Cloning Fruit Trees

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:53 pm

Today we stopped at my mother in laws and I remembered I wanted to take a bunch of clippings off her fruit trees. I went and stopped at home hardware and picked up a rooting hormone. I got them all trimed up, dipped and potted. I know they will grow to there full size if they make it.

fingers crossed!

10 apple, 3-4 varieties
9 glowing star peach
9 galaxy tart cherry
11 pear 3 varieties

SandyM · Post by **SandyM** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:14 pm

Really? It's that easy? Sooooo cool

baronrenfrew · Post by **baronrenfrew** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:25 pm

I don't think it'll work. You graft a cutting to a root stock, or a bud on a branch. Putting a branch into the ground works for vines (grapes, raspberries) but not trees (with a few exceptions: weeping willow and others I don't know about). Good luck and be sure to update us.

Post by **WLLady** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:29 pm

Seems to be working for me....had to scar the bark to expose the cambium underneath then rooting hormone and into dirt...i am sure i will lose some but so far they seem okay....

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:45 pm

oh yeah I scarred about half of them but they are all cut on a 45º and any bud was cut off and dipped as well. I watched a few videos and some scarred them and some didnt but they all worked. if it works i have the cheapest fruit trees ever. $7. LOL and if it dont it was worth a shot anyways. I set them all up in a fish tank green house on wheels. LOL.

see we had big plans of buying around 20 trees and that all went out the window... we were looking at semi dwarf trees, ones that could support itself. fruit trees are expensive. but I totally understand why with all the care involved.

about 20 mins ago i realised my plum is dead. GRRRRRR I ripped it out of the ground and threw it in then burn pile. on my way back I thought shoot! i will use that for smoking something the next time we have a fire! bone dry! so every fruit tree I bought 2 years ago has died! GRRRRRR!

oh well... always a gamble... gotta keep moving forward.

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 9:09 pm

Gawd good luck with that, it's a difficult thing to do but ya never know! One thing though, pick off all the flower buds/ blossoms. The branch cannot support them without roots, they will probably mould anyway and all they will do is suck the moisture out of the branches. It's really important to keep the branches in very high humidity. You might have more success if you cut the branches back by half to two thirds, to a leaf bud.

Dominion Link · Post by **Dominion Link** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:08 pm

Best of luck, and please do provide updates. What variety's of pears did you clip?

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:15 pm

Thanks Guys! Well I ment to take a pic and I honestly dont know... I was in a hurry and it was a last minute decision. heck i almost forgot to do it at all LOL. I didnt separate or label them at all. they all came from the same tree, the limbs were tagged. same with the apple but no tags. I will definitely provide updates. my experiment last year with the snow apple in the manure water with willow grew nice willows LOL.

kenya · Post by **kenya** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 7:27 am

Nice idea, didn't know you could do this, hope it works for you.

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:12 am

thanks Kenya! I hope it works too!

I did some research... Peaches and tart cherries are self fertile! sweet deal!!! and since I have multiple apples and pears they will bear fruit as well! of course in many years and only if this works!

now my next cloning experiment is Saskatoon Berry and Goji Berry! I may just do the Saskatoon as it is a bigger bush and I only have 13 cups left in ths tank. hmmmm another tank? LOL.