Rootstock

When growing apple trees, farmers can’t simply drop a seed in the ground and expect to grow a tree identical to the parent; this is due to several genetic factors. In order to get a second generation of the same tree, a cutting from the original must be grafted onto very specific rootstock. The rootstock determines how tall the tree will get (dwarf, semi-dwarf, or full size) and will cause the correct genetic lines to pass to grow the desired fruit. Without grafting, a tree might grow, but either it will be fruitless or it will only grow crab apples. Much in the same way, we can’t grow fruit alone. We need to be grafted into Jesus to produce the desired fruit. Just as a crab apple tree might grow from a seed tossed in the ground, it won’t ever produce a juicy Honeycrisp or Gala apple (Emily E. Hoover, “How Rootstocks Influence Apple Trees,” Fruit Growers News, November 7, 2018, https://fruitgrowersnews.com/news/how-rootstocks-influence-apple-trees/).