Rootstock suckers for grafting?

General Discussion
,
1

As I was recently pulling out rootstock suckers (r. laxa), it occurred to me that there might be a silver lining to these.

Can I pot them up and use them as future rootstock for grafting? Some of these suckers have rather thick stems and it seems to me they could quickly turn into suitable rootstock to practice grafting on.

I’m totally inexperienced with grafting but it’s something I feel I need to learn. Has anyone tried recycling suckers as rootstock for grafting and is there anything specific I should know before I try?

1 Like
2

Personally, I’d propagate one to use as a mother plant from which to root future stocks. You want to make sure there aren’t any growth buds at the bottom of the stock and suckers likely contain many. Rooting a cutting, you can more easily see if there is a bud at the lower end of the cutting, so I’d think rooting pieces of an established sucker might result in fewer future suckers.

2 Likes
3

Great idea, thank you!

1 Like
4

Thanks! You’re welcome! Once you have a mother plant, you can make as many stocks as you want.

1 Like