How can an apple tree be propagated?

Many gardeners sooner or later face the need to propagate apple trees. It is possible to carry out the procedure in different ways, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

A huge number of fruit tree propagation options allows each gardener to choose the best option for himself.

For reproduction by layering, branches are used that are only in the first year of their life. They must be stripped of leaves with an indentation of 25-30 centimeters from the top. Where the workpiece touches the soil, you need to create a hole filled with a mixture of sand and ordinary earth taken from the beds. The shoot is simply bent to the ground and secured, for example, with an iron bracket. The crown of the layering must be tied up so that the tree develops vertically.

After the roots appear, which usually takes several months, the apple tree is separated from the mother tree and transplanted to its permanent habitat. It is allowed to dig in the layers not only in the spring, but also throughout almost the whole year.

If you want to propagate the apple tree by cuttings, you will need to choose annual branches as a donor. Besides, important is the presence of shoots that are not covered with wood, but already "decorated" with 4-5 buds. Many gardeners choose this particular method, as it allows you to rejuvenate an old specimen. Planting material is obtained in absolutely any quantity, and it is possible to harvest it from mid-spring to mid-autumn. However, this has to be done either before bud break or after the end of the growing season. The resulting seedlings are ideal for rootstock as well. However, one drawback of this method still exists - new trees take root for a very long time.

There are two ways to grow a seedling from a cutting. One of them requires the use of water, while the other is carried out directly in the ground. In the first case, the whole process takes place in a container, the height of which corresponds to half of the same characteristics of the cuttings. The bottle or jar must be opaque or have darkened walls. The vessel is filled with warm water about 5-6 centimeters. In other words, it should hardly rise above the lower bud of the selected branch. The liquid is immediately enriched with biostimulants so that the root system develops faster. As soon as processes equal to 6-8 centimeters appear in it, the material can be transplanted into open ground.

In the second case, the cuttings will have to be planted in a container filled with a mixture of peat and sand. In the container, you will need to form a 20-centimeter layer of soil mixture, and treat the cuttings with drugs that stimulate the growth of roots. The twigs go 5 centimeters deep into the ground. The surface of the earth is moistened, after which the container is tightened with cling film. Alternatively, a cut-necked plastic bottle is placed over each handle.

An improvised greenhouse is set up in a well-heated place, and when temperatures above zero are established outside, it can be moved there. When the length of the root system is 5-7 centimeters, the seedlings can be transferred to open ground. It should be mentioned that the blanks for this type of vegetative propagation are cut in the morning, when the maximum amount of moisture accumulates in them.It is best to form shoots, the length of which does not go beyond the boundaries of 15-20 centimeters, and do not forget to clean them from the leaf blades.

On the open ground, grooves are formed for apple trees, into which fertilizers are immediately applied. The seedlings should be positioned so that about 30 centimeters are kept between them, and the space between the rows is 50 centimeters. Immediately after planting, the cuttings are irrigated every two weeks, after which the soil is thoroughly loosened and mulched.

It is also possible to get a new tree from an old apple tree by seeds. This method is common in nature, but gardeners do not appreciate it too much, because the seed very rarely allows you to preserve the characteristics of the mother tree. In principle, an apple tree growing from seeds is capable of bearing fruit, but it occurs in about 7-9 years, and in addition, it is almost impossible to predict what the taste of the fruit will be. In order to get the most "productive" seeds, it is recommended to take the flowers of two plants and pollinate them. Only the seed that is selected and stratified is sent to the ground.

At home, you can get seeds from an ordinary large fruit that has reached maturity and plucked from the branches in the fall. You will have to choose samples of the correct shape and shade with greenish tips. Before planting, they need to be rinsed, soaked in warm water, and also stratified. You can plant seed in a container at any time of the year, but sending them to open ground is allowed only after reaching one or two years of age.

It is best to use air layers of an adult tree in early spring, when the snow has already melted. Unlike many processes associated with the life of plants, this one requires cold and abundantly moist soil. Only adult branches are suitable for reproduction, the diameter of which reaches 2-3 centimeters, and the age has reached a couple of three years. It is more optimal to take those that have been under the sun for a long time, and also did not form branches. Having risen 20-30 centimeters from the growth point, the leaves are completely removed on the shoot, and the bark is slightly trimmed in a circle.

The opened area is treated with stimulants and covered with a material that can retain moisture, for example, moss. The entire structure is wrapped on top with foil or electrical tape. After some time, at the place where the cut was made, the roots will hatch. Once this happens, the seedling can be detached from the mother tree and rooted.

Surprisingly, the method of growing a new apple tree using a broken branch of an old tree is considered quite effective. It happens as follows: a couple of months before the start of the motor activity of the juices on the tree, a shoot is determined that is no more than two years old. On the branch, you will need to make a so-called closed fracture - that is, break it without damaging the bark. The creased area is secured in the resulting unnatural position with a wire and an adhesive tape covering it. If it is planned to get several cuttings from one tree, then the breaks are made along the entire length of the branch with 15-centimeter intervals.

In the last days of March, the bandage is removed, and the shoot is cut off with a sharp instrument at the points where it was created by the hall. At the same time, at least 4 lateral buds should be preserved on each cutting. The blanks are rooted in a container with darkened walls filled with snow water with activated carbon. The content level of the vessel should be about 6 centimeters with the addition of a growth promoter.

For inoculation, certain shoots are used - those that are hardly one year old, and those that were obtained exclusively on the day of the procedure. The blanks are cleared of leaves and grafted onto the stock, and it is better to the base than to the end. As the latter, such an unpretentious species as wild, that is, a wild apple tree, is most suitable. Grafting is done in the spring, while bud grafting, also known as budding, is done in the last month of summer.

Root-grown apple trees have rather weak roots and are generally very finicky to care for. They react poorly to lack of watering, suffer from insufficiently nutritious soil and exhibit fragility of wood. But they develop well on soils characterized by a close location to the surface of groundwater.

Grafting with eyes allows you to grow a tree with several varieties of fruits. During the procedure, the bud is inserted into a "pocket" from the bark on the rootstock shoot and carefully wrapped. A grafted apple stock should receive all the required care, including fertilization and irrigation. Top dressing, by the way, begins as early as 14 days after the procedure. In order for plant tissues to grow together, it is extremely important to provide crops with a constant supply of water.

To clone the variety you like is the decision of many gardeners, who note the simplicity and overall success of the procedure performed. The essence of this method is to obtain root growth, which is then transplanted to a new place. The resulting seedlings retain all the characteristics of the mother tree and detach from it without any problems. Growing apple trees can only yield 4 years after being placed in a permanent habitat, but they do this very abundantly. In industry, cloning is done in flasks. Cellular tissue is located inside the vessel, in which, in turn, culture develops. In the spring, plants are transferred to open ground, but, being sterile, they often do not take root or begin to hurt.

Novice gardeners are advised to give preference to cuttings - this method is simple and, in principle, always gives good results. However, you should not carry out the procedure in the spring, when the seedlings do not take root well due to the insufficient content of nutrients in the soil. If the grafting method is chosen for reproduction, then several of them can be made on an apple tree that has crossed the "line" of seven years of age. In addition, it is important to promptly remove the root growth of the rootstock so that the tree does not waste its energy on maintaining it. It should also be mentioned that only a healthy apple tree without damage should be propagated. The tools used must be disinfected with copper sulfate, manganese solution or ammonia.