Rootstock planting techniques, advice for a newbie

[Backspasm]

Hey Guys,

I just ordered 20 apple rootstocks to arrive in the spring which I will graft to. Had a very high success rate of both bench grafts and field grafts this year on persimmons and I have the grafting bug bad now. Plus, I have young kids and want to get some trees in the ground at our farm so they will be dropping by the time they start hunting hopefully.

Here are my questions:
The trees arrive in march... do I:

1. put them straight in the ground in their final destination and graft them this spring?
2. put them straight in the ground in their final destination and graft them in the field next year?
3. Plant them in pots or a seedling nursery of some kind at my house now and graft them this year and then plant them in fall/winter after the grafts are established and they are dormant again?

If I plant them at home and not in the field yet:

What pots do I use for 1/4″ to 3/8" rootsock optimally?
Can I use grow bags?
Do they need to be in a seedling bed for best root development?


And finally:

I plan to use stakes, tree tubes, and weed mats once they are in the field. Anything else glaring I am missing to get them started right?

 

[Barndog56]

If you've got the ability to protect them in the field so they don't get eaten, and water them if they need it, I would bench graft and plant in the field right away. Every time they're transplanted it takes time for them to adjust, so do it just the once if you can.

 

[Prof.Kent]

Agreed. YoU have to baby them and protect them for a few years or expect mortality.

 

[Backspasm]

Agreed. Yao have to baby them and protect them for a few years or expect mortalities.

I can cage them, weed mat them, tube them, but not reliably water…. That’s why I was thinking fall planting may give me a better shot at establishment vs spring

 

[sandbur]

If you've got the ability to protect them in the field so they don't get eaten, and water them if they need it, I would bench graft and plant in the field right away. Every time they're transplanted it takes time for them to adjust, so do it just the once if you can.

I will add to Barndogscomments. I agree with bench grafting them when they arrive. The benchgrafts to benefit from some care and I am not sure if you are living on the farm where you want to plant the or not.

Benchgrafts may need to have a bit of growth pinched off the rootstock if they are going good. I usually leave a bit of growth on the rootstock for a period in case the graft fails.

 

[Prof.Kent]

I'd bench graft them and pot them for a year in gallon pots. Take care of them well for a year, then transplant them when dormant.

 

[Turkey Creek]

If you could babysit them well I would plant the root stock and graft the following Spring. However, since that appears not to be the case bench graft them and plant them in your garden with appropriate fencing. Transplant the following Spring before bud break.

 

[bigboreblr]

I'd cage instead of tube. Tubesdont do well here in NY.

I've done all 3. Grow bags or pots. I have 3 gallon grow pots.

Where do you live, what soil, and what varieties or result are you going for. I suggest trees both you and deer can enjoy.

 

[bigboreblr]

Planting 2or 3 apple trees in grow pots this weekend up at camp. Crossbow Droptine and maybe all winter hangover all on anty rootstock. Bought anty roostock in sping of 2022 from SLN. Then dug up the roostock for grafted apple trees in march. Grafted them during the transplant into the root pots.

Will post pictures next week of the planting.

Doing the same thing again next year. Likely more Kerr, All winter hangover, crossbow, droptine, and signal fire. Might be grafting some roadside trees I see on my way to work. I suspect they're hewes or similar. One tree is by a 1800's stome foundation in a state forest road.

Just dug up a spot to transplant a beatup peach tree to the nursery. I have anty rootstock in the same spot for 2 years in the nursery with 5ft long top roots. IF doing a nursery year, ammend the soil so it's easy to remove the trees. I am afriad the 2 year old anty's grafted to kerr are going to be a nightmare to get the tap root out of. Digging all my 2022 anty up this december and putting up at camp.

IF you got heavy clay like me, add some peat moss or even sand. I rototilled, then dug up all the loosed dirt, then rototilled down another foot after that. Added a whole brick of peat moss to a 12x12 foot spot stuffed with apple trees and red dogwood seedlings. Threw in any old porch flower pots and maybe 2 or 3 bags of potting soil ontop of the peat moss. old leaves, lawn clippings, or any compost would be great too.

 

[bigboreblr]

3 Gallon root maker pots. Chinese knockoffs from amazon. 10 for 35 bucks or so. They look good enough to surive atleast 2 or 3 more years.

regular pots can cause the roots to tangle up instead of spreading. Spent too much money on a local nursery who had a freedom apple tree. It was a total rootball mess. Removed soil untangled what i could, snipped what i couldnt. 7ft tree in a 3 gallon regular plastic pot. And branches were pruned right either.... it saves to do it right. Years and dollars.