combination. Apple pollination and fruit set has been much easier.
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Actually Hosui might be not different ripen period than Shinseiki as they are both early according to most info, last year was 1st for my Shinseiki to fruit and I will not be comparing any this year. Around a month ago something carried off all my Asians several hundred off a group of 5 trees. 99.8% carried off with exception of maybe 5 fruit. This was all done within maybe 3 days. all fruit carried off, tree not damaged. I have only saw squirrels on them, and I don’t have excessive numbers. Would a few squirrels be that complete in several hundred fruit? Chojuro maybe as mid-season? I just grafted it this spring. My Shinko is what I would call mid but not the best for me. Honestly like others I would keep a Euro, particular if it’s one precocious one. I have a few Magness at my 8?9 year cabin tree and hoping my Asians there still on tree as well. I don’t make it there frequently
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Strudeldog,
If your orchard is not fenced off (even fenced-in), then my conclusion is possibly varmint, the 2 legs kind! Maybe it’s time to set up a camera to see “it”!
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Almost certain not 2 legged, unless maybe a Sasquatch? I am rural on acreage well off the road, my closest neighbors I would not think. I have not seen coons around much and no limb breakage I have noticed, possums yes. Do either of them tote everything off as whatever it is did not eat them at the tree. There was some crows around, but I keep thinking squirrels just probably more than I realized. I do have game cams I think still work, but the fruit is gone so doubt whatever will be around. The fruit were not even ripe
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Strudeldog,
There are animals here that would do that. I don’t think it was people. Squirrels are pretty good at stealing in some areas. I picked my mom 2 gunny sacks of walnuts one year and left them on her porch and when I came back later the same day 1/3 of a bag was all that was left and the squirrel stood there and sassed me for taking that partial bag to put in her basement! I never could determine what he did with them!
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I had the same thing happen to all my Asian pears (more than 2 reasonably large trees worth) 1-2 weeks ago. Not a single one is left. They were all at least 3+ weeks from being ripe and hadn’t even sized up yet. I’ve lost some Euros, particularly the early ones, but most of those are still on the tree.
The other reason to not do it all at once is that something may happen (freak weather, bad wood, etc) to make it all fail. It is a lot of effort to completely work over a tree. I made more than 100 peach grafts this year and had only 1 take. Maybe I should have spread the effort out a bit more 
Pears are much easier than peaches, but something could still happen (fireblight?) which would waste a lot of effort and a crop or two from the tree.
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Asian pears tend to be as easy as peaches in the northeast until stinkbugs enter your scene, and E. pears can become the most difficult fruit of all common species once psyla shows up- and if you are on the east coast it will likely show up eventually. Scab and Fab (the latter works hand in hand with psyla), are also more difficult to control that their apple counterparts. The pears in my orchard and nursery require twice as much effort as other species and the same goes for almost half the sites I manage pears.
Some sites remain psyla and stinkbug free after over 2 decades, though, so you never know until you know.
As far as replacing E’s with A’s, that has a lot to do with taste, but you also have to consider that E’s have a higher level of culinary use- they also take longer to bear so if you change your mind you may be waiting a while.
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I had meant from a grafting standpoint. As in, he probably won’t have a 1% success rate with pears (Asian or Euro), unless he is using spit to hold the grafts together. And even then, he may beat it…
Now that I say this, it gives me an idea for a new sport- extreme grafting. Can you make a successful graft with items you find around an average household or an elementary school classroom. How about items that were commonly available in 1500? I think a hunting knife and some twine may be enough for a pear graft.
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I’ve read back in the day they used mud packed around the union’s.
Sorry, it’s just that the idea that pears are the easiest fruit to grow without spray input is widespread.
I’m pretty sure your problem with peaches was that you grafted when it was too hot or too cool (as you already know). Peaches are way too Goldilocks. Even my best sessions don’t give me more than 60% takes, generally, so I’m still learning. My first go round this year was almost a complete waste- the high 60’s are not warm enough, apparently, and the high 80’s too warm. Next year I’ll try foil tents if I graft before heat and no cool peach or nect grafting at all…
It is much better to have one tree with two varieties than two trees in a hole, IMO. Scott prefers the latter because his trees die frequently but that is not such an issue here. A mature peach tree bears a lot of fruit when it bears any at all.
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