GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - pear tree - propagating from root-shoots ?

songbird[_2_] · 16-07-2020, 08:07 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible

wrote:
My neighbour decided to cut down a lovely large healthy
old pear tree in their front yard - ~ 2 years ago.
Walking by yesterday I noticed many dozens of -
what looked like - little pear trees emerging in the area
around the stump up to ~ 30 feet away from the stump.
I assume these are sprouting from the roots.
Is it possible to dig these out and start them rooting in pots ?
If so - advice is most welcome.
Would a tree that old guessing 60 - 70 years ?
have been grafted at the roots like many modern fruit trees ?
ie: would the root sprouts be a different species ?
John T.

grafting is fairly old technology.

i'd say there is a good chance it was grafted to
begin with.

if you have the space and time to take some of
those bits and to get them moved and growing eventually
you would be able to find out for sure (if the fruit
from the bits you take is different than the fruits they
normally harvested from that tree) if it was a grafted
tree.

IMO, if you want a pear tree for yourself you could
do better by just going and buying some (closer to the
fall for your area as right now is a rotten time to
transplant a fruit tree in the northern hemisphere).

do some research on types first as some will be
more suited and what you want than others. also it
is often a good idea to have several types that will
flower about the same time so they can cross-pollinate
each other (gives a better crop).

songbird