[artinall]

The more I look into it, the more I'm liking the idea of rooting trees and plants. Am considering for:

- Pines (species yet undetermined)
- Rose of Sharon (understand can be done late fall/now or March through May period)

Is Rooting Hormone generally recommended? Am also wondering, if I decide to use on a starter for a fruit tree such as apple, if it could have any known long term effects for the person who bites into it.

As far as the soil, what is best - sawdust... potting soil?

Is the object to normally get the root to start and then transplant it?

 

[asevereid]

A whole lot to consider here...where will you be propagating the stock and where will you grow them to maturity?
I don't know of any long term effects of rooting hormone..as it is basically just a booster to encourage the roots of the plant to grow.
I can give more info on this tomorrow,as I've been into the libations...also, there is another user here with a pretty good grasp on Horticulture.
Browse through the Landscaping section here and look for Blade Runners, they may be able to give you the info you need.

 

[hdavis]

Each plant is different. For some, you can just throw them in a bucket of water, others you're better off using a hydroponic cloner. Rooting hormone doesn't hang around - by the time you have fruit, it's gone.

Research the specific ones you're interested in - you have to tailor your approach for each type.

A little more legal info - quite a few desirable landscape bushes are patented, so it's illegal to propagate them and then sell without having a licensing arrangement. Everything else, including heritage / heirloom ones, are fair game.

Typically you get the root growing, and then transplant.

 

[Live_oak]

A lot of woody shrubs and trees are propagated by grafting, not rooting. Fruit trees are done that way because the root stock is more vigorous and produces a better tree, or you can graft it onto a dwarfing root stock to limit the size. Most fruit trees are patented as well. Grafting isn't that difficult to get started with, but you do have to do some research as far as maintaining mother blocks and root stocks. There are several diseases that can be passed along through grafting seemingly healthy but diseased plant matter, including mosaic viruses. That can weaken the plants and make a lot of your effort for naught in a climate challenged environment.

If you are planning this as a hobby, that's one thing. If you are planning this as a commercial venture, you're in for a steep and expensive learning curve if you aren't already adept at growing for market. It's a penny margin business, and those pennies can be easily wiped out by weather events even with some hoop houses as protection.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

A lot of woody shrubs and trees are propagated by grafting, not rooting. Fruit trees are done that way because the root stock is more vigorous and produces a better tree, or you can graft it onto a dwarfing root stock to limit the size. Most fruit trees are patented as well. Grafting isn't that difficult to get started with, but you do have to do some research as far as maintaining mother blocks and root stocks. There are several diseases that can be passed along through grafting seemingly healthy but diseased plant matter, including mosaic viruses. That can weaken the plants and make a lot of your effort for naught in a climate challenged environment.

If you are planning this as a hobby, that's one thing. If you are planning this as a commercial venture, you're in for a steep and expensive learning curve if you aren't already adept at growing for market. It's a penny margin business, and those pennies can be easily wiped out by weather events even with some hoop houses as protection.

Yes, grafted fruit trees depend for the fruit and the health of the tree on both the root stock and the fruit-bearing stock. If you root a cutting, you won't get a healthy, fruit-bearing tree.

 

[Rio]

I think that pine trees have to be grown from seed but yeah, pay attention to what's been posted above, get some good books, do some research on line and good luck.

Regarding the fruit trees it's really important to do as Live_Oak mentioned. Lots of people have planted fruit trees from seeds they got from a fruit they liked and have been very disappointed. If you go to a nursery it's easy to see where the scion (the top part) is grafted to the root stock. For some fruit trees, like apples and citrus, one can graft a bunch of different scions onto one root stock. We have a 4 in one apple tree that's that way.

Maybe you can develop a niche market; one nice thing about growing is the sunlight's free and the water, depending on where one is, is cheap.