To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] roots
Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 17:06:20 -0500
Did you think about stooling it? Stooling is a method of encouraging roots
to grow on woody stems so they can be divided. Stooling is commonly used to
propagate dwarf rootstocks for grafting fruit trees. In late spring to
mid-summer, soil is mounded up about a foot high around a young tree or a
shrub. A plastic pot with the bottom cut out can be placed over the plant or
a wooden frame can be built around the plant to keep the soil neatly in
place. Roots will grow out of the buds and/or stems where it is covered by
soil. When the plant is dormant, the soil is removed and the rooted stems
are cut off a couple inches above the original ground level. In the spring,
new shoots will grow from the cut off stems. In mid-summer, the new shoots
are covered with soil and the process repeats. I don't know if this is what
you had in mind, but I hope it helps!
I need some advice. If I plant a grafted tree past the graft in the
soil to root from the grafted trunk how deep should I plant it and
are there ways to encourage rooting.