North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Dan & Marilyn Mason" <dmason@rainyriver.lakeheadu.ca>]

May 29, Thomas Olenio wrote:

"Do you grow your rootstock from seed?  If so, does anyone
sell prepared apple seed, ready for planting in Canada?"
--------------------

Yes, I grow my own rootstocks from seed. I started out getting my
seed from several old large crabapple trees growing on top of a
hill, a long ways from any grafted trees. But my orchard is on
poorly drained ground, and I have lost all but one of my original
trees three winters ago from saturated ground under the snow all
winter.

The younger trees which survived were grafted onto seedlings from
several much smaller older trees which grow on lower, more level
ground in a neighbor's cow pasture. These trees also have larger,
more usable (small cooking) apples, on their own.

I've also grown plum rootstocks from local wild plum seed for
grafting plums like Dandy onto, and I grew a few John pear seeds
for rootstocks to graft John pears onto.

I plant the seeds in the fall just before the ground freezes. I
water the seed row in the spring if it needs it to keep the ground
from drying out. Sometimes the seedlings will grow a graftable
whip in one year, usually two years. I graft them in place and let
the graft grow one year, then transplant to permanent location the
following spring.

I don't know of anyone selling apple seeds in Canada. I'd suggest
looking for local hardy trees which have survived for quite a few
years growing in a situation similar to the location where you
will eventually be placing your grafted trees.

Dan Mason  zone 3, NW Ontario
dmason@rainyriver.lakeheadu.ca


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