Apple grafting rules

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Grafting apple trees - merging trees with different characteristics. It allows you to get new varieties and improve the taste of fruits. Depending on the time of year and experience, gardeners choose ways in which to plant a fruit crop. The result of the procedure also depends on the correctly selected stock and the quality of the scion preparation.

Apple grafting rules

Dates by seasons

Apple trees are vaccinated at any time of the year, but each of the seasons has its own characteristics. When garden crops are spliced, not observing the basic rules and at the wrong time, the stalk does not take root or the grafted plant begins to hurt and may die.

A graft is a shoot that is crossed with a stock.

In the spring

The optimal time for carrying out spring grafting work is the period of the beginning of sap flow. This process occurs when the apple tree is dormant and its buds have not yet woken up after winter. The main strength of the tree at this stage is directed to the maintenance of life. The activation of vegetation is determined by a number of signs:

• the buds are swelling, but not yet growing;
• branches turn red;
• as a result of mechanical action on the bark, it separates, revealing the cambium, a green plant tissue.

The exact time for spring grafting of apple trees depends on regional climatic conditions and is between the end of March and the beginning of April. With a later procedure, the grafted process is most often rejected.

In summer

Most gardeners are inclined to believe that summer is not the best time for splicing, because often during this period, the branches do not take root well and the procedure adversely affects the health of the apple tree.

Vaccination in the summer requires a more careful approach and is possible when:

• apples are poured;
• an apical bud is formed in the shoots;
• the bark is effortlessly separated from the tree;
• the number of internodes on annual shoots in the upper part has decreased.

The best time for summer vaccinations is the end of July-August.

In autumn

Splicing in autumn is not suitable for all areas. This time of year is often unsuitable for splicing due to early frosts.

When in spring or summer it was not possible to vaccinate for some reason, it can be done only at the very beginning of autumn: in the first half of September - in the northern regions, until mid-October - in areas with warm winters and late frosts.

In winter

In winter, the tree is grafted, carrying out all activities in the warm conditions of a closed room.For the winter procedure, you will need to prepare in advance the rootstocks from one-year or two-year trees, which are harvested in late autumn and left for storage in a warm, frost-free room.

For the winter procedure, shoots are chosen, where there are 2-4 buds, they are prepared at the beginning of the season.

The workpieces are brought into the heat in 7 days and in 2-3 days, respectively. Winter grafting is carried out in the first half of December, so that the spliced ​​seedlings are planted in the spring (in March). The grafted planting material is stored indoors at a temperature of 0 to 4 ° C.

Required tools and materials

Be sure to wrap the splice

Splicing requires the following tools:

• sharp knife with a short blade;
• hacksaw or garden pruner;
• budding knife.

In specialized stores, a grafting pruner is available for sale, featuring a special blade shape. It allows you to make thin and precise cuts for perfect connection of parts and less trauma to woody tissues.

You will also need the following materials:

• garden pitch, or resin - a viscous putty for disinfection, which prevents the appearance of pathogenic bacteria in the affected areas;
• strapping (to secure the scion to the stock) - usually a narrow polyethylene tape or electrical tape is used.

Safety engineering

In the process of performing vaccination measures when using traumatic instruments, safety precautions should be observed. Wherein:

• work is required to be performed in dry, calm weather;
• the blade of the knife when cutting off the end part of the handle must be kept away from you;
• it is recommended to determine in advance the trajectory of the secateurs.

Scion and rootstock selection rules

A positive result depends on correctly selected branches for splicing:

• the shoots are taken from healthy apple trees that do not have visible mechanical and other damage, cutting out the middle part, making the upper cut obliquely, and the lower one based on the chosen method;
• the optimal age of crossed plants is from 1 to 3 years;
• the stock is chosen taking into account the climatic characteristics (the one that gives stable yields in a given growing region);
• the scion is harvested from trees that bear fruit for at least 2 seasons;
• the branch chosen for engraftment should have at least 3-4 intact buds.

Related species take root best. You can also propagate a cultivated variety with the help of ordinary wild animals.

For splicing, gardeners also use spinning tops, if they are obtained from valuable varieties of apple trees. However, when using tops, it is worth considering that they do not bear fruit immediately and their diameter should not be more than the thickness of the rootstock. They can be planted in advance and grown in the uterine-cuttings garden for further use in reproduction.

