Xcoyotex:

Rootstocks can be propagated in a number of different ways, which are sometimes different for distinct species, and sometimes the same. Because there is some complexity in the way rootstocks are grown or otherwise propagated, I cannot hope to cover them all here, but can illustrate the point with a few specific examples. Yes, you can propagate your own rootstocks (in most cases), but, because of the time or degree of difficulty involved, you may ask yourself if it is worth it when most rootstocks can be purchased at reasonable prices. And some of the newest and best rootstocks are under patent, or otherwise difficult to obtain for home propagation.

When you grow an apple or other fruit from seed, the tree that results is said to be on its "own roots", that is, it is not grafted. Unless, of course, you cut it down and graft it, but even then the rootstock will be a seedling and will not impart the desirable qualities, such as dwarfing, cold or disease resistance etc. of rootstocks that are specifically grown as clones. Most fruit trees grown on seedling rootstocks will grow to become full-size trees.

Many apple rootstocks and some stone fruit rootstocks can be propagated from suckers that come from the roots themselves, not the tree above. Rootstock suckers are identical copies of the parent tree rootstock(or clones), but some rootstocks do not sucker freely, or not at all, and require a different strategy. Many peach rootstocks are grown from seedlings (i.e. Halford, Lovell, Bailey), as are some plum and cherry rootstocks, and produce acceptable results. However, to precisely reproduce the same rootstock, they are often propagated by hardwood cuttings. A good example of this is Myrobalan, a popular plum rootstock. Sometimes, fruit trees are grown on rootstocks of closely related species, such as pears on quince, to achieve desirable results.

The above barely scratches the surface of what you should know before starting to propagate your own rootstocks, but first you have to know what you want as a final result, and understand the various ways to achieve it. You will have to do some reading on your own before you begin, since you will not get thorough, organized instructions here, although you might get some interesting tips. Most people are reluctant to try to write a book on Gardenweb when there is so much info available on the internet for free with just a little looking.

Many full-dwarf apple rootstocks are propagated by banking earth up around the stem, waiting until the stem sends roots into the soil, then cutting it off. This procedure is called "stooling", and it calls for some skill and patience, since the roots do not grow in immediately. After the rooted part of the stem is cut off for a new tree, the rootstock below is allowed to grow a new stem, and the process begins again. Other popular apple rootstocks, such as the semi-dwarf M-7, sucker freely, and there are lots of little rootstocks around the base of mature trees that can be removed by a little careful digging. In addition to size control, clonal apple rootstocks usually produce fruit much sooner than full size (standard) trees grown on seedlings.

If you post again with more questions, be as specific as you can about what you are looking for in a rootstock in terms of size control, precocity of bearing, hardiness, and drought and disease resistance. If you have lots of room and don't care how large your trees become and are willing to risk other factors, you can grow rootstocks for just about any fruit from seeds. But I think you will eventually conclude that growing fruit trees is already difficult enough that you will want to leave rootstocks to the professionals and spend a few bucks to buy them. It is much easier to obtain scions for grafting by trading, or by contacts with other fruitgrowers, since you can easily slip a few scions into an envelope.

Also, please tell us where you live. Not essential, perhaps, but a nice courtesy.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

As Jellyman stated, it's all in the specifics.

In my case I'm going to make a few root cuttings from purchased pear trees on known OHxF clonal rootstock and additionally am going to grow some Callery pear rootstock from seeds from "Bradford" ornamental pears (there are now so many "Cleveland" pears around that the "Bradfords" are pollinated and fruiting). I am also going to try to airlayer a few OHxF 51 branches (I got this as scions) and then have a pear "shrub" for stooling. But this is all just playing. For the serious initial propagation I bought OHxF 513 rootstock (others would have been OK but these were available in small quantities from retail nurseries).

If you wanted full-size pear trees and are not TOO threatened by fireblight, you could buy and eat some "Bartlett" pears and use the seeds to grow rootstock, as these were once common in the nursery trade and are known to perform well. Same with apple, but personally I'd buy an old-fashion type and not a highly crossed and selected modern variety.

I have the same questions.

APPLE
I have a semi-dwarf apple that I bought about 8 years ago. I don't know what the rootstock is, but I'm wondering if it might be M-26. In any case, I'd like to propagate its rootstock and graft two or three other varieties onto it. I don't see any suckers. Could I take root cuttings and get those to make new rootstock?

CHERRY
I have a sour cherry tree. Bright red cherries with yellow flesh. It suckers, but the suckers are huge! I'd like to graft another 2-3 sweet cherry varieties onto it. Can I encourage small suckers or use hardwood cuttings?

Rain2Fall

Hi folks, started back growing seedling Apple Root stocks here in Jamaica. I have the space and time too ,so i decided why not, instead of throwing away my apple seeds.
Plus, apples are getting really expensive here in Jamaica ($3.00 USD for 2 apples) and the price isn't going down either, especially with the lock-downs. You can check out my progress here