On occasion some of my B-9 trees sprout a sucker or two, if I did what you are doing with no more than 1 sucker on any given tree what would be the downside to that (for the tree)? They are all producing tall spindle trees.
I found I can just snip off dormant M111 suckers, cut them into 10-12 inch lengths and stuck them in a pot (about 6-8 inches below the soil and 2 buds above the soil). About 50% seem to root and take just fine. It works best with suckers that arenāt too thin, so the basic pencil-thick works fine. I wrap parafilm over the part that will be out of the ground, but that is the extent of my care. You could do the same thing just sticking a bunch in the ground anywhere you think you might like a tree in a few years and select the best one when they take. I think M111 is about the easiest to root, so I canāt say how viable the lazy approach would be for other stocks.
Mostly I just toss them out, but I think this year Iāll try bench grafting some of these āsticksā and see if they root and the graft survives. Using some bottom heat might be a good idea for this, since I want it to root early enough to support the graft.
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@thepodpiper
[quote=āthepodpiper, post:21, topic:3581ā
("what would be the downside to that (for the tree)? ")
Not much downside for the tree, mostly comments from the spouse to move that old flower pot.
However, the more you let suckers grow, the more they want to.
So if you donāt want suckers, it maybe best to not let them grow
Usually , itās best (?) to grow one, or the other,
Here , for now , iam growing a little of each.
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I like Bud118 and Geneva 30. Since Gen30 does not stool as prolifically as most, laying a young sapling down and rooting branches looks like a method worth trying.
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@zendog how did this go for you? I was considering grafting M111 at the same time as trying to root the cutoffs. I was thinking using the DIY hot callus pipe would at least seal the graft on well beforehand.
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It has worked fairly well with the M111 for the few that Iāve done. I think I had at least 75% make it just fine, but I think they are about the easiest to root so I wouldnāt plan on that level of success with other rootstocks. I may try some this year where I bench graft the M111 āsticksā with a scion and stick them in the ground. I may add some rooting hormone to increase my chances of survival.
Iāve used a DIY callus pipe for persimmon bench grafts, but to be honest I donāt think Iād bother with apples and pears since they generally take very easily if you get the cuts right.
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Planting horizontally is a great idea. I have a tall, spindly M26 that would probably be perfect for this. Problem is, I donāt need more apple rootstocks 
and there are some pretty impressive volunteer blackberry roots surrounding it right in the corner of my fenced vegetable garden. All that is going to come out this spring and Iāll refresh the fencing.
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I have one suggestion to add.
When starting a stool bed to propagate rootstock I would encourage everyone to start with rootstock that has not been previously grafted on to whenever possible. Many of the old fruit tree cultivars have accumulated viruses over time. This is not usually a major problem, but if you add those viruses to what had previously been a clean clonal rootstock you will potentially increase the total number of viruses your future trees carry if each scion gets to have new viruses from the rootstock added onto the viruses it already carries.
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Youāve just recommended the Geneva rootstocks, even if you didnāt mean to.
Most are virus resistant.
Anybody have photos of their stool bed? I have tried the mounding and will try the trench layering this year with a m.111 rootstock. Going to try and plant it horizontally and secure it in the ground, then cover with dirt. Somebody correct me if Iām wrong but the growing season new growth will come up from the buds where a branch would grow and pop through the soil? Thatās when I cover with whatever medium to encourage root growth?
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