Growing a pear tree from a cutting sounds like the easy way to copy a tree you like, and you can try it. But extension guidance treats fruit trees, pear included, as trees to graft rather than root, and fruiting pears are sold as named varieties grafted onto a rootstock. If you want the same fruit as an existing tree, grafting or budding is the reliable route; a cutting is an experiment.

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The short answer: you can try rooting a pear cutting, but expect low success. NC State Extension says stem cuttings of tree species are generally harder to root, and that most fruit trees are propagated by budding or grafting instead. Penn State says all fruit trees must be grafted or budded to get the same fruit, and University of New Hampshire Extension says pear trees are produced by grafting the variety onto a rootstock. To copy a pear, collect dormant scion wood in winter and graft it onto a pear seedling or a purchased rootstock in early spring, or bud it in summer.

Why pears are grafted, not rooted

NC State Extension’s propagation chapter notes that stem cuttings are the most common method for many woody ornamentals, but that stem cuttings of tree species are typically more difficult to root. It says budding and grafting are used for cultivars that do not root well from cuttings, and that most fruit and nut trees are propagated this way.

Penn State Extension is direct: all fruit trees must be vegetatively propagated by grafting or budding to produce the exact same fruit. University of New Hampshire Extension says pear trees, like other tree fruits, are produced by grafting the desired variety, such as ‘Bartlett’, onto a rootstock.

There is a practical reason too. The rootstock decides the size of the tree. NC State’s plant toolbox says common pear can grow 40 to 50 feet tall and is usually grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock to keep it shorter and more manageable. A pear on its own roots from a cutting would have no size control at all.

If you want to try a cutting

NC State’s general method for woody stem cuttings is the place to start, with the understanding that results for pear are uncertain:

Choose the wood. NC State describes softwood cuttings (new growth just beginning to firm up, usually May to July), semi-hardwood (partly mature wood, mid-July to early fall) and hardwood (dormant wood in late fall to early spring). Its table lists Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) as rooting from semi-hardwood cuttings; it does not list fruiting pear.
Take healthy cuttings. Use the current or past season’s growth from a healthy, well-watered tree, 4 to 6 inches long. Morning is best, when the plant is fully hydrated. Remove any flower buds.
Strip and wound. Remove leaves from the lower third to half. A light wound on the base, followed by a rooting hormone, can help hard-to-root species; NC State notes wounding does nothing without the hormone.
Stick and cover. Insert the cuttings a third to half their length into a sterile, well-drained mix such as peat and perlite, water, and cover with clear plastic in bright, indirect light.
Keep them moist. Keep the medium moist until roots form, and mist regularly.

Even if a cutting roots, it will grow on its own roots, without the size control or vigor a chosen rootstock provides.

The reliable way: graft or bud onto a rootstock

Pick a rootstock

University of New Hampshire Extension describes the main choices:

Rootstock	Tree size	Notes from UNH
Pear seedling	Full size, can be quite tall	Reasonably winter hardy and vigorous; space 15 to 20 feet apart
Quince	About half the size of a seedling-rootstock tree	Less winter hardy; does not tolerate excess moisture or drought well; very susceptible to fire blight; space about 8 feet apart
OHxF semi-dwarf (for example OHxF 40, 333, 513, 87)	About two-thirds of standard size	Bears earlier in life; space about 12 feet apart

You can grow your own seedling rootstock. Penn State notes that pear seed needs 60 to 90 days of cold, moist after-ripening (best at about 40°F) before it germinates, and that pear seedlings should grow until July or August of their second year before they are budded. See how to grow pear trees from seed for the details.

Graft in late winter or early spring

NC State describes the whip and tongue graft for stems 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick where scion and rootstock are the same diameter. It heals quickly and gives excellent contact.

Collect dormant scion wood from the pear you want to copy in winter, and keep it cold and moist in the refrigerator until needed.
In early spring, make matching sloping cuts 1 to 2 1/2 inches long on the rootstock and scion, then a second cut in each so they interlock.
Fit the pieces so the cambium (the green layer just under the bark) lines up on at least one side.
Wrap or wax the union so no cut surface dries out.

Or bud in summer

NC State says T-budding, the most common budding method, is done when the bark is slipping, June through August in the Southeast. A shield-shaped bud from your tree is slipped under a T-shaped cut in the rootstock bark and wrapped with the bud exposed. Chip budding works when the bark is not slipping.

Aftercare

Once the bud grows, cut the rootstock back to just above the union, as NC State describes.
Remove string or tape soon after growth starts so it does not girdle the stem.
Rub off any shoots that sprout below the union.
NC State says to plan on caring for the graft for a year or two after it is made.

Remember pollination

A cloned pear gives you the same variety, but not necessarily fruit on its own. Asian pears, for example, need a second compatible variety nearby for pollination. Before planting, see how to plant an Asian pear tree and how to grow Asian pears for pollination partners and spacing.

Key takeaways

Pear does not root reliably from cuttings; extension services point to grafting and budding.
A cutting, if it roots, grows on its own roots with no size control.
Graft dormant scion wood in early spring, or bud in summer when the bark slips.
The rootstock sets tree size: seedling for full size, quince for about half, OHxF semi-dwarfs for about two-thirds.
Keep cuts from drying, remove wraps in time and rub off rootstock suckers.

Sources

13. Propagation, North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook, NC State Extension
Growing Fruit Plants from Seed, Penn State Extension
Growing Fruits: Growing Pears in the Home Orchard, University of New Hampshire Extension
Pyrus communis, North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Top photo: Sébastien Goelzer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Grow a Pear Tree from a Cutting