What is a rootstock?


A rootstock is a tree (grown from seed, cutting or layering) whose trunk is cut to keep only the root system and a part of the trunk that is more or less long depending on the techniques and objectives.

It is onto this rootstock that a piece of wood (or a bud) from a fruit (or ornamental) variety will then be grafted in order to produce a new tree that will retain exactly the same characteristics as the mother tree. This is a form of cloning that allows a specific variety to be multiplied (just like cuttings or layering).

Since the vast majority of fruit tree species do not propagate by cuttings or do so very poorly, grafting is the perfect solution!


How to choose the right one?

The choice of rootstock is essential and must be made with full knowledge of the facts.
Let me explain all this to you with a fun little comparison!

You wouldn't go out and buy a pair of shoes without knowing the size, would you!?
It's the same for trees because the rootstock will largely define the adult size your tree will reach.

Imagine you're looking for a small apple tree, no taller than 3m, for your small garden and don't want to have to climb a stepladder to harvest the fruit... But you unknowingly buy an apple tree grafted onto a vigorous rootstock, only to end up with a tree over 10m tall. Wouldn't you be disappointed and bothered?

You must therefore choose the rootstock adapted to your desires and objectives in terms of height, but not only that.

Let's get back to our pair of shoes. The salesperson did ask me my shoe size and gave me a pair in the right size, so I'm happy. Unfortunately, once I got home, I opened the box and there I was with a pair of sandals when I needed boots for gardening this fall... Too late, disappointed again! Of course you could have specified this, but the salesperson should have asked you questions to properly address your needs.

Rootstocks are the same, they each meet specific criteria and are not all equal. You must therefore also make your choice according to your region, climate, type of soil (heavy, light, drying, etc.), sensitivity or resistance to certain diseases, yield and desired lifespan, etc.

In conclusion, knowing and choosing your rootstock comes down to choosing shoes that correspond to the use I want to make of them and being certain that the size will be the right one.


Don't hesitate, I'm here to advise you!


Rootstocks used in the nursery?