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Most fruit trees are actually a combination of two plants that have been grafted together. Grafting is the practice of joining two plants together permanently, so that they will continue growing as a single organism.
To make a grafted fruit tree, one plant is selected for its roots and is called the rootstock. The other plant is selected for its fruit, flavor, ripening time, and chill hour requirements and is called the scion. When selecting a fruit tree at a nursery, it will most likely have two tags; one that describes the characteristics of the rootstock, and the other will describe the qualities of the fruit variety.
It is important to consider what type of rootstock the tree is grown on as different rootstocks impart different properties, such as mature tree size, vigour, and fruit size. For example, some types of rootstocks will create semi-dwarf or dwarf sized trees which are perfect for gardens with limited space.
Rootstocks also may be selected for traits such as resistance to drought, root pests, and diseases. Choosing the right rootstock will help the tree adapt to certain soil conditions, such as fast draining sandy soils or clay soils with poor drainage.
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