Hi, Stuart. Your graft sounds neat. I think it may dwarf the tree a bit and perhaps make the pear grow faster. That's what I found when I successfully grafted medlars onto loquats. Medlars grow so slowly; I found that this grafting speeds them up. Paul.

Pears and loquats are not alike at all! What gives? This should'nt work!
Explain!
oh, and flatwoods, got any spare medlars?

David -- I know this posting is late, but I found your thread when I was looking for loquat info. It sounds like your loquat had fireblight. It's a nasty virus that affects pears and loquats! You must cut out the dead stuff and spray to avoid it. Best of luck -- Monique.

Fireblight's by a bacteria I believe. It often results on susceptible plants (like loguat) from too much nitrogen fertilization.

The graft has now had a full growing season to develop, and the result has been disapointing. The new growth reached 2ft however the leaves stayed small, yellowed and droped very early. By contrast, a pear graft to a Hawthorn rached 6ft in the same time and and is still resisting dormancy. A pear graft onto a Nashi Pear reached 4ft and looks even healthier, althought the other nashis in the garden have suffered fireblight. .
It is very true that Loquats look nothing like pears, but then neither do hawthorns. The Uncertainties add to the interest in my view.

Oh and by the way everyone , FIREBLIGHT is not a virus or a fungus as many people believe .

Fire blight is a bacterial disease that affects apple trees, pear trees and rosebushes. It is caused by a bacteria erwinia amylovora. fyi