School me on rooting pear cuttings..

[IkemanTx]

I stumbled across a feral pear tree on public ground in southern Oklahoma this year. I had never seen a wild one in this area, so it really peaked my interest. It was dropping well a full two weeks into November, so I would love to propagate it. I am assuming from it’s taste and small fruit, that it is an old root stock from an old homestead tree.

My initial reaction was to grow from seed, but not a single fruit had seeds in it. So, I am considering rooting cuttings instead. I figure the roots on this variety will do fine, since they have grown wild already for decades without help.

I haven’t ever grown from cuttings, so what’s the process? My assumption is to cut while dormant, dip in rooting hormone, and keep moist in a potting soil until roots form....? I’m guessing a high percentage of failures, so I would do a couple dozen hoping for a few viable trees.

Any recommendations?


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[yoderjac]

I can't speak to pears specifically, but I have grown jujube from root cuttings and had reasonable success. You generally want to start with roots that are pencil size. I typically collect them when the trees are dormant. I've tried larger and smaller but I seem to get the most success from pencil size. I cut them into sections about 3 to 4 inches long. I've used rooting hormone on some of them, but I can't say for sure it makes a difference. If so, not a big one. I then fill a container most of the way with medium and lay the root cuttings on top with a few inches of separation between them. I then cover them with an inch or so of medium. I've used different kinds of medium from promix to sand. I didn't notice a big difference in success based on medium. I then just let that container sit in my basement over the winter. Don't let it dry out down to the cuttings. Water as needed to keep them moist.

Jujube are slow to root. I take the container outside when our last threat of freezing passes. It is often June before I see top growth. Pears may be easier and faster but jujube don't have great success rates at rooting, so start with a lot of you can. Only a percentage will work.

The next step is a hard judgment call. With jujube, I like to see 3" to 4" of top growth. I gently use a plastic fork to dig out the plant taking enough to disturb the roots a little as possible. I place that in a 1 gal RB2 to grow it out. That is one reason I went to sand. It was easier to dig around the cutting and not disturb the roots. I then grow them like any tree in rootmakers until they are large enough to plant.

From the reading I've done, bottom heat can help the process, but I have not tried that myself. I'm sure the general process of growing root cuttings is the same but perhaps someone with experience with pears can chime in with any tricks specific to pears.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[IkemanTx]

I can't speak to pears specifically, but I have grown jujube from root cuttings and had reasonable success. You generally want to start with roots that are pencil size. I typically collect them when the trees are dormant. I've tried larger and smaller but I seem to get the most success from pencil size. I cut them into sections about 3 to 4 inches long. I've used rooting hormone on some of them, but I can't say for sure it makes a difference. If so, not a big one. I then fill a container most of the way with medium and lay the root cuttings on top with a few inches of separation between them. I then cover them with an inch or so of medium. I've used different kinds of medium from promix to sand. I didn't notice a big difference in success based on medium. I then just let that container sit in my basement over the winter. Don't let it dry out down to the cuttings. Water as needed to keep them moist.

Jujube are slow to root. I take the container outside when our last threat of freezing passes. It is often June before I see top growth. Pears may be easier and faster but jujube don't have great success rates at rooting, so start with a lot of you can. Only a percentage will work.

The next step is a hard judgment call. With jujube, I like to see 3" to 4" of top growth. I gently use a plastic fork to dig out the plant taking enough to disturb the roots a little as possible. I place that in a 1 gal RB2 to grow it out. That is one reason I went to sand. It was easier to dig around the cutting and not disturb the roots. I then grow them like any tree in rootmakers until they are large enough to plant.

From the reading I've done, bottom heat can help the process, but I have not tried that myself. I'm sure the general process of growing root cuttings is the same but perhaps someone with experience with pears can chime in with any tricks specific to pears.

Thanks,

Jack

Lots of good info, Yoder.

A few follow up questions, since this is new to me.

What time of year do you typically take your cuttings to include the cool dormant period in the basement?
When you say lay on top, do you mean horizontally? Is that simply for storage ease, or trying to spur root growth along the whole cutting?

And, when would you add heat under the cuttings? After leaves develop, from the beginning? I have a seedling warming mat, so that is an easy thing.


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[yoderjac]

I typically take the cuttings in December after the tree has gone dormant. I angle them slightly with the distal end lower, but they are pretty close to horizontal. I used to plant them with the distal end down, but I found some that produced their top growth shoot starting much close to the distal end while others were close to the proximal. I did not want the shoot to have to work through 4" or 5" of medium to hit light so I started planting them more horizontally. I don't know if this is unique to jujube or generally true.

As for heat, I have done that when rooting elderberry and yellow twig dogwood top growth cuttings. When I am working with top growth cuttings, I'm starting with an unbalance plant the other direction with no root but it has top growth. I try to promote root development using the energy in cutting rather than promoting more top growth. So, I try to keep the tops cold by putting them in my cold room, but I put them on heat mats so the soil warms promoting root growth.

