Wednesday 11 January 2017

Symbiosis Nursery - Fruit Trees back on their own roots !


For years I've been fascinated with the idea of growing fruit and nut trees on their own roots.

Sunset - a truly delicious apple
The process of grafting has always seemed a little brutal to me - cutting off the top of one plant and surgically binding it to lower body of another. I think if I were a young fruit tree I might have something to say about this method - and if we look closely, the trees are trying to tell us!

Isn't it frustrating how often our beloved fruit trees seem to succumb to disease, or generally seem a little 'poorly' - giving fruit that doesn't somehow feel full of the health and vitality that we hope for...

Experiments conducted at Brogdale suggest that own root trees are a good deal healthier compared to their grafted counterparts and provide crops of optimum quality in terms of yield, storage and flavor.

But more importantly than any kind of scientific backing, I think many of us are joined in knowing that something just feels right about trees growing on their own roots, surely the trees will be happier.. Enough human intervention now, let's go back to our roots. Nature knows, so let's let her quietly express herself in her own unique and mysterious way...

Some say these trees may take longer to fruit, and I say Great! Let's not hurry Nature.

A young fruit tree's branch breaking for bearing a crop that it's not mature enough to support is the perfect metaphor for our strange want to always rush forward with things too quickly. Just look how branches we've broken in our mad rush for fruitfulness in our short time on this incredible planet!

 As Uncle John O'Donohue put it -

"The beauty of nature insists on taking its time. Everything is prepared. Nothing is rushed. The rhythm of emergence is a gradual slow beat always inching its way forward; change remains faithful to itself until the new unfolds in the full confidence of true arrival."

If we can learn to humbly work within the natural rhythm of things, our patience will be rewarded a thousand fold with bountiful crops of peace, harmony and happiness - making the luscious fruits that follow just a delicious bonus!

Enjoy taking your time.....

The process of getting varieties back on their own roots also requires patience,

Own Root Fruit Trees will be available here by 2019.








3 comments:

  1. Planting fruit trees in my garden has always been my wish. By reading your blog post I am also planning to have these fruit trees in my home garden. The plants will take time to grow but after all it will be fruitful.

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  2. great! no need to wait any longer, plant now and the natural force of time will do the rest... good luck!

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