How to Grow Apple Tree Rootstock

[@thechaosgardener]

The rootstocks did amazing and I grafted scions into them! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIHWlnuKjaejaJY

[@MaluseedGrowers]

Nice.

[@georgenaugles5039]

What window of time is best for digging root stock, how soon to graft?

[@thechaosgardener]

I’ve done it at many times of the year as they pop up all year long and I don’t like mowing baby apple trees but they seem to have the best survival rate when harvested while they are dormant. They are just harder to spot in the winter. I would let them grow for a year before grafting and graft in the early spring. Be sure to use rootstock that has just emerged from dormancy and scions that are still dormant (I keep mine in cold storage for a few weeks if necessary to give the rootstock a head start on waking up). This strategy gives me 99% success.

[@superdave336]

I don't know where any crab apple trees are at. I guess I'm going to have to start searching and see if I can stumble upon some. Thanks

[@thechaosgardener]

Sometimes you can promote suckering of a grafted apple tree and clone the rootstock clones that sucker up. In my opinion local wild type varieties are best. Seek or iNaturalist marks gps locations of plants so you might be able to identify the location of a plant you want to “clone”. Just be careful about trespassing :) I found a local passiflora incarnata at a local park using this method and was able to forage some fruit (and seeds)

[@superdave336]

@@thechaosgardener I'm going to be on the lookout for fruit trees and stuff to graft. Loving your content and the channel.

[@thechaosgardener]

9:27 shows my rootstock haul

[@hightrailshomestead]

I worked at an orchard for a while they told me I could have anything growing up from the ground underneath the trees so I grabbed five suckers from five different trees. I've had them planted on my property for 4 years and they have never flowered or produced apples. Will they ever flower or produce apples?? I was told this was rootstock I took and being rootstock they would never produce apples. I seen in this video where you said some stuff "which I believe is what I took from the orchard, suckers" growing up from underneath the apple trees is considered a sucker and will be a clone of that tree. So thinking that what I had was rootstock which after watching your video I believe to be suckers now, I didn't think they were going to ever flower or fruit so this year in May I bought Scion honey crisp red and honey crisp and did modified cleft grafts on my 5 trees with this Scion. Any comments or suggestions, thoughts or insight on what I've said here is greatly appreciated. Video saved! Thanks for the info

[@thechaosgardener]

Nice score! Rootstocks typically give “crab apples” or undersized apples. I don’t know why people say they don’t give fruit. Perhaps some rootstocks don’t produce fruit but my rootstocks are all wild crab apple and they all grow crab apples. Not that crab apple trees from seed take a number of years before they will flower and if they don’t flower they won’t bear fruit. Good luck though. Grafting is such a thrill when you see the successful union and the scion exploding with growth