I Have Two Trees, A Japenese Plum And A Strawberry…
Al Asked
I have two trees, a Japenese plum and a strawberry guava. They both have suckers growing from their base. The plum has about 12 3-4 foot suckers and guava has several that are 10-12 inches. How do I cut and root them?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Al: Fruit trees in a home landscape are very rewarding, especially given the zone you are gardening in and the choices of fruit trees you can grow. For those of us gardening in Kentucky we are much more limited in what we can produce. No matter what part of the country we live in, fruit trees that we purchase from our local garden centers are most commonly grafted. This means that the top of the tree is different from the bottom of the tree. So, the top of your Japanese plum is indeed that but the lower part of the tree a few inches above the base, including the root system, is that of another plum. Same goes for your other fruit trees. Growers graft fruit trees for several different reasons, the most importantly being that it makes the trees hardier because it can allow for optimal nutrients. Grafting can manipulate the size of the tree as well as make them more resistant to insect and disease problems. I tell you this because the suckers you have growing from the base of your tree are coming up from the root system of the Japanese plum and strawberry guava trees, not that of the fruit trees you are intending to grow. To take cuttings from those suckers will not give you the Japanese plum or strawberry guava you are wanting. These suckers should be cut back to the ground. Propagating fruit trees from cuttings in general does not have a very high success rate. The most successful means of propagation is grafting and if you would like more detailed information on how to do this, visit http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/PUBS/FRUITS/Mg24500.pdf. This is a publication made available to home gardeners from the Cooperative Extension Service in collaboration with the University of Florida.
