Dolgo seedlings/ rootstock

[homerj1]

Not sure why a person would waste their time sourcing a specific rootstock to then turn around and plant the graft union below ground. Makes no sense to me. Just buy the cheapest rootstock you can find if that's your plan.

 

[Mortenson]

That's what had me puzzled.

 

[sandbur]

Not sure why a person would waste their time sourcing a specific rootstock to then turn around and plant the graft union below ground. Makes no sense to me. Just buy the cheapest rootstock you can find if that's your plan.

Some of those dolgos have a tremendous root mass. Plant them for winter hardiness and for survival in drought, just in case if/when the scion sends out roots.

I plant my trees with the graft above ground.


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[sandbur]

Last year I found some crab apples growing in my swamp in what has to be the wettest part. They're only about an inch to 1.5 inches diameter and 8 feet tall but I am considering topworking them. Would you mind taking pics of your process and posting them? I'm not doing my topworking this year but will probably do it next spring.

1.5 inche sized crab sounds pretty good for deer to me. Look for some rootsuckers for future rootstock in wet areas. I have grown them from a chunk of root, but it takes time.


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[homerj1]

Some of those dolgos have a tremendous root mass. Plant them for winter hardiness and for survival in drought, just in case if/when the scion sends out roots.

I plant my trees with the graft above ground.


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If the scion roots the rootstock will likely die as the scion will be feeding its own roots. Any drought or winter hardiness imparted by the rootstock will be negated.

 

[sandbur]

Last year I found some crab apples growing in my swamp in what has to be the wettest part. They're only about an inch to 1.5 inches diameter and 8 feet tall but I am considering topworking them. Would you mind taking pics of your process and posting them? I'm not doing my topworking this year but will probably do it next spring.

I am not an expert on this. Others here are far more experienced.

I usually find a straight section of the rootstock tree and cut it off above it. Preferably a 1-2 inch section. I split it with an old butcher knife and hammer. Seal with toilet bowl wax and wrap very tight with e tape. Sometimes I do a bark graft.

Those by my home orchard, I leave one or two nurse limbs to pull sap up to the graft.

For trees that I won’t see very often, I leave many more nurse limbs, including enough to shade the graft from the winter and summer sun. I am in an area with cold winters and some hot dry summers. A short prairie type of environment originally. I like the shade on the south and southwest side.

Pinch off new growth during the summer that interferes with the scion. I have even cut off part of the nurse limb on trees at home that I can water and watch.

This spring, I cut off the extra nurse limbs down to one or two and want to see how these grafts survived the winter. I still kept the nurse limb on the south side.

I have two or three Big Dogs now producing apples on the wild swamp crab. That swamp crab does well. I wish I had more rootstock from it.


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[Teeder]

Silly question, my rootstock arrived today from BHN. Everything here is an absolute swamp, and likely to be that way for many weeks to months. How bad would it be to plant in mud?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Silly question, my rootstock arrived today from BHN. Everything here is an absolute swamp, and likely to be that way for many weeks to months. How bad would it be to plant in mud?

I've always read that "apple trees don't like wet feet." Most apple-planting advice I've ever read says to plant apple trees in well-draining soil with lots of sun. I think that's why Sandbur prizes his "swamp crab" because it's that rare bird that grows well under "wet feet" conditions.

 

[Teeder]

Well, they won't be in a wet area, it's just that everything is wet now and I have the trees in-hand. I'd like to get them in the ground.

 

[Mortenson]

I had to plant a few trees in very soupy soil a few years ago. Rained a bunch just before they came, and I needed to get them in the ground. It wasn't how ya wanna do it, but those trees all did fine and are growing well. Your mileage may vary. I guess if you're worried about the site remaining a swamp for weeks to months, you'd run the risk of drowning them.

 

[sandbur]

I've always read that "apple trees don't like wet feet." Most apple-planting advice I've ever read says to plant apple trees in well-draining soil with lots of sun. I think that's why Sandbur prizes his "swamp crab" because it's that rare bird that grows well under "wet feet" conditions.

One of my buddies has some of those on his land. I think they are fairly common, if people watch for spring blooms to find them.


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[b116757]

So on the possible age a tree may get;

If the M111 lifespan is only 35-40 years, would a young tree grafted to M111 buried five or six inches above the graft live longer?

All of my spring grafting this year will be to Antonovka how long will those last?

I was lucky enough to get a bunch of trees from Blue Hill this year and they are all on Dolgo.

I would expect Dolgo and Antonova rootstock to be 100+ years. I bury almost all my grafts a couple inches deep so the scion self roots. I am uninterested in small short lived trees but I have trees fruiting so I can afford to wait.