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I've ordered some root stocks to graft my MIL's apple tree a great cooker but of unknown variety. Want to get a copy while i still can.

Can someone tell me if the graft doesn't take can I remove it and re use the root stock, assuming it survives?

I haven't done it yet, just wondered though.

I can't see any reason for not using the rootstock again.The only obvious thing would be to make a fresh cut with the new graft to ensure good contact with the cambium layers.good luck.

Can you graft a cherry tree onto a non-tree root? (e.g. blackberry bush)

It would be interesting but I think the plants have to be of the same genus to be successful.If plants are not compatible they either won't take or be weak.

Kea yes you can reuse the rootstock.

DTW no you can't but you could create a single tree with multiple types of fruit cherry, plum, peach, nectarine, apricot, damson, gage or anything else in the prunus genus. You occasionally see trees with up to 5 different types and/or varieties of fruit for sale.

Quote from: dtw on January 28, 2009, 22:06:47
Can you graft a cherry tree onto a non-tree root? (e.g. blackberry bush)

I also think not, it comes down to the genes.

Propagation, ie grafting, budding  or pollination, all involve, dare I say it ... SEX.

Think of it in dog terms.
A Yorkshire Terrier can mate with another Yorkshire Terrier because they're the genus and species.
A Yorkshire Terrier  could, theoretically, mate with a Saint Bernard, and there is a good chance of offspring (ie a cross bread), because they're the same genus - DOG.
However a Yorkshire Terrier cannot, how ever hard they try, mate with a cat, a donkey or an elephant, as they are different genus.

A Prunus (Cherry, Plum, Damson etc)  can be  budded with any other prunus tree/bush and will, with luck, grow away happily. Although a friend of mine tried Victoria plums on a Prunus laurocerasus and couldn't get anything to take.

An apple, any apple (Malus) can be grafted/budded onto any other malus. Apples are by far the easiest to do. Even the Romans excelled at it.

However a prunus will not graft on to a Rubus (Blackberry), different genus.

Thanks I thought I might be able , with a new cut of course.

Well the rootstocks arrived at my MIL's and before i could instruct her she'd planted them in a tub around the south side of her house and wasn't pleased when I got her to dig them up again and heel them in around the back in the cool!
When i got there three weeks later i was expecting the stems to be about finger thickness but they were much thinner. Then i spotted another problem, having not touched her very old apple tree for years some friends visiting had pruned it for her in November. i say pruned but in realitity it had been hacked back.....leaving me with no nice thin shoots just a few dubious ones which as we live 5 hours away and it's my only chance until next year, i had to try grafting with. Chance of success i think is about 2%. :(