Will Apricot Suckers Grow from the Rootstock and Flower?

Grafted Trees

• In an effort to create stronger trees, fruit farmers have long used grafted specimens in their orchards. Sometimes grafting unites a scion or shoot from a less hardy apricot tree that bears high quality fruit to the rootstock of another variety of apricot that tends to be more hardy. Grafting is also done to produce full size fruit on a more compact tree. This makes tending and picking easier and produces smaller trees that can be better for small scale or home cultivation.

Suckering

• The problem with grafting trees onto a tough, hardy rootstock, is that such roots are often prone to suckering. If unchecked, the suckers grow and develop, taking nutrients away from the tree's top growth. In some cases where root suckers are not pruned away, the rootstock variety eventually out-competes the scion variety and it dies. The rootstock's fruit is often less desirable than that of the scion.

Removal

• Root suckers will often cluster at the base of a tree. They are easiest to remove if taken out when they are still young and less than 1 foot tall. To remove, simply grasp the sucker and give a firm, twisting pull. It should come out of the ground easily. If pulling does not work, cut off at ground level with sharp clippers. Check trees regularly for additional suckers.

Apricot grafting

• In some cases when root suckers out-compete the apricot scion, the fruit that results will not be an apricot. Apricot cuttings are routinely grafted onto the hardier root stocks of domestic or wild plum, peach or even sand cherry trees. All are members of the genus Prunus, with many similar traits.