Hardy Fruit Propagation

Hardy fruits will be classified for our purposes as perennials, shrubs and trees that grow and produce fruit in Plant Hardiness Zones 1 to 4. Plant Hardiness Zones are geographical areas delineated by the minimum winter temp that plants are exposed to in that microclimate. Climate data and the experience of local growers of plant species are used to establish Zone ratings. You can find Plant Hardiness Zone maps in gardening books, nursery catalogues, and detailed interactive maps are accessible online at www.planthardiness.gc.ca

Selecting appropriate varieties for cold climate zones can be challenging. Nursery catalogue zone ratings can vary widely for the same variety. Cross referencing ratings using two or three sources including those closest to our prairie climate zone 2B is recommended. Use a search engine to search out each individual variety by name. It is likely that you will learn some fascinating history, characteristics and cultivation advice.

Latin Binomial Classification System

“Latin names are often unfamiliar, but without them we are unable to identify plants that are not indigenous to our area or are new to our culture. Plant classification was one of the most important scientific endeavours of our forefathers. As information and trade increased between villages, cities and countries it became essential to know if what two separate groups of people called a lace flower berry was in fact the same plant. More complicated still was the fact that the lace flower berry was considered poisonous by one group while another group at the same berries without ill effects.” (Ashworth Susan, Seed to Seed) Latin names are distinctive and specific. The name itself can tell you something about its characteristics, origin, and plant family. Many of the hardy fruit species belong to the Rose Family. They share common characteristics with roses but have other differences that result in their classification into various genera, species and varieties.

Cultivar : A cultivar[nb 1] is a plant or grouping of plants selected for desirable characteristics that can be maintained by propagation. Most cultivars have arisen in cultivation but a few are special selections from the wild. Popular ornamental garden plants like roses, camellias, daffodils, rhododendrons, and azaleas are cultivars produced by careful breeding and selection for flower colour and form. Similarly, the world's agricultural food crops are almost exclusively cultivars that have been selected for characteristics such as improved yield, flavour, and resistance to disease: very few wild plants are now used as food sources. Trees used in forestry are also special selections grown for their enhanced quality and yield of timber. Cultivars form a major part of Liberty Hyde Bailey's broader grouping, the cultigen,[1] defined as a plant whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity.[2] Cultivar was coined by Bailey and it is generally regarded as a portmanteau of "cultivated" and "variety", but could also be derived from "cultigen" and "variety". A cultivar is not the same as a botanical variety,[3] and there are differences in the rules for the formation and use of the names of botanical varieties and cultivars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivar

Family. Genus species Variety/Cultivar Common Names

Examples: Rosaceae Malus baccata Siberian Crab Apple Malus baccata “Dolgo” Dolgo Crab Apple Prunus virginiana Eastern Choke Cherry Prunus virginiana “Robert” Choke Cherry developed by Lloyd Lee

Sexual and Asexual Propagation

Sexual propagation occurs when pollen is transferred from the male stamens of a flower to the female pistil by the action of wind, birds, insects or humans. Under natural conditions the resulting seeds are open pollinated. They are usually of a single native species and can be germinated and grown into plants that are similar but exhibiting some variation in characteristics such as size and sweetness due to adaptation over time and place. This is an open pollinated VARIETY. Human action may result in the introduction of more than one variety of a species or humans may assist in pollinating flowers by hand or exclude the pollen of certain species from fertilizing and reproducing. This will result in a Hybrid species with certain characteristics that can only be reproduced sexually when all the original parents are involved. Reproducing hybrid plants through open pollination of the offspring results in plants with a large range of variation. Most times these plants are inferior to the hybrid but plant breeders can use this variation to select new open pollinated or hybrid varieties over time. Some fruiting plants are self pollinating and some require cross pollination with flowers of other plants. Open pollinated species require only another plant of the same or different variety to reproduce. Hybrid species often need cross pollination with COMPATIBLE species in order to fruit and reproduce. This is especially the case with honeyberries, apples, plums, apricots and pears . Knowledge of a species breeding history and parentage is very useful in determining compatibility. https://www.orangepippintrees.com/articles/planting-growing/pollination