I have not tried heat with root cuttings. I know bottom heat promotes root growth. I know others use it. I have not done it myself. If I was to do it, I would probably put the heat under immediately. Since there is no top growth, there is no need to put them in a cold room. The only risk I can see is if they were so fast that you got a top growth shoot before weather let you put them outside. If you have an indoor grow setup, this wouldn't be a problem, just put them under the lights. I'm sure it would not be a problem for Jujubes because they are so slow. I don't know about pears.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[IkemanTx]

Any other recommendations from anyone else?

I am thinking of running 2 separate experiments.

1. I run 3-4ish inch cuttings horizontal in container A like Yoder does his Jujube cuttings.

2. I run 6-8 inch cuttings vertically in container B with 2-3 buds above soil level, but everything else below.....


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[yoderjac]

Hold your horses! My mistake, you said "rooting cuttings". I misread that as "root cuttings". My instructions were for root cuttings, not for rooting green or dormant cuttings. I have tried that with a lot of species and found it hard to do with most, even with a cloning machine. I've tried many methods and not had much success. Most of the species I tried were hard to root. Ignore everything I said if you are taking cuttings from top growth.

I have had success rooting easy to root dormant cuttings like Yellow Twig Dogwood and Elderberry. Those are 2 buds above and 2 buds below planted vertically.

Sorry,

Jack

 

[chickenlittle]

Pear tends to root easier than apple. Aside from seedlings, pear rootstock are propagated by hardwood cuttings. You could go take some cuttings this winter and try rooting them. Various ways to do that rooting.

A tree that hasn't been pruned won't be ideal for this. You want this year's growth whether you plan to root or graft. An unpruned tree may have little annual growth. Some pruning now will help give you good wood to work with next year.

If you have other pear trees, you could try grafting this onto some of those. That adds pollination, a few late pears on those trees, and a source of scionwood or cuttings for future use.

 

[yoderjac]

Well, after all the root cutting info I spewed out, there is also nothing that would keep you from taking root cuttings as well as trying to root dormant scions. And here is one more thought:

It sounded from your original post like you want them on their own wild roots. A few years ago I took a grafting class and it was primarily focused on bench grafting apples. The master grafter told me that when he was young and they ran out of root stock, his father would send him out to the orchard to dig up root cuttings from the grafted trees grown on the clonal rootstock. He would then graft the scions directly to the root cuttings. Evidently they got pretty good success rates with apples.

Under the theory this might work for pears, you might also want to take both root cuttings and scions from the wild tree and graft them in addition to trying to root cuttings. You could do this in the winter if you are set up for growing indoors, or your could wait until just before trees break dormancy and collect the cuttings and scions then.

Just one more avenue to try...


Thanks,

Jack

 

[IkemanTx]

Awesome.
So my two experiments will be digging up some rootstock and doing as Yoder described earlier, and trying to root some hardwood cuttings knowing that they will be a long shot not being a fresh year’s growth.

I am hesitant to do any real trimming to spur growth, because that is technically against the rules and regs for the property. I may talk to the wildlife biologist after season closes and try to get permission to do some restorative trimming on this tree. But, I’d kind of rather be the only person who knows it exists.... it is in dense cover in a kind of out of way spot, so I may have it to myself most years.


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[IkemanTx]

Alright, after some PM’s on another forum I think I will be doing a bit of everything. Throwing the book at it, if you will.

This winter I will collect and try to root hardwood cuttings AND root cuttings.

In spring I will try air layering (marcotting) a few limbs

And finally, in early summer I will try softwood cuttings as well.

If all these fail to get me a viable tree, I will just order some wild pear seedlings and deal with whatever drop times I get out of them.

I might even try my hand at grafting if I can find an inexpensive rootstock, but I have never grafted, and my understanding is it is a learning process.


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[yoderjac]

Alright, after some PM’s on another forum I think I will be doing a bit of everything. Throwing the book at it, if you will.

This winter I will collect and try to root hardwood cuttings AND root cuttings.

In spring I will try air layering (marcotting) a few limbs

And finally, in early summer I will try softwood cuttings as well.

If all these fail to get me a viable tree, I will just order some wild pear seedlings and deal with whatever drop times I get out of them.

I might even try my hand at grafting if I can find an inexpensive rootstock, but I have never grafted, and my understanding is it is a learning process.


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Air layering seems to work best on trees that root easily and are in warmer climates. Basically the concept is rather than using energy in the scion to produce roots like with a cutting, the scion stays connected to the tree and energy from the tree is used. In all cases, the idea is to get roots produced before the energy is gone. Probably the most successful form of air layering in warmer climates is to dig a hole next to the tree, bend a low branch down and cover the middle of it with dirt. There are all kinds of variations of this technique. If you do this in the spring you have the entire growing season at least for roots to develop. In warmer climates where the ground does not freeze hard to the depth you put the limb, you can let it sit over winter and give it another season if necessary.

