Mastering Grafting Fruit Trees: A Complete Guide

Grafting fruit trees is a technique that connects 2 plants into one: a botanical arrangement perfected by farmers of the eastern world 4,000 years before the invention of the sewing machine. This combination makes it possible to have different kinds growing on 1 tree.

With this system, you get three great benefits: Space economy will allow city gardeners to have several fruit trees in small yards. Diseases will be resisted by means of the strong rootstocks used to protect the weaker varieties. Fruit quality assured will ensure that the same fruit is produced as that on the parent stem.

Please keep it simple when you start grafting. My first graft was an unattractive apple branch, but it grew. Work on the cuts and have patience; you'll get it one day. Just like those early keepers of Chinese orchard trees, you'll figure it out.

Disinfect all tools before grafting with isopropyl alcohol wipes. I keep a jar handy in my shop because contaminated knives spread diseases faster than you think. Clean knives and pruners will guarantee healthy unions with your fruit trees.

Choose the scions carefully. Select pencil-thick branches that each have 3 to 5 healthy buds, and cut them to a length of 12 to 18 inches. Place the scions in the refrigerator at 34 to 38°F (1 to 3°C), wrapped in damp paper towels, until the grafting day. This will retain their vitality.

Timing is of the utmost importance. Observe for bud swell in early spring. You can also test the bark by making a small cut to see how easily it slips. If it slips easily, it is time for summer grafting. I have missed this signal once before, and as a consequence, lost an entire batch of pear grafts.

Organize your job site like a surgeon, sterilize tools, graft tape, pre-cut graft tape, and wax. Everything has to be in its proper place, so when sap flow starts, you won't flare up. Things proceed efficiently, and every second counts in this process.

Select whip or tongue grafting or cleft grafting, depending upon the size of the branch. When using whip grafting, endeavor to match the sizes closely, as with a scion of an apple of similar size to that of the stock. Cleft grafting is necessary again when small scions are used on large trunks, as is the case with varieties of the plum.

Bark grafting requires active sap flow, so I perform it early in the spring, when the trees are just starting to wake up. If you make a nick in the bark and see moisture, it's time to proceed. If the bark does not yield moisture, wait. I learned this through three unsuccessful grafts on the cherry tree.

Budding uses a single bud instead of a twig, which is especially useful when the variety to be propagated is rare and the material is restricted. The thickness of the bud is cut with a slice of wood behind it. My Meyer lemon plant originated from a single precious bud given to me by a friend.

The most crucial part of any method is the cambium alignment. The green layer under the bark must be exactly lined up, as if it were a puzzle piece. If it were even one millimeter misaligned, it would fail. I now use magnifying glasses to achieve better cambium alignment after having failed with grafts that were done with misalignment.

Water newly grafted trees carefully. Keep the soil moist, like a wrung-out sponge, for the first month. Grafted trees are better able to withstand dry conditions when established. I killed a prized apple graft due to excessive watering, given its shallow roots. Examine the top 2 inches of soil first before watering.

The time needed for staking varies. Fasten whip grafts for 6-8 weeks until the cambium layer has united. Cleft grafts would require 12 or more weeks of support. Remove the ties when strong shoot growth is apparent. A long-continued tethering of the graft may kill the vascular flow of my plum tree.

Expect to see bud development in three to six weeks. If the buds swell, the graft is a success. If nothing happens after eight weeks, expect trouble. My peach graft showed signs of life on the twenty-second day. Patience here is better than constantly disturbing the union.

Detect failures early. Shriveled scions mean dry or diseased. Delayed bud break indicates poor contact between the cambium. I saved a failing cherry graft by rewrapping it in short order. Act quickly if you see blackened wood or cracked bark.

For successful multiple grafting, it is advisable to group compatible varieties according to genus. Thus, Prunus is the genus that represents stone fruits, such as peaches and plums. Malus is the genus for apples. If a wide variety of plants is attempted, such as citrus fruits and nuts, the results are not good. My tree, with five varieties of plums, however, is doing admirably because I conformed to the rules mentioned earlier.

If you space your scions 6-12 inches apart on branches, you will obtain better results than if you crowd them. Stone fruits should be about 6-8 inches apart, and apples 10-12 inches apart. Crowding causes weak unions. I lost two pear grafts on my first attempt at multigrafted trees because I placed them too close together.

Each year, prune the dominant strains to ensure even growth. Each year, the vigorous shoots are cut back one-third during the spring. The weaker species need nothing more than light pruning to keep them in condition for bearing. My apricot was growing monopolistically on my plums until I started this corrective means of pruning three years ago.

Rootstocks should be judiciously selected to ensure stability. Dwarf rootstocks limit total growth but need permanent support. Robust kinds hold better to their multiple grafts, which would be responsible for the ultimate success of the tree. My semi-dwarf apple rootstock supports four varieties without any staking after five years of growth.

Dwarf rootstocks control tree height by hormone suppression. M.9 and Bud 9 will regulate tree height to 8-10 feet tall. This allows for harvesting without the need for ladders. My backyard orchard is manageable by using rootstocks in limited space.

Rootstocks assist vulnerable scions in transferring resistance to diseases. Fireblight-resistant types protect susceptible apples. Nematode-resistant varieties protect stone fruits. I saved my peach trees by grafting them onto Guardian rootstock after soil tests showed pest problems in the soil.

Select rootstocks based on the nature of your soil. Sandy soils will require drought-tolerant MM.111. Clay soils will require rootstocks like M.7 that will tolerate wet feet. My heavy clay garden suffered three grafts until I changed to the appropriate rootstock.

Differences in precocity govern harvest. Dwarfing stocks yield fruit in 2-3 years, while vigorous ones take 5-7 years. However, they provide higher yields and continue to produce for a longer period, offering immediate results, as seen with my citrus on the patio, which is supported by dwarfing stocks. For the generating tree, use vigorous stocks.

Grafting turns small gardens into productive ones. You can grow many kinds from one tree. My little yard in the city produces six types of fruit by grafting. This increases the utility of every square foot in the growing area in an efficient manner.

Skill comes from practice and not from natural ability. Use the whip-and-tongue method first. My first graft initially looked crooked, but it eventually produced fruit. You must make good, clean cuts at the proper angles. The more you attempt this method of grafting, the more skilled you will become, just as I have been during the past three seasons.

The use of multi-variety trees extends harvests and increases biodiversity. One apple tree gives me early and late fruits. This is also a useful tool for crop failure. When one variety suffers, other types will thrive, ensuring a consistent fruit crop throughout the year.

Feel free to experiment with grafting. Start with basic techniques with robust varieties. Record your work like I did in my garden journal. Each graft will provide you with additional knowledge regarding plant relationships and resilience.