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plum tree from hardwood cuttings

 
Posts: 24
Location: Serra de Montemuro, Portugal
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Hi everybody
Last year, to mark out my currants little nursery I used some cut branches from a plum tree I have. Well, three of them seem to have rooted...Does anybody have experience on this? I mean, if the new trees survive, what about its vigour, for example.
I know that generally plum trees, like any other fruit tree bought in a nursery, are grafted onto something else (I don't know what else...), in order to improve the tree resistance and vigour, I guess. Would my true plum tree be more prone to diseases, do you think?

Thanks!
P.S.: Off topic but still...Spring is just beautiful this year here in Portugal! But we could use a good rain....
 
pollinator
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Location: Anjou ,France
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That's interesting as I am finding plum a bit difficult to graft .
I certainly don't think it will make the tree more likely to get ill in fact I suspect it may be very healthy
Plums are usually grafted on to ... Plums abet ones that are smaller than the preferred plums will grow into plus they will fruit quicker .
What type of plums are they ?
For hardwood cuttings I usually use quince as it's very easy and I can graft apple and pear on to it .

David
 
Annalisa Bellu
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Location: Serra de Montemuro, Portugal
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Actually I don't remember which variety this one is... Smallish round plums, deep pink. Quite sweet also.
Two years ago the tree was so loaded with them that three branches collapsed. I should have prevented that, but we did not...
Last year we got none because of late frost (which is typical where I live). This year looks promising though. Let's see.
If I found the variety I'll let you know David Livingstone.
 
David Livingston
pollinator
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I have being thinking some more ( oh dear ! )
If we can get plums to grow from hardwood cuttings then why not apricots ? And other stone fruits .
With my very cynical hat on I can understand fruit tree sellers not wanting news to get around
 
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Most of the plums will root fairly readily if put in the ground soon after separation from the parent tree.
To make sure they have the best possible chances you can use: willow water, rooting hormone in powder form or liquid form or a Vitamin B-12 solution to wet the stem just before you plant it.

Many of the  prunus family will do this.  Most of the grafting of fruit trees is more about limiting size than it is about disease resistance when it comes to this family of trees.

Making sure the right nutrients and mycorhizzal fungi are present in the soil around the roots is more important and will make sure the tree is healthy and thus able to fend off attacks by diseases and insects.

If you don't know how to make willow water, here is the recipe:

1 cup shredded willow inner bark, 1 gallon non chlorinated water (tap water that has been allowed to sit out in a bucket for a day will work).

Place water in a pot large enough to hold both the water and the bark, heat water to just before boiling, then turn off heat, add bark and stir.
(this can also be done cold but it takes three days of steeping with the cold method).
Let sit till cooled completely, strain off the supernate and store in a glass jug with a tight lid. Mix 1 cup to one gallon for proper dilution.

Redhawk
 
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Location: Quebec, Canada
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Annalisa,

Thanks for sharing your success with rooting even though it was unplanned.  Maybe more of us will try the same.

Michelle
 
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