Trifoliate Rootstock Seedlings
When I visited the Texas A&M Citrus Center last year, I was very impressed with how they raised their rootstocks from seed in tall plastic pots. To keep the pots upright, they have built custom tables topped with steel remesh. I've been wanting to build a rootstock propagation table of my own ever since, and this weekend I finally did. I had lots of leftover 2x4s from when I tore down my shed, and plenty of leftover screws from building the play fort for the kids. The only things I needed were the pots and something to keep them from falling over.
I talked to John Watson at the Citrus Center, and he said that they have found 4x4x14 tree pots from Stuewe & Sons work the best for them. I bought a case of pots ($0.41 each) online, and started building my table as soon as they arrived. I am glad I waited until the pots arrived before I bought a sheet of remesh. I don't know where they get the mesh they use in Weslaco, but the remesh at my local Home Depot had 6x6 holes, and was just too big. I couldn't find any other metal fencing that fit the pots well, so I just picked up some wire.
Once the kids went down for their naps I got to work. The dimensions are roughly two feet deep, three feet tall, and five feet wide. Instead of using metal fencing to hold the pots up, I just used wire. I drove nails every five inches along the top rails, and wrapped the wire around them to form a grid. This actually worked out very nicely, and was cheaper than buying a sheet of metal fencing that might not have fit well anyway. The finished table holds 56 tree pots. I had planned to get all of my rootstock seedlings transplanted, but I was out of town most of the weekend, and just didn't have time. I'll just have to find time to get it done sometime this week. John Watson says that by using a good potting soil, deep tree pots, and Osmocote, the Citrus Center is able to grow both sour orange and trifoliate rootstocks to grafting size in one year. I hope I'm able to do it too, and that I'll have 50 rootstocks to graft and share next winter. I'm planning on building a second one for grafted trees that will go in the greenhouse when it's finished.
I talked to John Watson at the Citrus Center, and he said that they have found 4x4x14 tree pots from Stuewe & Sons work the best for them. I bought a case of pots ($0.41 each) online, and started building my table as soon as they arrived. I am glad I waited until the pots arrived before I bought a sheet of remesh. I don't know where they get the mesh they use in Weslaco, but the remesh at my local Home Depot had 6x6 holes, and was just too big. I couldn't find any other metal fencing that fit the pots well, so I just picked up some wire.
Once the kids went down for their naps I got to work. The dimensions are roughly two feet deep, three feet tall, and five feet wide. Instead of using metal fencing to hold the pots up, I just used wire. I drove nails every five inches along the top rails, and wrapped the wire around them to form a grid. This actually worked out very nicely, and was cheaper than buying a sheet of metal fencing that might not have fit well anyway. The finished table holds 56 tree pots. I had planned to get all of my rootstock seedlings transplanted, but I was out of town most of the weekend, and just didn't have time. I'll just have to find time to get it done sometime this week. John Watson says that by using a good potting soil, deep tree pots, and Osmocote, the Citrus Center is able to grow both sour orange and trifoliate rootstocks to grafting size in one year. I hope I'm able to do it too, and that I'll have 50 rootstocks to graft and share next winter. I'm planning on building a second one for grafted trees that will go in the greenhouse when it's finished.
Photo from my trip to the Citrus Center.
Simple Table Frame
Slats to hold up trees.
Wire to keep pots from falling over.
Table holds 56 tree pots
Boy #2 enjoying the first blueberries of the year.
Transplanted trifoliate seedlings
