Where to buy rootstock? (Gisela 5 / Tabel?)

[FB.]

Delivery 2014, possibly a little too long for the tree to wait.

If no rootstock is available it is possible to graft onto one of your existing trees, but before doing so it would be wise to post-up some pictures showing why you think certain trees are diseased, so the risk of carrying-over disease in/on graftwood can be assessed.
It might even turn out that the "disease" is not as bad as you think. In fact, it's possible that the problem is the rootstock is not vigorous enough and the tree is malnourished as a result of lack of strength in the roots.

[FB.]

I agree with FB, but understand that you want to try saving those trees.
And I would certainly NOT buy a cheap tree from Lidl or Aldi for its Rootstock. I'm pretty sure it will NOT be Gisella5.

I saw some apple trees in a DIY store recently on clearance sale for a few Pounds each.
They were labelled as M7 rootstock (a rootstock which is almost impossible to find in the UK).
The size guide given was consistent with M7 and some of the rootstocks had a few suckers typical of M7. However, some (but not all!) the trees with identical labels clearly had interstocks.

Cheap stuff has a much higher chance of being mislabelled. But even expensive stuff can sometimes be mislabelled or diseased - some UK nurseries manage to get away with selling stock which often carries one or more diseases (especially canker and crown rot), which incubate for a few years before killing the tree when it is just starting to come into good cropping.

[orangepippin]

It is probably too late to buy rootstocks now. They are usually available in early winter, since that is when bench-grafting will take place, or they are planted in early spring in readiness for summer grafting.

Also, in addition to the above, Gisela5 has been in short supply throughout Europe this year. It is also generally quite a bit more expensive than other rootstocks, so is less likely to be found on low-end trees.

[Textuality]

Thanks all, as for this particular tree, half of its main trunk just "fell away", rotten on the inside. Not entirely sure what happened to it, but it looks like it had had a major cut at some point (flat, not angled to allow run off) and it's rotted from that point downwards. Tried to clean it up and handfuls were coming away with little effort. Not entirely sure how the upper branches are still alive but they wont be for much longer as there's almost nothing holding the tree together now.

I appreciate that there's a good chance whatever killed it will continue on to the next tree but at least I'd have tried. The grafted tree wont be near any others so I'm not particularly concerned about any disease spreading.

As for the rootstock, I guess I'll just use the Colt that I've ordered, and, assuming it survives, prune the hell out of it.

[zazen999]

You can take some scions and keep them wrapped in damp kitchen roll and cling film in the fridge for when you can get hold of some Giselle or Tabel. Maybe order it now for delivery in a few months.

[FB.]

Thanks all, as for this particular tree, half of its main trunk just "fell away", rotten on the inside. Not entirely sure what happened to it, but it looks like it had had a major cut at some point (flat, not angled to allow run off) and it's rotted from that point downwards. Tried to clean it up and handfuls were coming away with little effort. Not entirely sure how the upper branches are still alive but they wont be for much longer as there's almost nothing holding the tree together now.

I appreciate that there's a good chance whatever killed it will continue on to the next tree but at least I'd have tried. The grafted tree wont be near any others so I'm not particularly concerned about any disease spreading.

As for the rootstock, I guess I'll just use the Colt that I've ordered, and, assuming it survives, prune the hell out of it.

If it's just the trunk inner wood rotting, it's probably OK to take graftwood. In fact, with sympathetic treatment it's quite possible the tree can live much longer.
Most trees eventually get hollowed-out from the inside - only the outermost parts of most trees are alive; inner wood dies naturally and like any other dead wood, it rots - the rotting process is made easier if there are large or numerous pruning cuts which allow fungi to get into the inner wood.
But the outer part of the trunk is still very much alive and capable of living for decades or even a century after the trunk is hollow; the wood-rotting fungi are only feeding on dead wood and are not causing much if any harm to the living outer rings of wood, the cambium or the bark..
Many trees with dead, hollow trunks will regrow again from the base of the trunk - like this one (it's an apple, presumed triploid, probably on a seedling rootstock, estimated 100+ years old and getting ready for a new 100+ year life as it regenerates:

[veggiechicken]

Here is one of my apple trees with a similar problem
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...unk_67241.html