Fruit tree help - life at the bottom!

[ffowes]

Hi
We made the mistake last year of buying five bare-root fruit trees from one of those well-known companies but they've not done well. Three are dead as a post. The other two, two apples, have completely dead 'trunks' but then lots of signs of life at the bottom - so there's good growth at the bottom of the tree but the rest of it looks dead. I know normally you would cut off the bottom growth to encourage the trees to grow up, but as that's the only growth we've got, I'm not sure what to do.

Is there any hope of rescuing the trees, if so how? Or do we just need to cut our losses and move on?

Thanks

Freya

[WendyC]

From your description, and I'm no expert, the rootstock is alive but the top growth above the graft has died. The rootstock doesn't produce the variety of fruit you bought so I think they are doomed! Don't pull them out yet see what someone else thinks!

[FB.]

It sounds as if it's the rootstock which is growing.
It will not produce fruit of the same type as the tree which was originally grafted.
Rootstocks are bred for easy propagation and grafting compatibility; they are not bred for the fruit quality ( which in some cases will be crab apples) nor for resistance to the pests and diseases which might attack the leaves or bark (such as canker and scab).

You have three choices:

1. Remove the trees, possibly replacing them but not in the same planting hole unless the rootstock of the new tree is different to the tree being removed.

2. Graft the rootstock shoots with a known fruiting variety which you like. You can bud-graft in late summer or you can cleft-graft or whip-and-tongue graft in late winter.

3. Let the rootstocks grow and have the trees simply for their blossom but don't expect them to produce edible fruit of good quality and don't be surprised if the trees look tatty in some years due to possibly being less resistant to disease.

Do you know which rootstocks they were supposed to be?
How far apart are they spaced?
What's your approximate location, climate and soil quality?

[ffowes]

Hi

Thanks for the quick responses.

The two trees were supposed to be apples - a gala and a golden delicious, I think. They were about 3-4 metres apart. We're in Derbyshire, typical British weather and quite clay-like soil.

We have bought replacement trees for the ones that were definitely dead - bought them as older trees and so now have a plum and a pear that are actually growing as trees.

It sounds like new trees might be the best bet as I'm no gardening expert and grafts sound quite complicated!

[FB.]

If you buy new trees, choose varieties suited to your area.
Golden Delicious and Gala are not ideal for the cool, dull, damp UK climate, but there are certain varieties which excel in such conditions - depending on what type you want (eater, cooker, dual-purpose) and what ripening season you want (early, middle, late, very late).
For trees 3-4 metres, MM106 and especially M116 rootstock would probably do well for you in a cool, damp climate (but I do not recommend MM106 for lower-rainfall climates in the SouthEast UK, nor for soils which easily dry out in summer).

[veggiechicken]

If I had to guess who you'd bought the trees from I'd say it had Bargains in its name. Have you contacted the retailer - they may offer you replacements.
And Welcome!!!