Apple trees from stool layering Akiva Silver style

It got out of control, my rootstock apple trees went wild. It was really messy. I've bent down several branches and they rooted here, there and everywhere. I had to come in and rip it out by force. Anyway, 2 hours of work has led to 50 young trees ready to grow another year in my mini nursery or pots. The most decent ones went into pots, to root another season away from the mothertree. The weirder grown ones get a chance to fend for themselves close to a temporary filling water ditch which is partially shaded for a year, then they'll be put into foodhedges.
But look at this gorgeous mess!

Oh my! That is excellent Hugo!
Did you just bury the base of the trunk with soil? How long did it take? How big was the 'mother' tree? (I'm all fired up with inspiration here!)

I'm part way through a similar project. I bought a single M25 apple rootstock last winter which has had 12 months in the ground now. It was planted with a large plastic collar filled with woodchips - a ring cut out of an old plastic drum. Over the weekend I lifted the ring off, pulled the chips apart, and the stem had put out beautiful roots.

I snipped the stem at the soil level, put the ring back in place, and refilled with a barrow of fresh woodchips. My expectation is that by sprint the stool will sprout a few dozen new stems which will grow their own root systems and I will be self-sufficient in rootstocks for my future grafting projects.

The original parent stem is now in a pot and will get a graft of an eating variety in a month or so.

I have chosen to do it this way because we have shallow soil on top of chalk and the M25 has a reputation for growing to a large size under conditions which would stunt most other apple rootstocks. I want to gradually replace the weaker trees that we have around the place with ones that need less babying.

This drawing on the photo was the idea.
But the tree grew straight up from the roots. Leaving the bent bit an afterthought.
Hence the messy growth.
Since I've cut the straight trees , so I'll be moving towards some system more similar to the one in Michael Cox his video.
I've got Bittenfelder as a variety adapted to my acid poor soils. They sometimes send out air roots from shoots if weather is wet.

Thank you Michael and Hugo for your clear explanations - it just shows what you can do if you have the patience!

Hugo Morvan wrote:I've got Bittenfelder as a variety adapted to my acid poor soils. They sometimes send out air roots from shoots if weather is wet.

Gosh I'll have to look Bittenfelder up - That sounds just the thing for me too!

The thing is, i planted these in a hedge row, it functioned as a wind break. I didn't think much about it at all. They were just there doing their thing, catching sun, vibing, growing, making mycelia friends. So patience, i don't know. First there were a few apple trees and now - many and more to come.
Like a gift that keeps on giving, like nature is. Generous. I'm not impatiently waiting for it. It's a technique i put into place and it takes me somewhere.
My friend is a grafter and taught me a bit, he is planning on helping me.
Plant it and they will come. More abundant then we can imagine.