Asexual or vegetative propagation occurs naturally along with sexual reproduction in native species by means of vegetative propagation by root suckers, basal sprouts etc. Asexual reproduction results in plants that are identical clones of the original. Hybrid species that are otherwise difficult or impossible to reproduce sexually by seed can be reliably reproduced and will have identical characteristics to the original. Modern fruit cultivars are superior selections propagated asexually through vegetative reproduction such as suckers, cuttings, grafting and tissue culture producing clones that cannot, I repeat CANNOT be reproduced from seed!

So…….. What… about Johnny Appleseed? He grew fruit trees from seed. Why can't I? (Read some exerpts from Botany of Desire by Micheal Pollan)

Breeding of Grapes and Apples with an emphasis on juice products and rootstocks. http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/apps/adf/ADFAdminReport/20100079.pdf

Hardy Fruits

Family: Rosaceae

Genus species common name method of reproduction

Berries Fragaria vesca wild strawberry species open pollinated seed or asexually from runners

Fragaria x ananassa garden strawberry hybrid does not breed true, reproduced from runners

Rubus idaeus wild raspberry open pollinated seed or asexual reproduction from suckers

Rubus idaeus x strigosus garden raspberry hybrid with american raspberry, reproduced from suckers only

Amelanchier alnifolia saskatoon open pollinated seed or asexual reproduction or selections from suckers or root cuttings

Tree Fruits Malus coronaria wild crab apple open pollinated species reproducable from seed Malus baccata Siberian Crab Apple open pollinated species reproducable from seed or asexual reproduction by layering. Malus sylvestris common apple complex hybrid with many cultivars reproduced by grafted cuttings and buds. Seedlings will most often be very different from parents and have a bitter flavour.

Pyrus ussuriensis Siberian or Manchurian pear. Reproducable from seed or selected seedlings are asexually reproduced by layering or cuttings. Pyrus communis European pear many cultivars such as "Bartlett" reproduced by grafted cuttings. Not hardy to this area.

Prunus virginiana Eastern Choke Cherry open pollinated species Prunus pensylvanica Pin Cherry open pollinated species

Prunus avium Sweet Cherry European origin many cultivars such as "Bing" are asexually reproduced from grafted cutttings. Not hardy to this area.

Prunus cerasus Sour cherry may be grown from seed and selected seedlings have become cultivars such as 'Evan's' and 'Rose' that are asexually propagated by cuttings or root suckers and tissue culture.

Prunus fruticosa Mongolian or European dwarf cherry used as breeding stock together with Prunus cerasus to develop the Romance hybrid cherries (Prunus fruticosa x P. cerasus) from University of Saskatchewan. Reproduced by asexual propagation of root suckers, cuttings and tissue culture.

Prunus tomentosa Nanking cherry native to northern China, reproduced from seed can be used as a pollinator and dwarfing rootstock for cherries.

Prunus domestica European plum Most plum and prune cultivars reproduced by grafted cuttings, not hardy below zone 5.

Prunus nigra Canada plum native to southeastern Manitoba, very hardy, must be used as a pollinator for hybrid hardy plums to reliably produce abundant crops of fruit. Reproduced from wild sourced seed only or by asexual propagation of root suckers or layering.

Prunus salicina Japanese or Asian plum many hardy plum cultivars such as "Fofonoff " are Asian plum seedling selections reproduced by asexual propagation of root suckers, layering or cuttings. Cross pollination required by another hardy Prunus salicina cultivar.

Prunus nigra x P. salicina Hybrid plums are hybrids of Asian plum cultivars crossed with Canada plum such as "Pembina" . Pembina is a hybrid of a selected Canada Plum seedling called "Assiniboine" crossed with an Japanese plum from California called "Burbank" Hybrid plums are reproduced asexually by root suckers, layering or cuttings.

Prunus besseyi x P. salicina cherry plums or chums, various cultivars such as "OPATA" Hybrids of western sand cherry (below) and Asian or American plum reproduced asexually by root suckers, layers and cuttings.

