Did anyone see the Gardeners' World Xmas show last week!!???!!

[ryanguevara1983]

Hello everybody,

I was half watching the show last week, and they were visiting an orchard and talking about heritage apples and pruning etc. Then the head gardener, an old chap, made a very interesting suggestion about growing apple trees.

He said that if you take a cutting, and simply pus 1/3 of it down into the soil, it will root and grow - simple as that!!

I've looked everywhere online to try to watch it again, but it's not on iPlayer or anywhere else.

I've ordered some rootstocks and will have a go at grafting in the spring, but I am wondering if anybody has had success using the method above?

Cheers.

[veggiechicken]

I have an apple tree that has been grown from a cutting. An allotment neighbour did it, just stuck a broken off branch into the ground out of curiosity. When it grew he didn't want the tree so I have it here in the garden. It has fruited but I have no idea what type of apple it is. It's at least 10' high and has been here over 10 years now. Its worth a go but, without a dwarfing rootstock you have little control over its ultimate size except by pruning.

[ryanguevara1983]

Thank you, think I'll definitely give it a go - nothing to loose!