Xcoyotex: Rootstocks can be propagated in a number of different ways, which are sometimes different for distinct species, and sometimes the same. Because there is some complexity in the way rootstocks are grown or otherwise propagated, I cannot hope to cover them all here, but can illustrate the point with a few specific examples. Yes, you can propagate your own rootstocks (in most cases), but, because of the time or degree of difficulty involved, you may ask yourself if it is worth it when most rootstocks can be purchased at reasonable prices. And some of the newest and best rootstocks are under patent, or otherwise difficult to obtain for home propagation. When you grow an apple or other fruit from seed, the tree that results is said to be on its "own roots", that is, it is not grafted. Unless, of course, you cut it down and graft it, but even then the rootstock will be a seedling and will not impart the desirable qualities, such as dwarfing, cold or disease resistance etc. of rootstocks that are specifically grown as clones. Most fruit trees grown on seedling rootstocks will grow to become full-size trees. Many apple rootstocks and some stone fruit rootstocks can be propagated from suckers that come from the roots themselves, not the tree above. Rootstock suckers are identical copies of the parent tree rootstock(or clones), but some rootstocks do not sucker freely, or not at all, and require a different strategy. Many peach rootstocks are grown from seedlings (i.e. Halford, Lovell, Bailey), as are some plum and cherry rootstocks, and produce acceptable results. However, to precisely reproduce the same rootstock, they are often propagated by hardwood cuttings. A good example of this is Myrobalan, a popular plum rootstock. Sometimes, fruit trees are grown on rootstocks of closely related species, such as pears on quince, to achieve desirable results. The above barely scratches the surface of what you should know before starting to propagate your own rootstocks, but first you have to know what you want as a final result, and understand the various ways to achieve it. You will have to do some reading on your own before you begin, since you will not get thorough, organized instructions here, although you might get some interesting tips. Most people are reluctant to try to write a book on Gardenweb when there is so much info available on the internet for free with just a little looking. Many full-dwarf apple rootstocks are propagated by banking earth up around the stem, waiting until the stem sends roots into the soil, then cutting it off. This procedure is called "stooling", and it calls for some skill and patience, since the roots do not grow in immediately. After the rooted part of the stem is cut off for a new tree, the rootstock below is allowed to grow a new stem, and the process begins again. Other popular apple rootstocks, such as the semi-dwarf M-7, sucker freely, and there are lots of little rootstocks around the base of mature trees that can be removed by a little careful digging. In addition to size control, clonal apple rootstocks usually produce fruit much sooner than full size (standard) trees grown on seedlings. If you post again with more questions, be as specific as you can about what you are looking for in a rootstock in terms of size control, precocity of bearing, hardiness, and drought and disease resistance. If you have lots of room and don't care how large your trees become and are willing to risk other factors, you can grow rootstocks for just about any fruit from seeds. But I think you will eventually conclude that growing fruit trees is already difficult enough that you will want to leave rootstocks to the professionals and spend a few bucks to buy them. It is much easier to obtain scions for grafting by trading, or by contacts with other fruitgrowers, since you can easily slip a few scions into an envelope. Also, please tell us where you live. Not essential, perhaps, but a nice courtesy. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

The problem is that there are actually some fruit trees that can fruit themselves to death. I've read tons of documents over the years, and nursery owners over the years that vehemently advocate the doctrine of not letting trees fruit until they reach at least a moderate size. There is variation on this based on fruit size and the other obvious factors. Gary

I have two set ups. Most of my plants are in 35 L Pots. Just under 9 gallons. I have plenty of physical space, but obviously I'm limited by the pots. I also have a small garden with 12 plants in it. They are a bit close but they have more then 2 feet between them. My oldest plants are only about two months since transplanted into pots and one is already over 6 feet tall and while it's got a lot of unripened fruit on it, I've not even harvested one yet. Point being, these plants are looking like they will be huge if I let them. Some of the young ones have leaves wider than the plant is tall (about a foot and a half). I'm supporting things with bamboo. I have two or three poles in each pot and am starting to lay posts in the garden. I've been pruning my older plants down to about 3 vines each but have been reading a lot about growing huge yields and it seems the recommendations are to let more vines develop for the bigger yields. But I'd think a pot can only support so much healthy fruit. I'm wondering what that amount is? I've got to make some decisions about how I'm going to let my younger plants grow and I was just wondering where that balance was and how many vines I could easily support with a pot that size or a garden where plants were only about 2 feet apart. I figured there was a limit. I'm growing over a dozen varieties such as Brandywines, Ox Hearts, Aunt Ruby's, Black Krim, Big Rainbow, Abraham Lincoln, Hill Billy, and so on. Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.

Cant really tell by just the lot size. Depends on available yard space and sun exposure, do you want a back yard with space for kids to play in, are there Home Owners Association rules, do you want some in the front yard (ripe fruit hanging on a accessible tree is tempting to potential theft). I don't have any avacodo, but there are some mango trees that can be kept fairly small. You can control a banana mat to just keep three stalks growing to keep it small, lychee can be kept a manageable size. My lot is 120' x 125' (15,000 SF) I have 10 different banana types, 2 different lychee, 5 different papaya, 7 different dragon fruit (6 more in pots to be ground plated next year)), 1 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 tangerine, 1 lemon, 2 lime, 7 different mango (most in pots), along with pineapples (every top I cut off gets planted somewhere), a couple of tomatoes, 4 eggplants (in containers), 2 blueberry (container), hot peppers (containers), sugar cane, a small mamey sapote, a small carambola. Still planning to have some big pine trees removed to get more sun and planting space. The South side of my house is pretty shaded, that will be changing. Where there is a will there is a way. DM