One of the most satisfying ways of growing fruit is by propagating your own. To grow new fruit trees, you can use cuttings, air layering, or seeds from any tree in your yard, farm, or smallholding. When starting this way, it is absolutely free and has endless possibilities. Propagating fruit for beginners doesn’t have to be a stressful endeavor.
Growing a fruit tree from a cutting can be a great way to propagate your favorite tree varieties. With proper care, cuttings allow you to clone an existing fruit tree so the new tree is genetically identical. This ensures the propagated tree will grow true to type and produce the same delicious fruit.
Cuttings are one of several methods used to propagate fruit trees Others include grafting, budding, and layering. Growing from cuttings is relatively simple and doesn’t require specialized tools With a little knowledge, you can grow apple, pear, cherry, fig, and many other fruit trees from cuttings.
When to Take Cuttings
The best time to take cuttings for rooting fruit trees is late winter or early spring before new growth emerges. This timing gives the cutting time to develop roots before the growing season begins.
Take cuttings when the tree is dormant for best success. If you live in an area with mild winters, you may be able to take cuttings in late fall after leaf drop as well.
Selecting Cuttings
When selecting a branch for cuttings, choose healthy wood that grew during the previous season. Look for branches around 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick. The wood should be firm but not brittle.
Terminal shoots with a tip bud are ideal for cuttings Cuttings should be 6 to 12 inches long and include 4-6 nodes or buds along the stem. The nodes are where new roots and branches will emerge
Use pruners or loppers to neatly cut the branches just below a node. Take several cuttings from different areas of the tree to ensure you get some that will root.
Rooting Cuttings
Fruit tree cuttings root best when provided warm temperatures, high humidity, and filtered light. Here are two methods for rooting cuttings:
Nursery Beds
Nursery beds provide ideal rooting conditions for cuttings To create a nursery bed
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Choose a sheltered location out of direct sun.
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Dig a trench 12-18 inches deep and fill with sandy loam soil.
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Insert cuttings 6-8 inches apart at a 45 degree angle into the soil.
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Water thoroughly and cover beds with clear plastic to retain humidity. Anchor plastic down well.
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Provide partial shade such as 50% shade cloth over the bed.
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Mist cuttings daily to keep soil moist but not soaked.
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Remove plastic after 8-12 weeks once cuttings have rooted.
Potted Cuttings
You can also root cuttings in individual pots:
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Fill 4-6 inch pots with a equal blend of peat and perlite.
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Moisten soil then insert cuttings leaving 2 buds above soil.
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Place 3-5 cuttings together inside a plastic bag or under a cloche to increase humidity.
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Provide filtered light out of direct sun. Filtered porch light works well.
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Keep potting mix moist but not soggy.
Check for rooting after 8-12 weeks. Gently tug cuttings to see if roots have formed. Apples will likely need at least 6 months for new roots to establish before transplanting.
Transplanting Rooted Cuttings
Once cuttings have developed a good root system, transplant them to their permanent location.
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Harden off cuttings slowly over 7-10 days before transplanting.
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Prepare soil by mixing in compost or aged manure.
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Dig holes twice as wide as the root ball.
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Carefully separate rooted cuttings and plant at same depth as in pot.
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Water thoroughly after transplanting and provide shade until established.
Properly cared for, transplanted cuttings will quickly establish and begin growing. Most apple cuttings will be ready for budding or grafting in one year. Then you can select your desired fruit variety to propagate.
Caring for Young Trees
It takes 3-4 years for newly propagated trees to begin fruit production. Proper care during establishment will ensure a healthy, productive tree.
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Water regularly during first year, tapering off as tree matures.
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Apply balanced fertilizer in early spring.
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Prune to shape tree and encourage branching.
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Weed regularly to reduce competition.
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Monitor for pests and diseases.
With time and care, your new fruit tree grown from a cutting will reward you with bountiful harvests for years to come. The effort of propagation pays off in free fruit and trees tailored to your growing conditions.
Advices for natural rooting hormones
Most offshoots grow quickly in willow water, and this is likely the best way to spread fruit. Along with willow water there are also other natural rooting hormones. Some things that are said to help with tough cuts are raw honey, apple cider vinegar, crushed aspirin, cinnamon, and aloe vera gel. These methods might not work as well as willow water or store-bought rooting hormone, but they are worth a shot and are simple to find in the kitchen. You can also try combining them for maximum effect.
But using a natural root hormone works really well! This hormone, which is also called the root activator, speeds up the rooting process and helps the cuttings grow healthy roots. It also prevents bacteria from multiplying. Young plants can get more nutrients from the soil when their roots are strong. This helps them grow, bloom, or harvest more quickly.
Fruit trees from cuttings
Propagating by cuttings can be one of the fastest ways of starting a new fruit bush. For example, apple varieties can root in a month and the cuttings could already resemble small trees. But some fruit tree cuttings need to be grafted onto a rootstock, which is not what we are going to talk about here. So these methods are best used for fruit bushes.