Preparing cuttings

Procurement rules:

• air temperature - not lower than minus 10 ° С;
• the branches selected for splicing are initially wiped dry;
• they do not touch the cuts made (if the cuttings fell to the ground, they are wiped and cut again);
• cut branches are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in a cool room (for example, a cellar, basement), at home - on the lower shelf of the refrigerator;
• during storage, cuttings are, if possible, set with slices down into wet sawdust or sand.

In the absence of a basement, the workpieces are stored at home in cool conditions, after wrapping them with a damp cloth (burlap). After the onset of cold weather and snowfall, instead of fabric, they are wrapped in polyethylene, leaving the tops free, and buried in a snowdrift so that the branches stick out from under the snow.

In the spring, to maintain heat when the snow melts, sawdust or sand is poured on top.

Vaccination methods

Every gardener loves to experiment

There are several ways to plant apple trees.

Into the cleft

This method is simple: even a novice gardener can independently carry out the splicing.The method is used throughout the year, however, spring and summer are considered the optimal time during the period of active sap flow, which contributes to rapid implantation.

Technology:

• a cleavage is made on the stock with a sharp knife;
• a scion is planted into the resulting space, in which double cuts are pre-made in the lower part according to the wedge formation scheme.

The method allows you to inoculate 2 processes (or more) at the same time. The basic rule is to combine the cambial layers of the spliced ​​branches.

Copulation

When copulating, processes are spliced ​​that have the same thickness. At the same time, sometimes they make it in an improved form, forming an additional incision - a tongue at the same time on two parts connected to each other:

• on the branches of seedlings and implanted cuttings, it is required to make oblique cuts of 2-4 cm;
• additional cuts are made at a sufficient distance from the bottom edge (they look like tongues);
• for grafting by copulation, apple tree branches must be planted, observing the alignment of the cambium, pressing tightly with your hands, wrapping with polyethylene or using electrical tape;
• the grafting site is smeared with garden varnish.

When copulating, if the surfaces do not completely coincide, only one side is aligned.

Budding

The most commonly used method is budding, or kidney (eye) grafting. This simple method gives a high survival rate. The optimal timing is early spring or the second stage of active sap flow - late summer, until mid-August. For this:

• it is required to cut the processes in which the kidneys have not yet opened and are in a dormant state;
• take cuttings from an adult tree with last year's buds.

The graft with eyes is harvested 1-2 days before the expected date of the vaccination procedure, removing all the foliage from it and leaving it in water at room temperature. At the same time, 3-5 days before cutting the blanks, the tree is watered abundantly. The optimum diameter of the shoot selected for engraftment is 1-1.5 cm.

Budding technology:

• choose a thick branch at a level up to 0.25 m above the ground;
• using a sharp knife, cut the bark in a T-shape to a depth of 2-3 mm, while a vertical incision is made with a length of 0.2-0.25 cm, and a horizontal incision - 0.8-1 cm;
• at the point of intersection of the horizontal and vertical incisions, the bark is separated;
• a bud is selected on the scion and cut off with a thin bark substrate up to 2 mm thick and up to 2.5 cm long;
• the peephole is pressed tightly with the hands to the cut freed from the wood layer and, using polyethylene or electrical tape, fix the substrate, leaving the stump bud itself free.

You can see the result after 14 days:

• if the stump has disappeared, this indicates a positive result;
• when the peephole is held tightly at the incision site, this indicates that it will dry out and have no effect.

For the bark

Splicing for the bark is one of the simple methods of grafting an apple tree. Even novice gardeners can use it. However, it requires precise movement.

The optimal time for carrying out is the stage of active sap flow (this usually occurs in May). The technology is applicable for the propagation of old apple trees. Also, with its help, you can re-graft adult trees (over 3 years old) that are already bearing fruit.

Together with the banding, the splicing of older branches with a large diameter activates higher yields and accelerates adaptation during transplantation. This method allows up to 4 cuttings to be grown together. It includes several stages:

• for inoculation, a place is chosen at a level of 1-1.2 m from the ground;
• cuts are made on the wood 4-5 cm deep, the bark is pushed back;
• the lower part of the scion is cut off and put behind the pushed back layer;
• branches are tied with polyethylene.

When splicing behind the bark, novice gardeners often do not pay attention to the direction of bud growth, engrafting those looking down, not up.

