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Post by mnjrutherford on May 11, 2010 16:34:32 GMT -5
Over the past couple of weeks I have discovered, in an intensely painful way, the value of good rootstock suitable to ones particular environment. Even if you CAN get tree seeds to sprout and grow, and even if they DO produce fruit which is true to type, the whole shebang can go up in a puff of smoke if there is no disease resistance/temperature tolerance/growth controller/fruiting enhancer built in via rootstock.
The tree we lost was a cheapo Five and Dime store novelty multi graft apple. But how we acquired it made it significant. What we didn't know has caused us to loose all the fruit and it is very possible we will be losing the tree as well.
I'm crash coursing myself on apple rootstock now. M7 is what I'm looking to acquire and hopefully I'll be able to get some from GRIN. I'll also be looking for rootstock for butternuts, hazelnuts/filberts, peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, and nectarines. I'll also be looking at where one might be able to source these pre-grown as well as grow it yourself versions.
If anyone has some knowledge on this, I sure would love to hear what you have to say. As knowledge is acquired, I'll be posting more on this particular issue.
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Post by mjc on May 11, 2010 16:57:54 GMT -5
Black walnut is pretty much the rootstock for most walnut trees...especially butternut. But in your area, butternut may do better grown on its own roots...so seedling butternuts for a 'named variety' would also work.
Peaches and nectarines would use the same...and for you that would probably be Nemagard (I think that's how it's spelled).
Apricots, plums and cherries can go on wild plum (Prunus americana)...it will dwarf some and others it won't.
Hazelnuts are mostly grown on wild stock or their own roots.
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Post by cff on May 11, 2010 17:37:19 GMT -5
I buy my rootstock from www.raintreenursery.com/ and always get good quality stock. Grafting is fun and the first trees than my son and I grafted almost 5 years ago have apples on them this year  |
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 12, 2010 9:08:32 GMT -5
Nemagard? The stuff made from ground sesame seed hulls? I did a quickie search and that's what I came up with. Looks pretty interesting thought the cost is a tad high... If this is it, I'll look a bit more.
Hayne, I'm glad you like grafting! ;o) I did it for the first time this year and I'm a MISERABLE failure! Fear not! I shall persevere and do it again. Shucks, I've got 10 pear rootstocks that will go to waste if I don't. But I think I'll let these guys get a bit larger then try wedge grafting the scions. I like the Raintree website. I used the search for root stock and got all kinds of interesting stuff.
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Post by mjc on May 12, 2010 10:26:46 GMT -5
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Post by Alan on May 12, 2010 22:47:24 GMT -5
Raintree is a great source if you need small quantities of rootstock, I've always had very good luck with them.
MJC is right, black walnut is going to be what you'll be wanting for anything walnut related, but as he said, where you are they will probably be fine on their own roots. I just put out 15 butternuts and 15 English walnuts, they can stay on their own roots for my use as far as I'm concerned.
Find the Nemaguard rootstock mentioned above, friends of mine swear by it and only use it.
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 13, 2010 6:44:46 GMT -5
I've checked out all the links and the info is dynamite. I've put some of it together on WORD so that I have have a print out for my binder. I'd attach it here for others to download and print if I knew how.
The M7 (EMLA-7) is avail from GRIN and I'll be requesting that for next year so that I can grow some of my own. I haven't had a chance to do anything more with the Nemaguard yet. Regarding the peach rootstock, I haven't checked that out in depth either, but there was one that I kinda felt might be better than Lovell for our area. Moving our work from strictly "garden" items to trees is an experience and a half to say the least.
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Post by grunt on May 13, 2010 23:56:49 GMT -5
Jo: Since you have a gmail account, you have a way to post the document here, or a link to it if you prefer. Upload the file to your Google Docs account, and use the address for it as a link or to embed it in a post.
Cheers
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 14, 2010 5:21:36 GMT -5
OOOo.... Cool Dan! Thanks! I've never used GOOGLE docs before. I will have to tweak the file a bit more first though because it occurred to me (at about 4:45 this morning  ) that I should add the various comments made regarding the various tree types. |
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 14, 2010 5:38:55 GMT -5
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Post by grunt on May 14, 2010 15:31:15 GMT -5
Jo: Looks good.
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 14, 2010 21:36:20 GMT -5
Thanks for putting your eyes on it for me Dan! I appreciate having an Editor! ;o) I did find a couple mistakes when I checked it out. I think I fixed them though...
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Post by cff on May 15, 2010 7:23:39 GMT -5
Jo its only a failure if we fail to try - Five years ago my son and I drove to Boone NC for a hands on grafting class in the mountains. The class lasted all of 15 minuets (after a three + hour drive); they provided us a few pieces of apple scion wood and rootstock. We grafted two trees each in class and we both had one successful graft = 50% Takes a little time to learn but well worth the effort to be able to look at apples growing on trees that you hand grafted  I just purchased a new DVD (a step by step guide) from Wisconsin Roses so I can learn how to chip bud roses on Multiflora rootstock. The goal is to produce my own rootstock and graft my own roses at some point in the near future at little or no cost to me Nemagard? The stuff made from ground sesame seed hulls? I did a quickie search and that's what I came up with. Looks pretty interesting thought the cost is a tad high... If this is it, I'll look a bit more. Hayne, I'm glad you like grafting! ;o) I did it for the first time this year and I'm a MISERABLE failure! Fear not! I shall persevere and do it again. Shucks, I've got 10 pear rootstocks that will go to waste if I don't. But I think I'll let these guys get a bit larger then try wedge grafting the scions. I like the Raintree website. I used the search for root stock and got all kinds of interesting stuff. |
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 16, 2010 6:24:10 GMT -5
Jo its only a failure if we fail to try You are SO right Hayne! So right! I do wish I could get a hands on class like you did though. I'll be playing around with dogwood and sassafrass this year. Got so many of those they can afford to loose a limb or two here and there. Especially at pruning time. How much was the DVD? |
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Post by grunt on May 16, 2010 12:16:26 GMT -5
Jo: You don't have to limit yourself to trees that you want to keep for practicing on. The principle is the same for all trees. You can even just shift cuttings from one branch to another for practice, or try pleaching two trees together. Make an English lollipop out of a small junk variety tree (cut out the center and take two branches from opposite sides and join them over the center). Play with it until you get it right consistently.
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) that I should add the various comments made regarding the various tree types. 