It is possible to grow Mediterranean fruits like figs, pomegranates, and mulberries, as well as climbers like grapes and kiwifruit, from strong wood cuttings.
There are three types of cuttings: softwood, semi-hardwood, and hardwood. Softwood cuttings are taken from the green soft stems in spring and early summer. For softwood cuttings, stems that are easy to break when bent and have young leaves at the tip are best. Softwood cuttings root the fastest, though care must be taken for them not to dry out. In the late summer, when the green stems of the current year’s growth have hardened and are beginning to mature, semi-hardwood cuttings are taken. This is usually in autumn. Semi-hardwood cuttings take a little longer to root, though are not prone to drying out so easily. Cuts of hardwood are taken from mature stems when they are dormant, which can happen in late fall, winter, or early spring. Hardwood cuttings are sometimes taken with a piece of the older branch. Hardwood cuttings take much longer to propagate though require less effort.
Cuttings are best collected in the morning and planted as soon as possible to avoid drying out. If they need to be kept for some time then wrap them in moist paper towels or tissue. Collect strong healthy 4-6 inch (10-15cm) long cuttings. It is best to take lots of cuttings to ensure that some will root. Remove the leaves on the lower 1/3 of the stem. When preparing hardwood or semi-hardwood cuttings, make 1-2 inch (2. 5-5cm) slits through the outer layer for better moisture absorbance. Make sure that all cutting equipment and pots are thoroughly washed and even better disinfected. Spread the stem in a hole in the ground that has already been dug. Cover it with rooting hormone or willow water. The hole should be made earlier with a pencil or finger. Pack down the soil and cover it with a clear plastic bag that has a few holes in it. This will act as a greenhouse. An upside down jar or plastic bottle could also be used. Here the goal is not only to keep high humidity but also adequate ventilation. Lifting or opening the cover once a day will help reduce mold and diseases. The pot should be in indirect light and at 60 to 65 degrees. A heat mat set to 70oF (21oC) will help the roots grow faster. Roots should appear in several months. Transplant to a more nutrient rich soil when a good root system has developed. To prevent rot, soil-less potting medium such as perlite and sand is mostly used for rooting cuttings.
Some gardeners practice an interesting technique of activating the process of obtaining their own rooted seedlings. Cuttings are stuck into small potato tubers to root faster and with more confidence before being buried in soil. People who support this method say that it makes it easier to propagate a fruit bush because the cuttings get more nutrients, lose less water, and grow roots faster.
Choose the cuttings from fruit bush that you want to plant. First, cut off all the leaves about 3 centimeters (1 inch) below where the shoot will go into the ground. You have to cut the stem cutting crosswise at a 45 degree angle. Then drill a hole in the potato just big enough to fit the stem cutting without wobbling. Put about 2 inches (5 cm) of soil in the bottom of your pot, then put the potato and cutting on top of that. Now just put soil in the pot and cover it with a plastic bag or glass jar. The first shoots will appear after a very short time.
How To Grow Fruit Trees From Cuttings. By: Rick Gunter
FAQ
What is the easiest fruit to grow from cuttings?
Can you cut a branch off a peach tree and plant it?
Can tree cuttings be rooted in water?
How do you root a fruit tree from cuttings?
Cuttings More or less, there are two options for rooting fruit trees from cuttings: softwood and semi-hardwood. The basic technique is the same in that the cuttings should be removed with a very sharp, clean knife from a branch of the tree, and they should be at least 15 centimeters long but no longer than 30.
How to grow fruit trees from cuttings?
If you are wondering how to grow fruit trees from cuttings, all you need to do is cut a healthy part of the branch from the desired tree, dip it in a rooting hormone and insert it into the rooting medium. Leave it for a few days. Once you begin to see shoots and leaves on the stem, you can transplant the entire unit into the soil.
How can I propagate a fruit tree?
To propagate a fruit tree, take softwood cuttings in late spring through early summer or semi-hardwood cuttings in mid summer to late summer. Softwood cuttings are fragile and dry out quickly, but produce roots quickly when placed in the proper environment. Cut a six-inch branch section of the fruit tree using a sharp knife.
How to grow a fruit tree?
For growing a healthy fruit tree, you need a healthy 6 to 8 inches branch of the desired fruit tree. Make sure the branch has at least two nodes, this is the place where leaves start emerging. Choose the cutting carefully, its diameter should be ¼ to ⅜ inches. The second step is to fix the branch in the soil of your garden.
What is fruit tree propagation from cuttings?
Fruit tree propagation from cuttings is the process of creating new plants by taking sections of parent trees, such as stems or leaves, and encouraging them to root. This method is cost-effective and allows gardeners to expand their fruit tree collection while preserving the desirable traits of the parent tree.
How do you cut a fruit tree from softwood?
Softwood cuttings are fragile and dry out quickly, but produce roots quickly when placed in the proper environment. To take a softwood cutting from a fruit tree, cut a six-inch branch section from the end portion of the branch where the stem is beginning to mature and snaps in half when bent. Softwood cuttings are taken from the new growth at the end of the branch.