skip to main content

Fruit & Orchards

Re-grow apple tree from old cuttings?

15 years ago

Hi There,

I posted the question below about my father in law possibly killing our 50 year old apple tree. (trying to help, he cut off all braches, just leaving larger stubs)

Just thinking I should have taken some of the cuttings to try to start another one at our other property (or this property if the tree does die).

There is still all the cut offs at the house, but they are a couple of weeks old. Can these still be rooted? (I live in Vancouver, so there has been tonnes of rain here, so they should be moist, but weren't in soil).

Thanks so much for any help!

Meg

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
15 years ago
Meg: Trying to root cuttings is not a workable plan. You could save some of the cuttings and graft them onto a new rootstock or any apple you buy at the store. Wrap them in damp, not wet, paper towels and store in the frig.

As to your old tree. It will not die unless it was already about dead. Properly done you can train a new tree that is better than the old.

The Fruitnut
price403
15 years ago
I've found about 10 of the varieties of apples I have will root from cuttings if taken early enough in the dormant season. Anything cut after the middle of January will usually break dormancy before the roots start to grow. Grafting is really the only viable option you have now. If you really want to root a cutting then you'll have to wait until this coming winter. In mid to late December take pieces of the water sprouts that the tree will be covered with. I use the middle of the water sprout cut into 8 to 10 inch pieces buried 2/3 of the way in 1 part good potting mix and 1 part compost. Gallon pots are best but larger will work up to 2 gallons. Make sure only 2 or 3 buds are above ground. Leave the pots out all winter on the south side of your house so the sun can heat the soil on warm days. The roots will grow before the top breaks dormancy. The tree will be a full size tree and not something most people want these days unless you have plenty of room and like climbing ladders to harvest apples. You can transplant your new tree the following fall or late winter.
Related Discussions
Growing apple tree from seeds!!!
Q
Comments (11)
By all means plant the seedlings your son is growing. You are in San Francisco, and apples are really easy to grow in California, we are lucky in Northern California in that we don't have to spray much. Seedlings usually produce good fruit for backyard orchardists. While your seedlings may not bear bland, perfect looking commercial grade apples, you most likely will get much more interesting fruit than what you can buy at the store. However, keep in mind what Mark said above, if your apples came from Washington State, chances are they may be pollinated by crab apples. If they were grown locally, your chances are much better as it's not common practice to use crab apples as pollinators in California. Most heirlooms are chance seedlings anyway, including even some contemporary commercial apples such as golden delicious and mcintosh. So have fun! If by some remote chance one of the trees doesn't produce good fruit, you can always have someone graft it over for you to another variety you like. But try planting all the seedlings you have, because it will greatly increase the chance that you will really find a new gem of an apple.
...See More
Growing an apple tree from seed in my yard?
Q
Comments (12)
When people tell you that a seedling apple (or pear, peach, plum, etc.) 'will not bear fruit', they're expressing a level of ignorance that should clue you not to accept any other 'gardening' advice from them. Yes, a seedling apple will bear fruit - ALL named varieties were, at one time, merely a seedling. However, you may have to wait 10-15 years for that seedling to grow through its juvenile period and begin to bloom and fruit - and you may be exceedingly disappointed in the quality - or lack thereof - of the fruits that it produces. But, on the other hand, it could potentially be the best new variety ever... just don't count on it.
...See More
Growing Apple Trees from the Seed
Q
Comments (12)
I know some people who grew all the fruit trees in their yard from seed. It's usually not the best idea and you have to have a lot of patience (are you willing to wait 15 years?). The normal rootstocks found on fruit trees make the trees become much more productive much earlier in their lives (like after 3 or 4 years) by dwarfing them to some degree, the plant's energy is then diverted to fruit production rather than growth. In the wild, apple trees can get to be very big. Usually I wouldn't recommend growing from a seed unless it's a very rare variety and there's no other way to source the tree other than by seed. Or by people who are willing to take a chance and are trying to breed a new variety, who know what they are doing.
...See More
Apple Tree Pruning - Old Tree - Again - Timing - Grafting
Q
Comments (48)
Well, much to my surprise, some of the grafts that I put on last year grew fruit spurs, and flowered this spring. Some others grew longer, with no spurs. Maybe those were what the buds were intended for all along, and they just now came out. Anyways, a few flowers on last year's grafts is interesting. This year's grafts have started to really take off. I think I did a much better job of it this year than last. I have a few more scions on the way, so I hope to get those on this weekend, and harvest a few apples in a few years. This winter, I'll try to bring this tree back down to size. BTW - it must've overproduced year before last, then been stunted last year. This year, it is totally covered in flowers. If those turn to apples, I'll have to do a lot of thinning. Fun stuff - thanks for the help everyone.
...See More
rosefolly
15 years ago
Price, I'm curious -- which varieties have you succeeded in growing from cuttings? I am intrigued with own root apple trees and actually have a spot where I could grow as many as three. I was going to get them grafted. Of course, I have already chosen my varieties but am completely intrigued by your occasional success, since most orchard people say it can't be done at all.

Rosefolly
meg01
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the advice!
price403
15 years ago
Rosefolly, I sent you an email.
Paul
olpea
15 years ago
Paul,

I'm curious as well. Could you post what varieties you've had success with?
dirtslinger2
15 years ago
Worth a try. A friend rooted a 4-5' apple chanch in a garbage can full of water.
Who'd have thought?? The tree is now mature, huge.

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Why Grow Quince? For Beauty, Fragrance and Old-Time Flavor

By Marianne Lipanovich

Delightfully perfumed fruit and lovely spring blossoms make this apple and pear cousin worth a spot in the garden

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Add an Apple Tree to Your Edible Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

Readily available, beautiful and fragrant, apple trees offer four-season interest along with crisp, juicy fruit

FRUIT TREES How to Grow Your Own Juicy Plums

By Marianne Lipanovich

Easier than other stone fruits and with a variety of colors to choose from, plums are a versatile garden addition

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Crab Apple Trees Set Off a Stylish English Courtyard

A structure of pleached crab apple trees, bordered by a wildflower meadow, links a minimalist addition to an old house in Buckinghamshire

SALVAGE Reinvent It: An Eclectic Texas Garden Grows From Creative Salvaging

By Becky Harris

Teardown pieces and upcycled finds turn a next-door lot into a garden brimming with vegetables and originality

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own European and Asian Pears

By Marianne Lipanovich

Try these trees for their good looks, delicious fruit and wide range of sizes — plus you can espalier them

FRUIT TREES How to Grow Your Own Persimmons

By Marianne Lipanovich

Sturdy and easy to care for, these trees offer bright fruit through winter — and keeping them in bounds is no sweat

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow 10 Favorite Fruit Trees at Home

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant a mini orchard in fall, winter or early spring to enjoy fresh-off-the-tree fruit the following year

GARDENING GUIDES Grow Your Own Privacy: How to Screen With Plants and Trees

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Use living walls to lower your home and garden's exposure while boosting natural beauty in your landscape

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own Peaches and Nectarines

By Marianne Lipanovich

Make gardening a little sweeter with these juicy fruits, which you can eat after plucking or preserve for later

Sponsored

More Discussions

Advice on planting blueberry plant

9

No flowers on my apricot tree?

6

Beginner apple tree initial care

0

Peach Tree Leaf Curl

10

Is this a crabapple?

8