Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Depending on the crop and training system, trees that are 6 to 14 feet tall
work well in modern orchards and home fruit plantings.
Trees that are grown from seed are produced from their own rootstocks.
This method works well only for a handful of minor crops, such as Damson
plum and Nanking cherries, as discussed in chapters 5 and 6. Alternatively,
if you have found a seedling that you like, you can propagate it vegetatively
by layering root suckers (creating roots on young shoots that grow from the
roots or collar). As with seedling trees, you are growing the variety on its
own roots. If you want to layer a fruit tree using suckers arising from the
ground or base of the tree, be sure that the tree is not grafted. Otherwise, you
will likely be propagating the rootstock (the bottom part of the tree), not the
scion (the top part), and you will not get the type of fruit that you want. (See
FIGURE 3.2
Methods Used to Vegetatively Propagate Fruit Trees
ABOVE:
A) Layering using a root sucker
