Bradford Pear - Graft Asian Pears or Remove and Replace?
I’m located in a St Paul, MN suburb, zone 4b. At the some point, this Bradford pear will be removed in front of our home. Assuming no large limbs drop from it this summer, I will start thinning it and fully remove it in late winter. Likely was planted when the home was built in 1990. The previous owner had landscape fabric around it that I’ve been removing as I’m planting other plants.
I recently came across folks saying they’ve grafted asian pear varieties to the rootstock of Bradford pears. The tree itself is about fifteen feet off the foundation of our home, but as you can see it’s become sizable.
If I were to graft Asian pear scions, could I cut the main stem/trunk to about three feet and attempt grafting there? Would the reduction in canopy keep the root growth in check for a while longer? Or am I better off completely removing it and replacing with a young Asian pear tree a little ways away from where this one is planted?