The rootstock is the foundation of the fruit tree

A rootstock - what is this interesting word such, known, perhaps, only to fans of gardening? And then people who grow apples and pears on their plots can agree with the Russian biologist and breeder I.V. Michurin, who said that the stock is the basis of the fruit tree, which determines its varietal characteristics: shape, size and taste. Let's see how it works out.

A rootstock for apple trees: the secret of growing the best varieties

Fruit trees can be grown from seeds. But new plants will differ in terms of productivity, frost resistance, fruiting time, etc. Even if they were grown from the seeds of an apple. Therefore, preference is given to vegetative reproduction, i.e. Inoculation of the cuttings or buds of the plant of the desired variety on the selected seedlings.

A rootstock is just the seedling on which the layers and processes (rootstock) are rooted. It is he who determines the life activity of the future tree, its durability and the quality of the fruit. Therefore, the stock should be adapted to local climate conditions, resistant to pests and diseases. But for this it is still necessary that the graft is good to him.

Cultivation of the seedlings takes 4 years:

• 1 year - seedlings are grown from seeds;
• 2 year - they add to them a graft;
• 3 year - grows a one-year-old seedling;
• 4 year - two-year-old seedling is transplanted to a permanent place.

Seeds for seedlings are carefully selected, and in order to be planted in the spring, they must undergo stratification. What is it?

How to prepare seeds for the best rootstocks

To obtain hardy seedlings, seeds of well developed, strong and ripening fruits are used. They usually choose such cultural varieties as Grushovka Moscow, Antonovka, Borovinka. Before the autumn sowing, they are carefully selected, dried and then planted. The first shoots appear next spring.

If the seeds are to be sown in the spring, they must undergo a preliminary stratification - ripening at a certain temperature, otherwise there will be no sprouting.

To do this, put them in a box with peat and sand, moisturize and put at a temperature of 5-7 ° C in a dark place. On average, the process of aging seeds takes 80-90 days. It depends on their kind. Periodically, they need to be watered so that they do not wither. If they began to germinate ahead of time, the box should be rearranged to a place where the zero temperature is stable.

Dwarfish rootstock for apple trees

Seedlings for fruit trees are vigorous, medium-sized, semi-dwarfish. Everyone has their own productive features and requirements for content. But the dwarf people became very popular. Why is that?

The advantage of a dwarfish rootstock for apple and pear is the high quality of the resulting fruits (large, tasty, bright), they begin to ripen for 2 or 3 years. In addition, the seedlings restrain the growth of trees, reaching only two meters in height. Therefore, it is easier to take care of them and treat them with poisonous chemicals, and the harvested yield from one unit of area is 3 times more than from a section of the same size where high-growth seedlings were planted.

But the shortcomings also have a dwarfish rootstock. This is a surface root system prone to freezing and requiring the installation of a support to support the tree, as well as frequent watering in the hot season.

Some species of dwarf seedlings for apple trees

Paradise IX is a dwarfish rootstock for obtaining apple shrubs. Well vaccinated, has high economic and biological indicators. The shoots of the bushes grow thick, brown in color with a yellow hue, covered with dense oval leaves. From one bush receive up to 10 layers. Because of the superficial root system, when placed in the garden, they need a reliable support. Seedlings are whimsical to the soil, it is better to grow in palmetto and trellis-dwarf gardens.

Another popular dwarfish for the apple tree is Paradise red-leaved. Has a high resistance to frost, so you can grow in the north-eastern regions. Shoots and leaves with a characteristic red pigment. The soil for them should be loose and damp. Fruit-bearing begin early, the harvest is large. One significant drawback is fragile wood, because of which the apple trees are leaning towards the ground.

How to plant seedlings

A dwarfish rootstock for apple trees is placed on a fertile and nutrient-rich loose soil. The site should be well lit and protected from the wind. Planting pits measuring 100 by 70 cm can be added with mineral fertilizers. To do this, they put in the supports, fall asleep with a mound of humus or potassium chloride, top cover with a layer of earth without mineral additives (5-6 cm).

The stock is planted so that its roots reach the soil layer with fertilizer and are closed by the upper one. If clay or ground waters are close to planting, make bulk hills up to 50 cm high. It is necessary to ensure that the grafted process does not end up in the ground. The graft should be 5 cm above the ground, otherwise it will go to the roots and dwarfism will be lost.

And finally ...

A rootstock is a seedling, to which another plant is planted. The new tree will grow with the necessary biological and economic qualities, but only if a healthy and productive seedling is grown from a full seed seed. But this is not enough. To ensure that the future apple-tree is pleased with its harvest, it is necessary to carefully monitor and care for the seedlings at all stages of its growth, timely forming and correcting its crown, feeding with mineral fertilizers and protecting from weather and pests.