New root stocks down the road for the habitat crowd?

[Turkey Creek]

Saw this article and brought some hope to us habitat guys in terms of other choices for root stock options.

http://fruitgrowersnews.com/news/using-worlds-oldest-apple-trees-supply-new-ones/

 

[jwill1776]

Good read.

Kazakhstan is supposed to be the origin of all apples, some new rootstock in the semi standard class would be nice.

 

[yoderjac]

Sounds like a case for what I'm doing...growing crabapples from seed and top working but keeping a branch or two of the original. Genetic diversity of seed grown rootstock. Reasonable certainty in fruiting characteristics, fruit in a few years, and when I get a natural branch producing fruit with favorable characteristics, a source for scions with genetic diversity.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[chickenlittle]

The latest Geneva rootstock release, G.814, was started as a seedling in 1976 and all the guys involved are long retired. Fazio will have to work faster to get these new ones out before he retires from the USDA.

There are some larger Geneva rootstocks that were trialed. With P18 and B118 widely available along with MM111, MM106 and seedlings, we have a lot of choices. Not sure they would release a larger Geneva.