The rootstock - what kind of interesting word is this,perhaps, only lovers of gardening? And then people who grow apples and pears on their plots can agree with the Russian biologist and breeder I.V. Michurin, who said that the stock is the basis of the fruit tree, which determines its varietal characteristics: shape, size and taste. Let's understand how it turns out.
Fruit trees can be grown from seeds.But new plants will differ in terms of productivity, frost resistance, fruiting time, etc. Even if they were grown from the seeds of an apple. Therefore, preference is given to vegetative reproduction, i.e. Inoculation of the cuttings or buds of the plant of the desired variety on the selected seedlings.
A rootstock is just that seedling, onwhich are rooted in the layers and processes (graft). It is he who determines the life activity of the future tree, its durability and the quality of the fruit. Therefore, the stock should be adapted to local climate conditions, resistant to pests and diseases. But for this it is still necessary that the graft is good to him.
Cultivation of seedlings takes 4 years:
Seeds for seedlings are carefully selected, and in order to be planted in the spring, they must undergo stratification. What is it?
To obtain hardy seedlings,seeds of well-developed, strong and ripening fruits. They usually choose such cultural varieties as Grushovka Moscow, Antonovka, Borovinka. Before the autumn sowing, they are carefully selected, dried and then planted. The first shoots appear next spring.
If the seeds are to be sown in the spring, they must undergo a preliminary stratification - ripening at a certain temperature, otherwise there will be no sprouting.
Для этого их выкладывают в ящик с торфом и sand, moisturize and put at a temperature of 5-7 ° C in a dark place. On average, the process of aging seeds takes 80-90 days. It depends on their kind. Periodically, they need to be watered so that they do not wither. If they began to germinate ahead of time, the box should be rearranged to a place where the zero temperature is stable.
Seedlings for fruit trees are vigorous, medium-sized, semi-dwarfish. Each has its own production features and requirements for content.
Преимуществом, которым обладает карликовый подвой for apple and pear, is the high quality of the fruits obtained (large, tasty, bright), they begin to ripen for 2 or 3 years. In addition, seedlings restrain the growth of trees, reaching only two meters in height. Therefore, it is easier to take care of them and treat them with pesticides, and the harvested crop from one unit of area is 3 times more than from a section of the same size where high-growth seedlings were planted.
But the shortcomings also have a dwarfish rootstock. This is a surface root system prone to freezing and requiring the installation of a support to support the tree, as well as frequent watering in the hot season.
Paradise IX is a dwarfishobtaining apple shrubs. Well vaccinated, has high economic and biological indicators. The shoots of the bushes grow thick, brown in color with a yellow hue, covered with dense oval leaves. From one bush receive up to 10 layers. Because of the superficial root system, when placed in the garden, they need a reliable support. Seedlings are whimsical to the soil, it is better to grow in palmettnyh and shpalerno-dwarf gardens.
Another popular dwarfish for apple tree- Paradise red-leaved. Has a high resistance to frost, so you can grow in the north-eastern regions. Shoots and leaves with a characteristic red pigment. The soil for them should be loose and moist. Fruit-bearing begin early, the harvest is large. One significant drawback is fragile wood, due to which the apple trees are leaning towards the ground.
A dwarfish rootstock for apple trees is placed on afertile and nutrient-rich loose soil. The site should be well lit and protected from the wind. Planting holes of 100 by 70 cm size can be added with mineral fertilizers. To do this, they put in the supports, fall asleep with a mound of humus or potassium chloride, they are covered from above with a layer of earth without mineral additives (5-6 cm).
The stock is planted so that its roots are removedlayer of soil with fertilizer and were closed by the top. If clay or ground waters are close to planting, make bulk hills up to 50 cm high. It is necessary to ensure that the grafted process does not end up in the ground. The graft should be 5 cm above the ground, otherwise it will go to the roots and the dwarfism will be lost.
A rootstock is a seedling, to which another is plantedplant. A new tree will grow with the necessary biological and economic qualities, but only if a healthy and productive seedling is grown from a full seed seed. But this is not enough. To the future apple tree was pleased with its harvest, it is necessary to carefully monitor and care for the seedlings at all stages of its growth, timely forming and correcting its crown, feeding with mineral fertilizers and protecting from weather and pests.
