# grafting, and using suckers for rootstock?



## bbbuddy (Jul 29, 2002)

If I buy rootstock, can I cut growing branches from my apple trees and graft them onto the rootstock to reproduce the same tree?

Also, if there are suckers on the trees growing from below the graft, can I cut these off, root them and graft regular branches on for new trees?


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

bbbuddy said:


> If I buy rootstock, can I cut growing branches from my apple trees and graft them onto the rootstock to reproduce the same tree?


Yes.



> Also, if there are suckers on the trees growing from below the graft, can I cut these off, root them and graft regular branches on for new trees?


Yes.


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## bbbuddy (Jul 29, 2002)

Thanks Steve. In regard to rooting the rootstock suckers, if I then graft branches from the fruit bearing part, I would get the same type apples as the original tree?
Also, would spring time be the best time to do this?

I have several apple trees that never grew, except for suckers from the rootstock, so I want to use what I can to start new ones...
oh, by the way if the rootstock sucker is from an apple or crabapple, can I graft peach or plum on?

Thanks much


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

bbbuddy said:


> Thanks Steve. In regard to rooting the rootstock suckers, if I then graft branches from the fruit bearing part, I would get the same type apples as the original tree?
> Also, would spring time be the best time to do this?
> 
> I have several apple trees that never grew, except for suckers from the rootstock, so I want to use what I can to start new ones...
> ...


I thought that you maybe knew a little more about grafting than you seem to. You should be able to Google all kinds of instructions for grafting fruit trees that are MUCH better written than anything I could write. Look at some of that info, and I'd be glad to clarify anything that seems confusing.


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## Bruce in NE (Dec 12, 2002)

"oh, by the way if the rootstock sucker is from an apple or crabapple, can I graft peach or plum on?"

no


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## bbbuddy (Jul 29, 2002)

Steve L. said:


> I thought that you maybe knew a little more about grafting than you seem to. You should be able to Google all kinds of instructions for grafting fruit trees that are MUCH better written than anything I could write. Look at some of that info, and I'd be glad to clarify anything that seems confusing.


Well, I did spend hours online googling for this info, but all sites said "suckers were bad, get rid of them", I found none that said you could root them and use them. I appreciate your answer...
Also I have heard of "fruit salad" trees, so that is why I asked about using different types fruit grafts on root stock.
There is plenty of info on HOW to graft or bud, just not alot on WHAT to graft or bud....


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

bbbuddy said:


> Well, I did spend hours online googling for this info, but all sites said "suckers were bad, get rid of them", I found none that said you could root them and use them. I appreciate your answer...


I just tried Googling, and, frankly, Iâm surprised at how poor the info is. If you donât already know, you canât find out very easily. Try using âstoolbed definitionâ as your key phrase. I saw a couple if PDFs that I didnât want to take the time to open that proâly explain.



> Also I have heard of "fruit salad" trees, so that is why I asked about using different types fruit grafts on root stock.


From: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/graftingfruittrees


> What Can You Graft
> You probably assume (correctly) that you can graft any two peach varieties with each other, as well as any two apples, cherries, figs, plums, nectarines, and so on. Nearly all citruses are compatible with all other citruses. Also (and this is where the fun starts) most fruit trees in the Prunus genus are sometimes compatible with each other: almonds, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and plums all are compatible for grafting, but occasionally it's complicated. For example, some plum rootstock is not compatible with peaches or nectarines; and some almonds require an intermediate step before grafting onto some plum rootstocks.


Scion and rootstock have to be quite closely related. "Fruit salad" trees are, in my opinion, a scam. Not because they aren't several different fruits, but because people think of "fruit salad" containing apples, grapes, peaches, grapefruit, etc, NOT just nectarines and peaches!



> There is plenty of info on HOW to graft or bud, just not alot on WHAT to graft or bud....


I guess Iâm just a little too far âinsideâ the industry. Questions like these tend to fall into the âmilk comes from the grocery storeâ category, for me.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

While you can get suckers to root and then graft bud stock/scion/new wood from a known variety onto it, why bother? 
You can buy a rootstock that already has a root system, for around a buck each. If your trees that died above the graft were a double graft, then you may not end up with what you think you had. I have seen some dwarf trees that had an interstem between the rootstock and the grafted variety. I live in a northern climate and have never seen dwarf apple trees fruit. I graft and grow standard size apple trees only. I use Antanovka rootstock. I know this is miss-spelled, but I think you get the drift.
Collect your budstock now or in the next month.
Good luck. I've got 1000 rootstocks coming this spring and hope to graft them all.


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