Into the incision

Fusion into an incision is similar to budding, but it is done with a handle:

• the lower edge is cut off from the scion;
• for implantation, a place is selected on the branch at a distance of 2-2.5 cm from the point of growth from the trunk;
• an incision is made with a knife to a depth of 0.5-0.8 cm, where the handle is inserted;
• the implantation site is covered with garden varnish and covered with polyethylene.

Implantation

Splices are done in different ways

The implantation technology is similar to the previous method, but it uses processes of the same diameter to be spliced:

• on an apple tree, a branch is cut obliquely, growing from the trunk at a height of up to 0.25 m from the surface of the soil;
• the workpiece is cut from the middle part and its lower end is connected to the cut;
• the place of combination is coated with garden varnish and covered with polyethylene, which is removed after the first foliage appears on the implanted branch.

By the bridge

The method of grafting with a bridge is used to restore the damaged bark of apple trees, for example, with strong gnawing by rodents, sunburn or frost cracks. It has an effect if the entire wood layer is damaged. For this procedure, different materials are used: simple annual branches, shoots, pieces of bark.

Trees with a trunk diameter of at least 3-3.5 cm are grafted with a bridge.

Technology:

• align the edges of the bark;
• select the required number of outgrowths - for annular damage, up to 10 pieces are required, for less extensive in area - 2-4 pieces;
• cleanse the selected material from the kidneys, cut the ends obliquely with a cut of 3-4 cm;
• at levels above and below the damaged fragment, T-shaped cuts are made on the bark (departing from the edges by 1 cm), where the ends of the blanks are inserted, making a bridge, pressing the cuts to the wood;
• the ends are fixed with a cloth soaked in garden varnish and a tight bandage is applied on top;
• the exposed fragment is covered with garden varnish to avoid moisture and harmful bacteria.

When an apple tree has a ring injury, similar manipulations are carried out in several stages.

Tumanov's method

For splicing seedlings according to the Tumanov method, the place is chosen not at the end, but closer to the junction point of the skeletal branches. This avoids the subsequent breaking off of the new appendix.

Using a knife, cut the sections in a circular motion so that the fresh surface becomes smooth and clean.

Expert A. Tumanov prefers to take Antonovka seedlings grown from apple seeds as a stock, and ordinary wild game for columnar ones.

The gardener uses 2 popular methods:

• into splitting - with this method, the space for implantation is made by installing a knife and pressing it into the wood by swinging, not pressing;
• for the bark - suitable for thicker branches.

A wedge is formed from the workpiece and inserted into the split made from the edge, and not in the middle of the cut, because it is required to connect the cambium on the branch and on the clothespin, which is located immediately under the layer of bark.

All manipulations, according to Tumanov, must be done quickly (in 2 minutes) so that the vegetable juice does not oxidize. Otherwise, the stalk will not take root.

The established scion is cut into 2-3 buds. A similar procedure is carried out with the second workpiece, which is inserted from the other edge of the cut. The split is wrapped with electrical tape. Garden pitch is covered with a place at the end of the split below the electrical tape, the cut itself and the ends of the cuttings.

Caring for a grafted tree

Follow-up care after the vaccination procedure includes a number of mandatory measures:

• prevent the appearance of pests, which are attracted by the plant sap that has appeared in the place of accretion;
• the tree is fed and watered regularly, supporting its immunity;
• the apple tree is protected from rodents and birds;
• the growth of the implanted shoots is regulated by pinching, bending and tilting;
• the winding is gradually loosened;
• growing young branches are tied up to avoid breaking off.

After 2 weeks, the winding should be loosened by making a longitudinal cut. The bandage is completely removed after 2-3 months.

After a season (in spring), the grafted seedlings form:

• leave one strong shoot at each vaccination site, others are removed;
• the shoots below the fusion fragment are cut off;
• with good growth of the branches, they are shortened by 1/3, laying the crown.

Autumn:

• the processes are tied up;
• the apple tree is fed;
• the trunk is whitewashed and hilled for the winter, warming and protecting from rodents.

Possible rootstocks

Apple trees are grafted into different trees

You can plant an apple tree on different rootstocks.

Apricot

Inhabitants of the southern regions practice the grafting of an apple tree on an apricot, and in some cases this gives positive results. At the same time, the probability of getting a harvest is minimal.

