Fruit Tree Propagation Service
If we do not have the fruit tree variety you require in our main fruit tree catalogue, we may instead be able to propagate a tree for you. We offer two distinct fruit tree propagation services: a winter-grafted tree and a summer-grafted rootstock/tree which you can grow yourself.
To start your enquiry go to our Propagation Request page.
Winter-grafted fruit tree
Order before February for delivery in December of the same year
- Order before February and we will deliver your propagated fruit tree in late autumn the same year. (You can order at any time but orders received after the end of January will not be available until autumn the following year).
- These trees are supplied bare-root. In most cases the tree will be 1m or more in height, with a single stem. Some varieties may produce small side branches, but most do not at this age.
- The price including delivery to mainland UK: £50 - £55 (we will confirm before accepting your order).
- After we have accepted your order we will contact you again in mid-summer to let you know if the propagation has been successful. If it has not, we will cancel your order. If the new tree is growing well we will send you a payment request. Sometimes trees that appeared to be successful in July will still not be acceptable by autumn, if this happens we will cancel your order and provide a full refund, or we may offer the tree to you at a reduced price as you may be able to grow it on yourself.
Summer-grafted fruit tree kit
Order before August for delivery in December of the same year
- Order before August and we will deliver a kit in December (i.e. 4-5 months later) comprising a bud of the variety you have chosen, grafted to the rootstock you required, supplied as a bare-root rootstock/tree. All you have to do is plant the rootstock/tree in the normal way.
- The price including delivery to the UK mainland is: £50 - £55 (we will confirm before accepting your order).
- The price includes TWO rootstock/trees with your choice of fruit variety budded to the rootstock. We supply two so that you can be reasonably confident that you will get at least one tree to grow successfully in your garden, but we do expect both to "take" so you may be lucky and get two trees.
- We also provide online instructions explaining how to plant and grow your rootstock/tree.
- After we have accepted your order in August, you will not be asked to pay until November / December, shortly before we send the rootstock-trees to you. If the propagation process is not successful we will aim to let you know by December and we will then cancel your order.
- This service is for customers who want to order a tree propagated to order in the summer for delivery the same autumn/winter. We can reduce the propagation time to just 6 months because you are finishing the process yourself. The trees will require very careful attention in the spring and summer after planting. We will provide full instructions, and watching the new shoot emerge and develop is interesting and rewarding, but this service is not the right choice if you just want to plant a tree and wait for the fruit to appear!
General information
When we receive your propagation request, we will check that the fruit tree varieties you are interested in are available and then confirm your order and prices before proceeding. We can propagate trees on most of the major rootstocks, to achieve the mature tree size you require.
Note that fruit tree propagation is a natural process and we cannot offer any guarantee that it will be successful, and we reserve the right to cancel the order at any time if we feel the propagation has not been successful. If you have made a payment we will refund it in full.
This service is currently only available for fruit trees to be delivered to the mainland UK and the USA excluding California (although you can order from anywhere).
Please note that trees propagated to order in this way may not be quite as large as the mainstream trees we supply (as illustrated on our website). This is because with the trees we propagate to order, we concentrate on propagation success, whereas with our mainstream range we concentrate on producing larger more attractive trees.
If you wish to supply your own graftwood to enable us to propagate from a tree that you already own (e.g. an existing favourite tree that is getting too old, or you are moving to a new house and the tree is too big to move) please indicate this on the form. We will advise you how to prepare and post the graftwood to us.
To start your enquiry go to our Propagation Request page.
Bespoke organic fruit tree propagation
For the UK only, we can offer a bespoke fruit tree propagation service. This can be designed to meet any organic standards you require, since you can specify the exact materials to be used in the compost and for weed and pest control during the time the trees are with us. Trees can be delivered at any stage in the propagation process from initial graft through to sleeping-eye, to 1 year maiden. This is a personalised service and if you wish you will have access to the nurseryman working on your trees.