Self-grafting of garden trees in spring

Fruits are an integral part of our diet and, of course, the most delicious of them are those grown by our own hands. We ourselves decide whether to treat the trees with chemicals, and if we wish, we can grow an environmentally friendly crop. And of course, taking care of your own garden will bring incomparable pleasure, straighten our backs, save us from heart attacks and depression. In the spring we watch the garden bloom, in the summer and autumn we harvest, delighting family and friends with a generous, self-grown harvest.

But what if the site is small, but you really want to have as many different varieties as possible? Either unscrupulous traders sold us the "wrong" variety, or a lot of overgrowth has grown, it's a pity to throw it out of the plot, but she doesn't want to bear fruit, or the apple tree has become old. There are many reasons to feel dissatisfaction with your own garden, but there is only one way out - vaccinations. With their help, we will be able to plant wild growth, renew the variety, and rejuvenate an aging apple or pear tree growing in a convenient place. By the way, in old age it is possible to graft them - they are long-livers among fruit trees. Grafting will free us from the need to uproot unnecessary plants.

In addition, if you have little space, cuttings of different varieties can be grafted onto one tree.

Secrets of a Successful Vaccination

Before starting vaccinations, you need to prepare. You need a sharp pruner, a grafting garden knife, a garden pitch, and a strapping material. It is advisable to have a solution of zircon with epin in a sterile bottle from drops - they are excellent helpers for better grafting survival. And, naturally, you need cuttings.

We will list a few rules that you must adhere to if you want to be successful.

• Vaccinations are done only on a healthy tree. Plants with damage and frost damage, if they are not cut along with part of the trunk, are not suitable as rootstock.
• Stone rootstocks must be less than 10 years old. Apples and pears are planted at any age.
• When grafting several varieties on one tree, keep in mind that they must ripen at the same time.
• Stone fruit trees are grafted earlier than pome trees.
• Stone fruits should be grafted on stone fruits, and pome fruits - on pome fruits.
• Only take cuttings from healthy trees. You can prepare them in the fall or winter and store them in a cellar or a cold basement in the sand or snow.
• In the spring, cuttings are cut until leaves appear and grafted immediately.
• Scion cuttings are best taken from the middle tier on the south side of the tree.
• The grafting must be done quickly, and the layers of cambium on the rootstock and scion must match perfectly.
• And, of course, hands, tools and joints between the tree and the cuttings must be clean.

The best ways to graft fruit

In this article we will look at early spring grafting using cuttings - copulation.

In order for the material described below to be more understandable, let's find out what a scion and rootstock are.

• Graft - this is the stalk that we will plant, the future fruiting part of the tree. Scion cuttings should be taken from a healthy, well-bearing tree. It is best to cut the cuttings up to 30 cm long.
• Rootstock - this is the part of the tree to which the cutting will be grafted, it is responsible for the successful absorption of nutrients by the upper part of the tree.

When vaccinated, the stock should be awake and the scion should be asleep.

Cleavage grafting

When such grafting is carried out, the diameter of the rootstock must necessarily be greater than the diameter of the scion. This method is suitable both for young rootstocks and for rejuvenating old trees. Several grafts can be made on one stock.

1. It is best to cut the stock at a height of 15-30 cm from the ground.
2. The stock needs to be split so that a gap is formed, if the trunk is very thick, not very deep splits are made.
3. The stalk should be cut into two buds.
4. The lower end of the cutting is cut in a wedge shape.
5. The stalk is inserted into the split so that the bark coincides, tilting the scion slightly towards the middle of the rootstock.
6. It is necessary to drip a solution of epin and zircon onto the grafting site on both sides and coat with a layer of garden varnish.
7. Apply a bandage soaked in a weak solution of a copper-containing preparation to the inoculation.

Grafting for a bark with a thorn

The least traumatic method of grafting for rootstock. Well suited if the diameter of the scion and rootstock are very different. Several vaccinations can be given on one slice.

1. The stock is cut at a height of 15-30 cm from the ground at an angle of 30 degrees.
2. The bark of the stock is cut in a T-shape.
3. Cut the stalk into two buds at an angle of 30 degrees.
4. The stalk is inserted into the rootstock bark.
5. Treat the vaccination site with epin and garden var.
6. Apply a tight bandage.

Saddle grafting for bark

1. The stock is cut at a distance of 15-30 cm from the surface of the earth.
2. A transverse incision is made on the rootstock.
3. A shoulder is cut on the handle, and a beveled cut is made from it.
4. The cutting wedge is inserted into the bark incision so that the shoulder rests against the upper cut of the stock.
5. A few drops of epin are applied to the vaccination site and treated with garden varnish.
6. A spiral tight bandage is applied.

Side slice grafting

1. The stock is cut at a height of 15-30 cm.
2. The bark of the stock and the wood of the scion are cut, the cut is beveled and deepened.
3. Cut the stalk into two buds, make two oblique cuts at the bottom from opposite sides.
4. Insert the cutting into the rootstock incision so that the slices match perfectly.
5. The graft is moistened with epin, then the cut is treated with garden varnish.
6. Wrap the vaccination site with a strapping material.

Simple spring grafting

They are made with the same thickness of the scion and rootstock.

1. The stock is cut at a distance of 20-40 cm from the ground.
2. Both the scion and the rootstock make the same beveled cuts no more than 5 cm.
3. Connect them so that the cambium layers coincide.
4. The cut site is treated with a solution of epin and zircon, and then with a garden pitch.
5. The graft is tightly tied with a dense cloth.

Improved spring grafting

The difference from the previous one is that the same serifs are made on the scion and on the rootstock in the middle of the oblique cut. In this way, the scion and rootstock adhere better to each other.

The bandage from young grafted plants can be removed after a month, from old ones - after a year. Don't be afraid to get vaccinated - there is nothing difficult about it. The main thing here is skill. Having made a dozen or two vaccinations, you may not become a specialist, but you will be vaccinated quickly, with high quality and their survival rate will be high. And such a skill, believe me, will never be superfluous.

How to cook a garden var with your own hands

Garden variety is sold in shops and garden centers. If you doubt its quality, prepare your own garden var. Several recipes are listed below.They can not only cover up the grafting sites and wood cuts after tree pruning, but also heal any damage to the wood - it adheres well and promotes scarring of wood.

If you add 1 crushed tablet of heteroauxin to a cooled, but not yet frozen garden var, made according to any recipe, per 1 kg of varnish, its ability to scar wounds and promote rapid engraftment of cuttings will increase.

Garden var recipes

• Nigrol putty is good for treating large areas of wood damage. Nigrol, paraffin and rosin in a 1: 1: 1 ratio are heated in a separate bowl, then finely ground wood ash is added to the hot nigrol, mixed, rosin and paraffin are poured in. This putty must be warmed up before use.
• Wood alcohol var is prepared for use in cold weather. Lard and rosin are taken in a ratio of 1:16 and melted and stirred until the mass becomes uniform. Then the resulting mass is removed from the fire and 8 shares of wood alcohol are poured into it. Store tightly closed.
• The cheapest recipe. Lard, wax or paraffin and rosin are taken in proportions 1: 2: 4, boiled for 30 minutes over low heat, then poured into cold water. Store in oiled paper.
• The best qualities are possessed by a garden var, made on the basis of beeswax. Beeswax - 4 parts and rosin - 20 parts must be melted in different dishes, then mix well and add one part of linseed oil. After the mixture is removed from the heat, add two parts of finely ground charcoal. Of course, this garden var will be expensive, but if you have the opportunity, prepare it.

Use our advice and perhaps in a couple of years you will be vaccinating all your neighbors.

Grafting fruit trees: master class (video)