Birch tree

Choosing birch as a rootstock rarely leads to positive results. If the cuttings take root, they produce a tall tree, which is more difficult to care for.

Rowan

When mountain ash is chosen for splicing, a frost-resistant, unpretentious to the ground tree with fruits is obtained, which do not lose their taste, but there is a likelihood of the fruit becoming smaller.

Fusion with a rowan tree with a weakly growing crown allows you to get earlier yields, noticeably larger in volume. It is better to choose not chokeberry, but red mountain ash.

Pear

A pear is not a very suitable stock for planting an apple tree, because they are not closely related horticultural crops. The most effective methods are shown for splitting and for bark.

Plum

Apple and plum belong to the Rosaceae family, so their combination is impractical. In addition, plums have a much shorter lifespan, which negatively affects the result. Apple branches are thicker than plum branches, and the latter often do not withstand the load, break at the point of crossing.

The probability of getting a harvest from an apple tree grafted onto a plum is minimal.

Cherry

Cherry splicing has a number of difficulties:

• high risk of cherry cuttings rejection;
• the minimum probability of getting a crop;
• the cherry does not support the weight of the apple branches.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn belongs to undersized shrubs and is well suited as a rootstock. Features of the procedure:

• grafted with cuttings 0.5 m long;
• grafting height - 0.5 m above the ground surface;
• acceptable for apple trees grown in orchards where there is a high level of groundwater occurrence, because the hawthorn has a superficially located root system.

This type of crossing reduces the expectation of fruiting of a fruit crop by a year or more.

Irga

Irga is a dwarf rootstock with a low crown. Not only an apple tree, but also a pear is successfully grafted onto it. Vaccination features:

• the best results are shown by crossing at a height of 0.2 m from the surface of the earth - when choosing a grafting site above this level, the risk of damage to the branches, which are thin and flexible in irgi, increases;
• the development of fruit crops is uneven;
• in the process of subsequent maintenance, it is necessary to install supports.

Quince

Quince is not a very suitable stock, because it requires careful follow-up care. In most cases, it does not take root or grows together, but does not bear fruit. The life span of such fruit crops is limited to 3-5 years.

Viburnum

As a result of crossing an apple tree with a viburnum, a tree with increased frost resistance is obtained, but the fruits in most cases grow small.

Aspen

Aspen is not the most suitable rootstock for an apple tree. It takes root just as badly as bird cherry and sea buckthorn. The viability of fruit crops obtained from aspen is low.

Regional features of vaccination

The differences in the grafting procedure in the regions are reduced to the timing of its implementation, which directly depends on the climatic zone of growing fruit crops.

On South

In the southern regions, the vegetative period is longer, therefore, spring gardening work (starting in March) is permissible, which continues in summer, and in the fall the period of fusion is extended until November.

In contrast to the northern climate, return frosts in southern areas have a more negative impact on the scion due to high humidity.

The second stage of sap flow in the south begins in July and lasts a whole month. At this time, the highest air temperature and a lack of precipitation are observed. During this period, the hot climate will not allow crossbreeding.

In the middle lane

The optimal timing for the spring vaccination procedure in the regions of central Russia is the last days of April or the first half of May.

When planning a summer cross of plants, it is better to choose the end of July. The autumn vegetation period with the cessation of sap flow in these areas ends by mid-September, so the fusion is carried out until the beginning of October.

In the north

In Siberia and other northern zones with a cold climate, the state of the soil acts as a reference point for events in spring: it is easy to dig it to a depth of at least 2 shovel bayonets. The right time for the procedure in summer is early August. In autumn, due to early frosts in the northern regions, trees are not spliced, transferring all procedures to the winter.

Regional summary data are presented in the table.

Common mistakes gardeners make

The mistakes of novice gardeners lead to a negative vaccination result.

1. The loose fit of the cut planes due to the existing wavy defects and notches leads to premature drying of the cuttings and buds.
2. Poor disinfection of tools and cuttings leads to the appearance of bacteria that cause wood diseases. Wounds are treated with garden pitch, clay or plasticine.
3. Leaving foliage and shoots on a young branch leads to a weakening of the plant - it loses its strength.

If mistakes are made during the preparation of the scion and its splicing, they can be corrected by covering the grafted cuttings with polyethylene. The size of the package is selected so that it is 10-15 cm higher than the seedling. It is fixed and held until the scion takes root.