Hey all, just wanted to know what types of fruit tree cuttings can be rooted - plum, peach, pear, apple? I’ve rooted fig and vine cuttings, but I’ve never tried fruit tree cuttings. What is the best method for success? Which fruit trees typically won’t root, and which root the best?
I’ve watched some videos and read some articles, but wanted to get first hand opinions.
Thanks.
ability to root will vary by species and cultivar, but generally speaking your best method for success is probably grafting for many of them.
is there a reason you’re steering clear of it?
There’s probably none you can’t root if you have enough patience and experience…but, rooting a gooseberry with 98 percent success, rooting holly trees with 95 percent success, rooting maples trees with 5 percent success and rooting apples with 2 percent success…there is a reason some things are typically grafted and others are usually rooted from cuttings. bb
Maybe try this if you want to root pomes and stones:
I have trees that I can graft onto, but I want to create new trees to plant in other areas. I don’t have rootstock to graft onto, so I wanted to try rooting some tree cuttings instead. I’ll prune later in February, so will have more cuttings than I know what to do with.
It’s hard to get these guys to root, but there are people who pull it off. I haven’t succeeded at it, but a good search of this group might turn something up for you.
Do be aware that you will get full size trees that will take many years to come into bearing as the trees will be on their own roots.
I am going to work on rooting pear again this summer. I think it would be very useful in creating rootstock. One of the things that you need for a cutting to make roots is for the end to callous. So let’s say you take a scion from a pear tree and store it away unto grafting time. The graft it back on the same water sprout where you cut it out. In a couple of weeks it will be growing and there will be a thick callous at the point of grafting. Last year I took some of these at this point and removed them from the tree, pulled the leaves off and stuck them deep in garden soil but they did not take. I think a better approach might be to partially girdle just below the joint or maybe wrap with wire and make an air layer
Alcedo who as a member here, sadly he has passed. Had a method of rooting stone fruit. Looked to work very well. The method used girdling to concentrate hormones in scion before removal. I may try a variation in the spring.
Any chance you have the links handy? I remember his photographs and clean work.
I think I found the post: Alcedo's Technique for Rooting Peaches and Nectarines
Thanks for the tip, @Drew51
Grafting or finding someone to graft them for you is going to be way easier then figuring out how to root fruit trees.
I would definitely try air layering is I only wanted a few to propagate a few trees without grafting. Aside from air layering, I think the best chance for rooting fruit trees is with dormant hard wood cuttings. When I looked for guidance on how to build winter propagation beds and bins, most of the sources charged a fee for detailed instructions. Here is what I was able to gleam and the method I am trying this winter: Collect cuttings as soon as they are dormant. Soak base of cuttings in rooting hormone solution overnight. Allow cuttings to callous over at low temp in / on damp peat moss for about a month or plant directly in outside bin before soil freezes. Plant in soil / media soil fist thaws and keep moist.
Rob not trying to dissuade you trying, just mention other options: where i live wild american plum and apple are common, I routinely dig out volunteers in public hunting land and bring them home to graft to. Apples graft to the wild apple and crab rootstock, and you can do peaches plums and nectarines on American wild plum.
Other people in other parts of the country also do this with calllery pear. Just more options.
I found a bag of peach scion at back of the top shelf of my refrigerator. Most scions have certain degree of callous. I hate to throw them away as they are trying to be alive. I planted them into potting soil. Will these root?
I’d be surprised if they did.bb
I shoved the cut off sections of Antonovka and b118 rootstocks into pots of dirt this spring. I buried them as deeply as possible, leaving only an inch or so out of the dirt. I placed the pots on the north side of my shed under the drip line. About 40% of them rooted. I planted a bunch of them a couple weeks ago. They won’t be graftable next spring, but spring of 2021 I’m betting they’ll be 2-5’ tall.
Did they ever root for you?