The more common technique is to cut the bark around new growth about 90% around the scion about an inch or so long and remove the bark living one strip that connects the scion to the tree. You then use saranwrap, or a cut 1 liter soda bottle or something similar filled with damp media to cover that area. The roots form in the media. The downside to this approach is that you only get 1 growing season for roots to form since they are above ground. In northern climates, depending on the tree, the growing season may be too short for roots to form. One trick I learned about, especially for harder to root trees, is to wrap a wire around the scion and leave it for a couple weeks before you start. This evidently causes auxin to build up just distal to the wire which encourages roots to form.

If you feel like sending me a couple root cuttings with scions of the same diameter, I'll be glad to try the grafting to root cuttings technique I mentioned above. I plan to do some indoor grafting this winter with apples starting them under lights. It is not big deal to graft a few more. If you are interested, pm me. Don't bother if it is too much trouble. I have plenty on my plate but always enjoy experimenting.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[IkemanTx]

Alright, after some PM’s on another forum I think I will be doing a bit of everything. Throwing the book at it, if you will.

This winter I will collect and try to root hardwood cuttings AND root cuttings.

In spring I will try air layering (marcotting) a few limbs

And finally, in early summer I will try softwood cuttings as well.

If all these fail to get me a viable tree, I will just order some wild pear seedlings and deal with whatever drop times I get out of them.

I might even try my hand at grafting if I can find an inexpensive rootstock, but I have never grafted, and my understanding is it is a learning process.


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Air layering seems to work best on trees that root easily and are in warmer climates. Basically the concept is rather than using energy in the scion to produce roots like with a cutting, the scion stays connected to the tree and energy from the tree is used. In all cases, the idea is to get roots produced before the energy is gone. Probably the most successful form of air layering in warmer climates is to dig a hole next to the tree, bend a low branch down and cover the middle of it with dirt. There are all kinds of variations of this technique. If you do this in the spring you have the entire growing season at least for roots to develop. In warmer climates where the ground does not freeze hard to the depth you put the limb, you can let it sit over winter and give it another season if necessary.

The more common technique is to cut the bark around new growth about 90% around the scion about an inch or so long and remove the bark living one strip that connects the scion to the tree. You then use saranwrap, or a cut 1 liter soda bottle or something similar filled with damp media to cover that area. The roots form in the media. The downside to this approach is that you only get 1 growing season for roots to form since they are above ground. In northern climates, depending on the tree, the growing season may be too short for roots to form. One trick I learned about, especially for harder to root trees, is to wrap a wire around the scion and leave it for a couple weeks before you start. This evidently causes auxin to build up just distal to the wire which encourages roots to form.

If you feel like sending me a couple root cuttings with scions of the same diameter, I'll be glad to try the grafting to root cuttings technique I mentioned above. I plan to do some indoor grafting this winter with apples starting them under lights. It is not big deal to graft a few more. If you are interested, pm me. Don't bother if it is too much trouble. I have plenty on my plate but always enjoy experimenting.

Thanks,

Jack

If I am able to get a decent matchup between scions and root cuttings, I’ll send a few of each your way. I always have liked the idea of paying it forward. With seeds and such.


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[yoderjac]

If I am able to get a decent matchup between scions and root cuttings, I’ll send a few of each your way. I always have liked the idea of paying it forward. With seeds and such.


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My thought was that if I was lucky and you were not to send the success back to you. Finding a good producing wild pear in your local region is outstanding. They may do well or very poorly here in my soils and climate. I just figured that since I'm grafting a bunch this winter anyway, trying the grafting scion to root cutting would be a learning experience for me and a backup for you.

A few years ago a guy in Colorado asked for one of my jujubes I started from root cuttings (the are not grafted). At the end of the growing season, I was able to pull it from the RB2, shake most of the medium off the roots, wrap the roots with a most towel and put it in a plastic bag and ship it. He received it and it grew well for him, so it is possible to send a tree back when it goes dormant. If you have success, I 'll just plant it here and see what happens. My main interest is to see if I can do what the master grafter described and have success.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[IkemanTx]

Okay, I ran up there today and collected some scionwood.

As y’all mentioned, there wasn’t a whole lot to choose from as far as fresh this year’s growth. I did manage to find a few young branches that had decent stuff, though. And I grabbed several that I assume are 2nd year, and will be more difficult.

These buds look HUGE.

How many should I leave on there? Most of them have only a single one on the tip, but probably 6 or 8 of them have multiple, alternating buds.

The ones that I don’t think stand much of a chance look like this

Every single one is getting root hormones, put in the flat, put on seedling mat, and humidity dome over top.



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