greengages

[Jax]

Hi all,

Next door to me (but one) is an unused plot of land and on one end there are masses and masses of greengage trees. They always fruit prolifically and are beautiful trees. I was wandering if I can take a cutting from one of these and either get it to root in a pot or attach it to one of my plum trees or something. I would love one of these trees and it seems silly to me to go and buy one if it was possible to take a bit from one and grow a lovely tree from it. These are wild unowned trees.

[Mell]

I grafted some greengages onto my plums last winter, they took very well, there is no reason you can't do so. I don't have any experience of rooting the cuttings, but I think the gages stones grow pretty much true to type from what I've heard. I don't want to wait that long & the tree was from my friend's house which they were selling, so a quick graft it was !

[Jax]

Thats great thanks, I wasnt sure whether I could do it now or if I had to wait until spring.

[Mell]

I would wait until the trees are dormant, I'd take the greengage wood and keep it very cool I have a dedicated scion fridge but most people don't ! I think I did mine Feb March time

The rooted tree ideally should be a little ahead of the scion when you graft

[Jax]

Thanks for that

[Capsid]

Do you need to bother? It seems if they are unowned then you can enjoy the trees and fruit as if they were your own. Or are they inaccessible?

[Jax]

They are accessible, however I am going to be moving in the not too distant future. I also think there is something special about having something in your own garden to admire.