I have a small plot of land where a few old trees exist.
For what I could gather, these are heirloom trees no longer commercially available, probably even local varieties: one pear (possibly two), one apricot, one peach and one cherry tree.
I would like to reproduce these trees without the need to use root stock.
Talking with arborists always returned the same kind of answer: not commercially viable, too long to obtain fruiting trees and even an argument that the new trees would become “wild” and never bear fruit or only bear unedible fruit. This one I find particularly wild…
Does anyone have any sort of experience trying this? Can anyone recommend a technique?
I’ve read about a technique that recommends wrapping branches in cloth, with a lump of soil in contact with the wood to promote rooting but the trees I want to prioritize are not eligible for it as they are extremely old, with very thin and frail branches.
Are there any others you would recommend or suggest?
Your trees are hardwoods, yes, but Hardwood and Softwood in this case refers to what age the propagated branches are. Softwood cuttings are taken in early spring to early summer from new growth. Hardwood cuttings are taken in late fall or winter from those same age of shoots, just allowed more time on the tree. Semihardwood cuttings are taken in summer and fall.
Pit trees like what you have are best reproduced via grafting younger shoots (ie softwood) onto rootstock in early spring.
If you want to make cuttings, then softwood or semihardwood is best. Be sure to use rooting hormone, and start them in perlite! Keep the perlite moist but not soggy and keep a humidity tent over the cuttings for a while, to reduce moisture loss in the leaves.
Be very careful when taking cuttings, especially in spring and summer; pit trees, especially cherries, have many fungus diseases that love a fresh cutting. Fireblight being the most devastating example.
I was considering trying to stimulate root growth directly on the tree for the cherry, as it has some nearly perfectly vertical branches that would make proper trees from the start.
The apricot, after your remark, worries me. The tree is old and frail. It would be wonderful to just clone it straight from cuttings but now it feels risky.
Just be very careful, and sterilize your tools between trees. Look up common diseases like fireblight and Cherry Leaf Spot and learn how to spot them. With Prunus, an ounce of prevention is really worth a pound of cure.
If you want to air-layer, the best time is probably going to be early summer (unless you get really hot dry summers; then do late spring). You ring the shoot (you can leave a small section of bark across the gap if you want, and that can keep the shoot from dying back, but FYI that can also sometimes make the graft wound just heal over instead of make roots). Wrap a nice wad of damp sphagnum moss around the wound, then wrap that in plastic, and tie the plastic firmly but not tightly to the branch both above and below to seal in moisture.
You may need to drip some water into the bag of moss if you have a drier spring; the moss should be damp at all times but not soggy. Wait a few months and you should get roots.
That being said, rooting cuttings and grafting tend to be much more successful with Prunus. Some trees just take to certain propagation methods better than others.