Usually, fruit trees are propagated by grafting so that the desired variety will also sprout from the rice. However, there are also other methods that are also fundamental for grafting - for example, to breed a suitable stock.
Cultivation from seeds is a variant of propagation
Cultivation from seeds
Most fruit trees cannot be grown from seed as a single variety, as they - especially apple and pear trees - are often self-infertile and therefore need a second, suitable variety for pollination. After pollination by wind or insects and subsequent fertilization, a fruit with viable seeds grows. However, these contain the genetic material of both parent plants and are therefore not uniform. Plants obtained by sowing these seeds are therefore not true to the variety. They are referred to as wildlings or seedlings. Even self-pollinating fruits such as most peaches and plums are not propagated by seed because they are not sure to be varietal.
But seedlings also have other disadvantages:
- They grow very quickly when young and can get very large.
- But they bear fruit all the later - you have to wait a long time for fruit.
- Undesirable spining can also occur.
asexual reproduction
Asexual propagation from plant parts is called "vegetative propagation". If another variety is used as a rootstock for asexual propagation, i.e. grafted, this is called “xenovegetative propagation” by experts. The plants resulting from asexual reproduction are those that are identical to the mother plant.
sticks
Propagation by cuttings is carried out during the period of dormancy, between November and February. You cut about pencil-thick, one-year scions, which must have a length of 15 to 25 centimeters. You should also mark on the wood where is up and where is down. If the stick is inserted upside down, it will not grow - because then the roots would have to form in the crown. The sticks are stored as cool and dark as possible in a slightly moist substrate until they are plugged. The plugging itself takes place in the spring, either directly in the prepared field or in planters under glass.
cuttings
In contrast to cuttings, cuttings are inserted immediately. The best time for this type of propagation is late spring and early summer. Then cut freshly sprouted, but already firmer shoots with a length of about 10 to 15 centimeters from the plants to be propagated. Remove the lower leaves and put the shoots in unfertilized potting soil. It is important that the substrate is always kept slightly moist.
tips
Another form of propagation is mossing, in which quite large plants can be grown within a short time. This method is mainly used in bonsai cultivation.