AusBonsai

I took a cutting from a tree I bought from Daley's a few years ago. It's a Dwarf Apple - Dorsett Golden and it's grafted, so wasn't expecting the cutting to deal with fruiting on its own roots. This is two years from being planted. I'm surprised, to be honest.

Nice, how did you get it to root?

I just stuck the cuttings into a pot full of potting mix and left it on the bottom shelf in my greenhouse. One took. It's hit and miss that way, but I am just grateful when I get one to take.

Most fruit trees will grow as cuttings and often grow very easily.

There are a number of reasons why commercial fruit trees are grafted and not grown as cuttings:

Most apple varieties grow into quite large trees. That's the reason apple ladders are traditionally 6m long. Rootstocks have been developed that limit the size of apple trees and make them more easily managed. Growers can choose a dwarf root stock to graft onto for a tree that will only grow 3m tall or a medium root stock where the resulting tree will end up growing to 4-6 m tall.
It is unlikely that Dorsett golden is a real dwarf apple tree. The one you purchased will have been grafted onto a dwarf root stock like M26. If you were to strike another cutting and plant it in the ground it will probably grow to 6 m or more.

Root stocks have also been bred to confer disease resistance to the entire tree. Some stocks are more resistant to woolly aphids, blight or other diseases where the original fruit variety may not be.

You're dead right shibui, the plant I bought has been grafted onto dwarfing root stock. Guess that means my cutting is likely to grow huge if I let it.

Thanks for the explanation.