Back to Eden Gardening and Hugelkulture and other non-conventional garden methods

[HoopyFrood]

I wish your all the luck in the world!!!!!! Nothing like loosing an old friend like an apple tree.

I plan to take material from an old tree from the place of my teens in hopes of continuing the tree. It is VERY Very old.

My plans are to use rootstocks to get a tree going, then be able to work with the material it grows.

Let me know if it grows roots....

Fingers crossed!

Thank you so much! If LG can clue me in to where I should have posted I'll certainly post updates as well!

I just did some online research and watched some YouTube videos... people say this does work! If you have established rootstock, the chances improve greatly for a graft to take. So no matter what you should definitely be able to propagate from your old tree!!

I almost ordered rootstock from Fedco before I had my crazy idea. I don't know if it's too late to order it for their tree sale. Last I looked (February, I think) it was only $20 for 10 trees; all sizes available from standard to full dwarf.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I would love a little more info on how to do the rootstocks if it's appropriate in this thread.

nothing is inappropriate it is all regarding growing and gardening

 

[Arielle2]

I would love a little more info on how to do the rootstocks if it's appropriate in this thread.

I tried 20 pear rootstock 2 years ago. I did something wrong and none took. The rootstock lived another year in a grow bag but most died. Maybe 4 left. Will plant those out and graft on to try again.

Trying apple this year--if the scions and rootstock arrive soon.

Dr Cummins of the Geneva station has a site now run by the next generation. Dr C was instrumental in developing rootstocks that are immune to fireblight. An orchard about an hr north of my was hit hard and dont sell scions anymore. Too bad as it contained hundreds of noteable and less noteable New England apples.

See if they have a tutorial on grafting. All the utube videos make it look easy----Im not sure what I am doing wrong. But the rootstock needs to be working/functioning/growing/ not dormant to heal the graft----that is my only insight.

Fedco offers a day of grafting and learning doesnt it?

 

[HoopyFrood]

I tried 20 pear rootstock 2 years ago. I did something wrong and none took. The rootstock lived another year in a grow bag but most died. Maybe 4 left. Will plant those out and graft on to try again.

Trying apple this year--if the scions and rootstock arrive soon.

Dr Cummins of the Geneva station has a site now run by the next generation. Dr C was instrumental in developing rootstocks that are immune to fireblight. An orchard about an hr north of my was hit hard and dont sell scions anymore. Too bad as it contained hundreds of noteable and less noteable New England apples.

See if they have a tutorial on grafting. All the utube videos make it look easy----Im not sure what I am doing wrong. But the rootstock needs to be working/functioning/growing/ not dormant to heal the graft----that is my only insight.

Fedco offers a day of grafting and learning doesnt it?

I don't have any more free time tonight, sorry. Do you want to start a grafting thread, describe what you tried to do and then ping me? I've got what I THINK is a great write up on grafting and I found a few how-to's on YouTube that totally agree with it. The videos do look easy, but they often omit some details.

Maybe we can figure out what happened?

Sorry gotta sign off for tonight. TTFN!

 

[lazy gardener]

This site is perfect. It falls under the "non conventional" gardening methods. I'll be watching closely. I do know that if you take a fruit tree or other flowering tree cutting in late winter, and put it in water, it will bloom and sprout leaves, and won't necessarily take root. I'm hoping against all hope that your cuttings DID take root. Time will tell. If they put on active growth, you have succeeded. Fedco may be interested in your tree. Fedco has been involved in saving many old cultivars from extinction. That your tree is ancient, fruits well, appears to be disease and insect tolerant or resistant, and the fruit is tasty may make it a cultivar that one of their orchardists would like to work with.

 

[HoopyFrood]

This site is perfect. ... Fedco may be interested in your tree. Fedco has been involved in saving many old cultivars from extinction. That your tree is ancient, fruits well, appears to be disease and insect tolerant or resistant, and the fruit is tasty may make it a cultivar that one of their orchardists would like to work with.

I'm obviously not going to dig to inspect the roots But I'm keeping an eagle eye on the little ones and I'll post updates as needed!

The trick I learned is that (supposedly) new buds are simply nascent points of growth. Kind of like stem cells in an embryo, I suppose. They say the cut stem is VERY unlikely to develop roots. So you do your cut right below buds, very lightly "score" the bark to aid in hormone absorbtion (being sure to not touch the buds of course) then inoculate at least two sets of buds with the hormone and make sure they are all planted and kept moist. The buds above ground will figure out they should be branches and the buds below the moist ground, with the hormone, will figure out they should be roots. That's the theory at any rate. I will of course let you know if it works

I had no idea Fedco might have an interest! We've got to do pickups at the tree sale and I was going to do some extra seed purchase anyway. I'll ask them about it!

It definitely has resistance, but I'm unable to tell if it was originally grafted or not. If that resistance is a product of some kind of rootstock obviously I'll lose that even if I succeed in getting them to root. Ah experiments...

 

[lazy gardener]

But, if the grafted top of your original tree has resistance, that would carry forward when it is used to graft onto a good root stock.

 

[1cock2hens]

have you considered root grafting? digging up a little root and growing it out so you have rootstock from that tree

 

[HoopyFrood]

But, if the grafted top of your original tree has resistance, that would carry forward when it is used to graft onto a good root stock.

Indeed! I hadn't thought of that. Another thing to chat with Fedco about. Thanks!

have you considered root grafting? digging up a little root and growing it out so you have rootstock from that tree

The idea had not occurred to me! Very interesting. Thank you for the idea! I'll look into that...

 

[CapricornFarm]

perhaps contact Fedco, explain the dire situation and ask to find someone who can graft these for you. asap.

apples cannot make roots hence the need for footstock.

Why can't apples make roots? I have apple seeds starting. What do they use for root stock?