Try stooling em, a form of layering. although you may not have the time if
moving soon. air layering may work. If time is short you may have to take
hardwood cuttings and hope for the best.
http://tinyurl.com/yhwwlsl
I cut the bottom out of a old pot, wounded the shoots and them slipped the
pot over the shoots. Didn't use any hormones with this group. Filled it
with a peat mix and a bit of fertilizer compost, don't use any soil mix
that may harbor disease. this next spring I will lift the pot and cut the
lower roots, then in the nursery till it is well established.

Yes, the offspring will be the same as the parent,

Yes, start training a shoot or branch. I have a old golden plum I saved
from the garbage heap in that is in end stage counseling right now, I had
close to 80 lbs of fruit from her this year but she has terrible bark rot.
I have been training a branch to take her place and also have shoots
stooling as a back up.

As for xtra shoots you don't intend to use yes, do cut them to direct their
energy back to the parent.good luck



"karaman" wrote in message
...

hallo,

have some old apples and an apricot tree in garden. they all throw up
shoots from the roots under the soil. moving house, would like to take
both with me to new garden.

Question:a) is it any use digging up these shoots to take with me - are
they likely to be the same as the parent - have no idea what variety
they are, so cant just go buy one. b) is it any good nurturing one of
these shoots so that it takes over from the parent when it dies? c) if
the answer is no to above, then why does the tree throw them up anyway?
and should i cut them down?

thanks

karaman
the spirit never dies
+++++++++++++++




--
karaman