Prunus pumila var. besseyi western sand cherry native to eastern and central Canada including southern Saskatchewan, used as a grafting rootstock for plums but not recommended due to growth incompatibilities. Essential as a pollinator for cherry plums or chums. Reproduced from wild sourced seed or asexually propagated from root suckers, cuttings or layers.

Prunus armeniaca var. mandshurica Manchurian apricot may be grown from seed but selected cultivars such as "Scout" and "Westcot" are recommended. Asexual propagation of cultivars by root suckers, layers and cuttings is desirable.

More Berries

Family: Grossulariaceae Ribes uva-crispa gooseberry asexual reproduction of selected seedlings from suckers or cuttings Ribes nigrum black currant asexual reproduction of selected seedlings from suckers or cuttings

Ribes x nidigrolaria jostaberry hybrid of blackcurrant and gooseberry, asexual reproduction by suckers and cuttings

Family: Caprifoliaceae Lonicera caerulea blue-berried honeysuckle or honeyberry (haskap) reproduced from seed or asexual reproduction from cuttings

Family: Ericaceae

Vacccinium Cyanococcus blueberry, huckleberry, cranberry, lingonberry wild species reproduced from seed, domesticated hybrids and selected seedlings reproduced from cuttings

Genus: Vitis

Vitis riparia wild grape native to southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Reproduced from seed or selected seedlings such as "Valiant" reproduced from cuttings and layering.

Vitis labrusca "Concord" cultivar native to eastern Canada and US. Reproduced from cuttings and layering.

Vitis vinifera European Wine grapes. Hybrids such as Pinot Noir reproduced by cuttings or layering.

Asexual Propagation Techniques

Layering and stooling http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/plant-propagation-by-layering-instructions-for-the-home-gardener

Mounding or Stooling Simple Layering

Grafting Devon Botanical Gardens Fruit Growers Group- Scion Wood Exchange/Fruit Tasting Festival, newsletters, articles and workshops about grafting, and culture of hardy fruits. http://dbgfruitgrowers.weebly.com/ http://fruit.usask.ca/rootstock.html Grafting and rootstock propagation http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/The_Grafter__39__s_Handbook/

Rootstocks http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/How_to_grow_your_own_rootstocks/ http://fruit.usask.ca/rootstock.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_tree_propagation

Cuttings A simple plant propagation system that works fantastic http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm

Hardy Fruit Growing.

The mother lode of quality information about prairie hardy fruits of all kinds including early history, breeding, selection and origins as well as cultural techniques. PDF files, scientific studies, website resource links etc. http://fruit.usask.ca/index.html

Growing Fruit with a Smile: Exerpts from a book on growing fruit in Siberia! http://www.deepsnowpress.com/fruit.htm

An interesting Blog post on the Nanking Cherry http://tcpermaculture.blogspot.ca/2012/03/permaculture-plants-nanking-cherry.html

UBC Botanical Garden Forums http://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/fruit-and-nut-trees.146/

Nurseries

Good selection and wholesale pricing on tissue cultured trees and shrubs. Hardy dwarf apple rootstock! http://www.prairietechpropagation.com/

Large selection of fruit and nut trees, including rootstocks. Downloadable catalogue in PDF form. http://www.whiffletreefarmandnursery.ca/home.php

Good selection of saskatoons and many other trees and shrubs. http://www.saskatoonfarm.com/

Prairie Plant Systems Good selection and prices on Honeyberries, Saskatoons and Cherries http://www.ppsfruittrees.com/

Nipiwin, Saskatchewan nursery with unusual selection of fruiting trees and shrubs http://boughennurseries.com/

Winnipeg nursery with excellent selection of fruit along with vegetables, flowers and windbreak trees and shrubs. http://www.ttseeds.com/PHP/home.php

Nice selection of regular nursery stock along with fruit trees and shrubs. http://treetime.ca/products.php?tagid=7&linkid=mainMenu

Unusual selection of trees and shrubs including some fruit and nuts. http://www.goldenboughtrees.ca