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?
What is your goal? Are you trying to maintain these exact varietals for sentimental reasons? Or do you just want good tasting fruit?
Root stock is a legitimate concern. If the existing trees are clones grown on root stock, any new plants grown from cuttings may not do well. I say that because if the main plant were able to thrive without root stock, it likely would have been grown that way in the first place.
Once you clarify your goals we should be able to provide some suggestions.
It’s essentially impossible to determine if at some point any of the trees was multiplied by cloning or came true from seed. All are well over the 70/80 years old mark and whoever originally planted us long dead and buried.
I have no reason to say clones would not be able to thrive. I have the patience and room to care for whatever number of clones necessary to maintain these trees, for how long it takes for the plants to mature enough to withstand transplanting to open ground.
All of the trees bear fruit as is and all is of good quality so maintaining the trees is both an effort to maintain heirloom varieties and have good quality fruit. I have no commercial objective.
The propagation method you mentioned is called air layering and it might work for you if done right (lots of videos out there show how to do it). Another possible option is taking cuttings from new growth (lots of videos on this too). Some trees respond better than others to each method. You could also try taking seeds from the fruit and growing them, but if the source tree was grafted, the seeds won’t give you what you’re looking for and you won’t know for a very long time.
I would probably start with cuttings unless the trees need to be pruned anyway, in which case I would put some air layers on the branches that need to be pruned. As mentioned, the tree may not be as hardy on its own roots if it was grafted, but many grafted trees are just fine on their own roots.
If they are old trees. Might not have been grafted.
Even if the fruit bearing wood was grafted onto a root stock, let’s take has an example a pear grafted onto a quince, seeds taken from the pear would manifest the gene pool of the pear. Quince genes would not manifest. But I wouldn’t get the exact same pears I would be taking seeds from due to genetic recombination. Cloning is the only option.
The only tree I think is apt for getting air layering is the cherry but the others are too frail to have their branches loaded, so I’ll try taking cuttings first.
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It’s was a nice read.
Why not just take cuttings ? I assume you can grow pear from cuttings. Not sure on the others
Cuttings just requires taking endings of branchs and setting it on soil, correct?
The pear tree is on the top of the priority list.
No not really. Depending on type of tree. Can look at softwood or hardwood cuttings. Depending on climate and soil type.
If the trees gas new growth then that’s a good place to start. Season also impacts cuttings.
They are kinda hit or miss. But they are generally the easiest to work with and will be true to parent. As long as branch is above graft line. Don’t take cuttings from the bottom of trunk.
So it is essentially taking away some snips from the endings of last year fruiting branches, stick it in soil and hope for the best.
I’ll try that.
Hardwood or softwood? Isn’t that usually a sorting system for lumber?
I live in a mountain area, near 800 meters altitude, so cold and wet winters but hot and dry summers. The area is still considered volcanic origin but so old it doesn’t really matters anymore. I think I need to have soil tested for acurate profilling, when it is properly clean.
Pretty much. Use rooting hormone for better results.
You can’t really go wrong. Just experiment and find what soil the tree likes and it’s preferred climate.
Just means the age of the shoot. If it’s established it would be hard whereas new growth is green and soft. Both have pros and cons.
I’m currently playing around with grape vine cuttings. Hardwoods seem harder to get going but do better in the long run.
The pear tree is established so it should react well to climate and soil.
I’m going to risk and take a few cuttings as soon as possible, take a few shovels of soil from around the tree, fill some pots and stick the cuttings there.
I have a patio where I can keep the plants more closely watched and tended.
Check out YouTube vids how to do it. Take your time.
Can always ask an expert how to do it
I have talked with a few so-called experts but the focus is always on why my interest on such old trees, when I have much more commercially viable varieties readily available, and/or the work and time invested is not economically worthy of the effort.
It’s a die hard mentality of turning a profit when my concern is conservation.
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.