Using pruning leftovers, including rootstock cuttings

I get to prune my own fruit trees and also a few at the homes of family members. There are also neighboring trees that overhang into the yards, since we are in an area with relatively compact lots. I would like to use the (non-patented) trimmings this produces to grow more plants for myself if possible, but I have some logistical questions. If anyone has knowledge or experience with this, I would appreciate it.

1. For loquats, pomegranates, and guava my understanding is that I could cut a section from a young branch, put it in a pot, and have it eventually develop into a new tree that would have the same fruit quality of the original. Is this accurate in your experience? Any techniques (or types or fruit) that have been especially effective?

2. For deciduous plants that aren't traditionally grown on their own root stock, such as an Asian pear tree, could I use root stock shoots/cuttings from below the graft to create new root stock plants? Or does root stock have to be grown from seed?



Thanks

Lydia John wrote:
1. For loquats, pomegranates, and guava my understanding is that I could cut a section from a young branch, put it in a pot, and have it eventually develop into a new tree that would have the same fruit quality of the original. Is this accurate in your experience? Any techniques (or types or fruit) that have been especially effective?

2. For deciduous plants that aren't traditionally grown on their own root stock, such as an Asian pear tree, could I use root stock shoots/cuttings from below the graft to create new root stock plants? Or does root stock have to be grown from seed?

Yes to both items. I have better luck layering pomegranates than starting them from cuttings, but that might just be me. And propagating the overeager growth from the base of a grafted tree is a great way to get rootstock. That's how I did it with apples here. I dug up a couple pieces of root that kept sending up suckers and they ended up providing me with dozens of trees.

Lydia John wrote:
For loquats, pomegranates, and guava my understanding is that I could cut a section from a young branch, put it in a pot, and have it eventually develop into a new tree that would have the same fruit quality of the original. Is this accurate in your experience? Any techniques (or types or fruit) that have been especially effective?

The three that you list there are not equally easy to root, but they all should be possible at least.

I've easily rooted pomegranate by sticking a bunch of cuttings in a pot with soil and later dividing them and removing the failures. A heating pad and intermittent mist would probably make that close to 100% success.

I've tried rooting a few species of guava, and I've had better luck with Psidium longipetiolatum than the normal tropical guava (P. guajava), but did succeed with the latter when the cuttings were taken from shoots coming from the base of the tree.

I have not succeeded in many attempts with rooting loquat, but it grafts very easily. I would recommend grafting instead of rooting unless you have the ability to set up a proper cloning chamber with bottom heat, intermittent mist, and rooting hormone. Fruitwood Nursery sells rooted clones of loquat varieties, and I asked Marc (one of the owners) what method they use. He said they get about 50% takes with cuttings dipped in hormone and placed under intermittent mist in a propagation greenhouse with bottom heat and shade cloth in summer.

For propagating loquats, pomegranates, and guava, you can indeed use young branch cuttings. This method allows the new plants to retain the fruit quality of the original tree. The process generally involves selecting healthy cuttings, preparing them (such as by dipping in rooting hormone), and planting them in suitable conditions for rooting. Pomegranates, for example, can be propagated from 6-inch-long cuttings taken from mature plants during late winter. These cuttings should be prepared by removing some leaves and possibly using rooting hormone, then planted in nutrient-rich potting soil.

As for your second question, using rootstock shoots or cuttings from below the graft of deciduous plants like Asian pear trees is a feasible method to create new rootstock plants. Rootstocks are often propagated this way, though they can also be grown from seeds. Each method has its own advantages and considerations, so it might be beneficial to experiment with both to see which yields the best results for your specific conditions and needs.

Thank you all for the info--it is very encouraging. I put the cuttings that I had collected (several loquat, a few pomegranate, some little Asian pear root stock twigs, and a single guava twig) in pots, and will see how it goes. Hopefully something will root. If not, I might try the air layering later in the year. I hadn't thought of starting loquat seedlings as root stock. Some of the cuttings are from a seedling I grew and planted in someone's yard maybe seven years ago that recently started fruiting. I had thought cuttings would be a way to shave some years off of that process, but it's good to know that there are multiple options.

Follow up question--if leaves are appearing, is that a sign that the cutting is rooting? It looks like I may have gotten one of the Asian pear root stock twigs to work. The guava appears to be dead, but the pomegranates and loquats look like they could go either way.

Lydia John wrote:Follow up question--if leaves are appearing, is that a sign that the cutting is rooting? It looks like I may have gotten one of the Asian pear root stock twigs to work. The guava appears to be dead, but the pomegranates and loquats look like they could go either way.

It depends, sometimes the cutting expends its stored energy on new leaf growth and then runs out of energy before it forms any roots. But if the new growth continues to expand rather than stalling and wilting, it's a pretty good sign that roots are forming too.

Leaves do not always mean success. Be careful as cuttings will throw leaves first and then roots.

Good to know. I will give the cuttings some more time and hope they root. Thanks for the advice.

Is the same true of grafts; that they can put out leaves without necessarily having connected successfully to the rest of the tree? Or does a grafted scion beginning to have buds or leaves mean that the graft worked? (I tried grafting for the first time this year and managed to only cut my finger once--decided to wear gloves after that).

I have a baby pluot tree that really needs more chill hours than it is likely to get here, so I grafted on some low chill plum pieces and figured that if the tree doesn't produce any pluots I would still get some plums, and if it does miraculously produce pluots then some spare pollinating branches wouldn't hurt it.

The same thing can happen with grafts. Usually I worry if the graft starts leafing out within the first couple weeks, unless I can see that callus has already formed at the union. After a few weeks, leafing out is a sign of success usually.