Fruit trees are usually propagated through grafting so that the desired variety sprouts from the rice. However, there are also other methods that are also fundamental for grafting - for example, to grow a suitable rootstock.
How to propagate fruit trees?
Fruit trees can be propagated through grafting, seed cultivation and vegetative propagation (cuts and cuttings). While grafting produces true-to-variety plants, seedlings are not varietal. Vegetative propagation produces plants that are identical to the mother plant.
Growing from seeds
Most fruit trees cannot be grown from seeds as they are, especially apple and pear trees, because they are often self-infertile and therefore require a second, suitable variety for fertilization. After pollination by the wind or by insects and subsequent fertilization, a fruit with germinable seeds grows. However, these contain the genetic makeup of both parent plants and are therefore not uniform. Plants obtained by sowing these seeds are therefore not true to the variety. They are called wildlings or seedlings. Even self-pollinating fruit varieties such as most peaches and plums are not propagated by sowing because they are not sure to fall according to the variety.
But seedlings also have other disadvantages:
- They grow very quickly when young and can become very large.
- But they fruit later - you have to wait a long time for fruit.
- In addition, unwanted spininess can occur.
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction from plant parts is called “vegetative reproduction”. If another variety is used as a rootstock for asexual propagation, i.e. refined, this is called “xenovegetative propagation” by experts. The plants resulting from asexual reproduction are those that are identical to the mother plant.
Cuttings
Propagation by cuttings is carried out during the period of dormant vegetation, approximately between November and February. In doing so, you cut annual shoots that are about as thick as a pencil and must be 15 to 25 centimeters long. You should also mark on the wood where is up and where is down. If the cutting wood is placed upside down, it will not grow - because then the roots would have to form in the crown. Until they are cut, the cuttings are stored as cool and dark as possible in a slightly moist substrate (€6.00 at Amazon). The planting itself takes place in spring, either directly into the prepared open ground or into planters under glass.
Cuttings
In contrast to cuttings, cuttings are planted immediately. The best time for this type of propagation is late spring and early summer. Then cut freshly sprouted, but already firmer shoot parts with a length of around 10 to 15 centimeters from the plants to be propagated. Remove the lower leaves and place the shoots in unfertilized potting soil. It is important that the substrate is always kept slightly moist.
Tip
Another form of propagation is moss removal, in which quite large plants can be grown within a short period of time. This method is mainly used in bonsai cultivation.
