Receiving shims

In the second year, plants intended for vertical propagation are cut in spring with a pin pruner to a height of approx. 5 cm above the ground. From the base of the plants trimmed in such a way, they grow vertically 2-3 new shoots. In the moment, when the young shoots reach a height of approx 12-15 cm, they should be covered with soil to a height of approx 10 cm. The sprinkling of emerging shoots is repeated two more times during the growing season. The first sprinkling is done by hand, crumbling the soil well, and the next two
can already be mechanized to a greater extent. Spreading can be greatly improved by scaling the ground with a plow or a hiller for mother plants. The manual work is then limited to covering the base of the shoots.
The horizontal laps are obtained by bending the annual plants horizontally along the row. This treatment is performed in early spring, before the vegetation begins. Trim the strongly developed shoots of the mother pome trees before laying, shortening the vertex by 20-15 cm, and side shoots – and 1 or 2 mesh. The mother plants of stone rootstocks are usually less pruned, shortening the top by a few cm. Side shoots growing in large numbers, especially in plums, shortens more strongly, leaving 1-2 leaf buds.
Place the pruned cherry or plum shoots in the previously prepared grooves approx 8 cm.
For easier bending of the shoots in the first year, it is recommended to dig holes near the roots (from the side of bending shoots), so that the bending takes place "in the slender roots”. Sometimes mother plants are planted diagonally at an angle of 45 °; bending the shoots is then much easier. We keep the horizontal deposits near the ground with wooden and other balls or a nylon string and special metal clips.
Young shoots grow vertically upwards from the horizontally bent shoots, which when they reach heights 12-15 cm is covered with earth. Further care for the emerging shoots is the same as for the vertical deposits.
The condition for a good rooting of rootstocks is the early and thorough sprinkling of the growing shoots with soil.
The purpose of such a procedure is to induce the etiolation process, the so-called whitening of the lower parts of the shoots by shading them as a result of sprinkling with earth. Only etiolated shoots take root well. Often poor rooting of shoots is caused by insufficient or delayed sprinkling of young shoots. Before each treatment, the soil in the inter-rows should be very finely shredded in order to cover the sprouts thoroughly., preferably a rotary tiller. Very good results in rooting the rootstocks are achieved by mulching between the rows with old manure, with straw or peat in the fall preceding the removal of the rootstocks. The soil mixed with an organic substance with a rotary tiller is considered the best for rooting the rootstocks.
Nursing activities in the following years are similar to those performed in the second year. Older plants grow more shoots each year. At higher density, plants may be infected more often by diseases and pests, which must be combated by the same means, which are recommended for the protection of generative rootstocks.
The mother plantations of the rootstocks should receive the following amounts of fertilizers in the pure component, depending on the growth strength of the rootstocks: 80-150 kg azotu, 100-180 kg of potassium and 50-100 kg phosphoru na 1 ha. Higher doses are usually used on lighter soils (i.e.. closer to the upper limit), and on the more fertile, the lower. In the plantations of dwarf rootstocks for apple trees, the highest doses should be used, and for stone stones, lower. Older plantations often produce large amounts of ungrown rootstocks. Then, abundant organic and mineral fertilization is necessary.