How are fruit trees propagated?
Fruit trees for commercial growing or the home garden are made up of two different parts: a rootstock, which comprises the root system and the trunk of the tree, and a crown, which is a small piece of wood from the desired variety grafted to the rootstock, on which the fruit later grows. Both parts of the tree are varieties that have been specifically bred to do that job well. To make a new tree of an existing variety, a small branch of wood is taken from a tree of the desired variety. This piece of wood is grafted onto a rootstock seedling. The grafted variety and rootstock then grow together and form a complete tree.
