Popular grafting technologies for fruit trees
Grafting of fruit trees - engraftment on one plant of cuttings of another. The procedure will allow you to renew an old tree with a decrease in fertility, as well as to get a crop of several varieties on one trunk. One of the goals of this event is to increase frost resistance. In this case, a variety adapted to local conditions is taken as a basis (stock), and a more southern variety acts as a scion, the cultivation of which is planned in this area. The grafted cutting will begin to bear fruit in 2-4 years, while the quality of the fruit will noticeably improve. Grafting of fruit trees to increase yields is used both in large nurseries and in private summer cottages. The operation can be performed by any amateur gardener.
Vaccination methods
The scion engraftment on the rootstock is performed in different ways. Their choice depends on the type and size of the tree, climatic conditions, and the season.
There are several techniques for performing the operation:
- budding;
- grafting for the bark;
- copulation;
- inoculation in the cut;
- cleft inoculation;
- ablating.
According to the terms of execution, vaccinations are spring, summer and winter. With spring grafting, cuttings grow together and develop during the summer. If the operation is performed in the summer, then the development will take place the next year.
Work is best done in cloudy but dry weather. If the heat lasts for several days, then before grafting the plants are watered abundantly.
To perform the procedure, the seedlings are dug up in winter and planted in the spring. Their development will take place in the current season. Winter grafting provides close to 100% adhesion.
Let's take a closer look at the best ways to graft fruit trees.
Budding fruit trees
The operation is performed during the period of active movement of the juice. This is roughly the end of July - early August, but the exact dates depend on regional climatic conditions. The criterion for their determination is a slight flaking of the bark.
For budding, seedlings with branches up to 1 cm thick are suitable. Before planting fruit trees, prepare the base. All branches are cut from the lower part of the trunk, 5-7 skeletal multidirectional branches are left in the crown.
Annual shoots in the growth stage with hardened wood and formed buds are used as scions. Cuttings 10-15 cm long are harvested from their middle part.
Next, cut out the shields - eyes with wood about 3 cm long and transfer them to the rootstocks. To do this, a T-shaped cut of the bark is made at the grafting site. The shield is wound behind the bark and tied.
Before carrying out the operation, the stem of the stock should be washed with a damp cloth.
After 1.5-2 weeks, you should make sure that the budding of fruit trees was successful and the graft has taken root. Otherwise, the operation can be repeated if the time allows and the crust is still peeling off.
Grafting fruit trees by the bark
Grafting for the bark is performed with a significant difference in the thickness of the rootstock and the scion. It is often used for overgrown seedlings after failed budding or for re-grafting.
The timing of grafting fruit trees is from the beginning of the movement of the juice to its active stage.
The basis is a stock cut under a stump. For scions, shoots are taken in the dormant or awakening stage. They are cut into 2-3 buds.
On the stump at the site of inoculation, a 2.5-3 cm incision is made in the bark. The lower part of the scion is cut under the bevel and is wound behind the bark. After that, the place of accretion is tied and covered with garden putty.
To improve contact, sometimes in addition to a longitudinal incision, a horizontal incision is made in the scion - the so-called saddle, with which the stalk sits on the stump.
2-3 shoots can be grafted onto one base.
Copulation of fruit trees
The copulation method is applied to stocks of small diameter when grafting on the bark is not possible. The advantage of the technology is that it allows you to domesticate wild animals at the earliest stages, without waiting for the bole to grow stronger.
Copulation differs from the previous methods by the timing of the operation. Plants must be dormant. It is necessary not to miss the time of grafting fruit trees in the spring and carry out work before the start of sap flow, and if possible, then perform them in winter.
The grafting technique is as follows: the rootstock and the scion are trimmed obliquely, aligned to each other, wrapped and smeared. If their diameters almost coincide, then it is advisable to apply the scion from above, but if the thickness of the stock is much thicker, then the butt is performed from the side. In this case, 2-3 cuttings can be placed on one base.
For better fusion, not even, but curly cuts with tongues and saddles are performed.
The cut must be made in one cut of the knife.
Scions are cut into 2-3 buds.
Winter grafting of fruit trees is done indoors. To do this, the rootstocks are dug up in the fall, stored in a cellar in winter, and planted with grafted cuttings in the spring.
Grafting of fruit trees in the side cut
A technology that is little used in nurseries, but of interest to amateur gardeners. The grafting is carried out in the stock of any thickness and ensures good accretion. The operation is most often performed to improve the yield of an already fruitful garden, replacing the top of an old tree.
The work execution time is winter, spring and summer.
A slit is cut on the side of the tree trunk, tapering downward. The graft with 2 buds is trimmed on both sides under a bevel to form a sharp edge and wedged into the cut. Next, strapping and putty are performed with garden pitch.
Grafting of fruit trees into the split
A common technology in the past known as a clothespin. It is used in cases where the stock has a rough bark or is damaged by unsuccessful attempts at grafting in other ways. As a rule, already mature trees with a developed root system are used, which provides good protection from frost. For scions, cuttings that are larger than other methods are harvested, having up to 5 buds.
The operation must be performed before the start of sap flow. Grafting of fruit trees in spring ensures good plant development in summer. Stone-seed breeds are grafted from mid-March, pome-seed breeds - from early April.
The rootstock is trimmed at a height of 10-12 cm from the ground and cleaned with a garden knife. Further, a gap is cut out in it with a hatchet and temporarily wedged. The scions are cut from both sides under a bevel of about 4 cm and inserted into the slot, after which the wedge is removed. It turns out a reliable clamp that practically does not require strapping. But putty with garden varnish of all trimmed and steered parts with this method of grafting fruit trees is required.
If the diameter of the stock allows it, it is recommended to graft 2 cuttings to it from different sides.
Ablactation of fruit trees
Ablactation or grafting by approach is carried out by splicing plant branches through sections of bark or wood. This technology has found applications in mold gardening.It makes it possible to renew the crown, replace damaged areas and fill voids, as well as form stanza (creeping) forms.
Ablating allows you to plant trees in confined spaces, for example, near the walls of a house, where they, using the vertical area as useful as possible, not only give a good harvest, but also perform a decorative function. The technique is also used to rescue sick or animal-eaten trees, providing nutrition to the crown from another root.
The operation can be carried out throughout the growing season, but the best time is spring.
When the diameters of the stock and the scion coincide, a regular butt is produced, branches cut lengthwise by 5 cm. The splice is wrapped and covered. For better splice, tongue hooks can be made.
If the stock is thicker, then the bark is only cut on it and the graft is put into the slot.
In conclusion, we suggest watching a video on how to graft fruit trees in spring.
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Hello. Tell me, how long does it take to remove the package from the vaccination on the apple tree?
Experienced gardeners advise you to wait until new leaves appear and one of the growing shoots will lengthen by a couple of centimeters. But you can't take it off right away, first cut off the corner of the bag or pierce it in the morning or late in the evening and let it stand for a week in this form, and only then you can remove it completely.