Root Stock, looking for apple tree root stocks in Dublin.

ian

Hi there,
I am looking for a source for apple tree root stocks.
we are moving house soon and are leaving behind a 10year old apple tree which is a prolific producer of the most gorgeous crunchy apples ever. I watched the 'How to graft video' and then went to local garden centre to buy root stock , they did'nt know what I was on about, (but did offer me a ceramic hedgehog). Are the root stocks only available from specialist centres, I heard that the seed savers in Co.Clare do a lot of apples, must I go this far (from D.24) to get the apples to my new home? I figure i'd need 6-10 root stocks to make sure i got one viable plant.

Thanks, Ian.

ian · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:19 pm Post subject: Apple tree Rootstock.

In reply to my own question,(talking to myself again) re: species identification. the good people in SEED SAVERS Co. Clare have advised. " In regards to your inquiry about the species of apple you have, I suggest you talking to The Fruit Advisery Service in the UK. 00441795533225. Depending on the size of the tree you want to graft and propogate, you can use any size rootstock. Not all of these take all the time, but the jury is out on that one." I will give them a call and pass on any useful information.
Regards, to all
Ian.

GPI · Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:14 am Post subject:

Thanks for passing on that info Ian.
As you said "Depending on the size of the tree you want to graft and propagate, you can use any size rootstock, Not all of these take all the time "
Although I have heard of nurserymen using the following trick when a certain variety of top-growth scion and rootstock did not take.......
They would begin again and graft an intermediate scion to the rootstock, one that they knew had worked in the past. When that graft joined, they then grafted the usually failing previous scion onto the resulting tree.
This gave them a two-stage graft, allowing the joining of two previously incompatible trees.