Graft fruit trees perhaps the most exciting and exciting activity of all garden work. In addition to practical benefits, it brings inexplicable joy and the opportunity to feel like a creator. The matter is quite simple. It is enough to learn a number of rules and master a few tricks.
Grafting of trees is a method of their vegetative breeding, by merging scion and rootstock. A graft is a part of a cultivated varietal plant used for grafting - a stalk or a kidney (eye). A rootstock is a seedling or mature tree that is grafted onto. A grafting site on a rootstock tree can be a branch, trunk, or even a remaining viable stump. Advantage vegetative propagation is that all the characteristics of the variety are fully preserved. In addition, grafting is often the only way to propagate a particular culture.
Why graft fruit trees?
Up to 40 vaccinations are allowed on one tree. More often limited to 5-8. Thus, it is possible to get fruits on one tree different varieties. If you plant several trees, observing the required interval of at least 3 meters, then this will take up a significant area. Thanks to the grafting of fruit trees, the territory of the site is used more rationally, and the vacated space can be allocated for a flower garden, a green lawn or a recreation area. Vaccination reduces the time of onset of the first fruiting. On a young seedling, fruits will appear only for 3-4 years, while grafted branches will give a harvest the next summer. Southern varieties of plums, cherries and apricots do not tolerate harsh winters. Grafting on a more hardy stock allows the southern plant to adapt to adverse climatic conditions. Many varieties of cherries give powerful growth, which is very difficult to fight. You can solve this problem by grafting a cherry on a plum. And, finally, the cost of grafted cuttings is several times less than seedlings, and if neighbors in the country share grafting material, then the grafting will cost generally free of charge.
Only related plants can be grafted, stone fruits are compatible with stone fruits, pome fruits with pome fruits. Stone fruits include: plum, cherry, apricot. For pome fruits, apple, pear, hawthorn, shadberry.
Tools needed for plum grafting
- A special grafting knife sharpened like a razor.
- Special elastic winding (grafting) tape or electrical tape, adhesive tape, strips cut from a dense plastic bag, bast.
- Secateurs.
- Garden pitch, plasticine, window putty or oil paint are also suitable.
- Clean rag.
- Polythene bags, string.
The main stages of vaccination
- Harvesting and storage of scion shoots.
- Selection and preparation of stock.
- Cutting cuttings from graft shoots and cutting.
- Vaccination in the most appropriate way.
- Tying the vaccination site.
- Control over the survival rate of the cutting and care for the grafted tree.
How to prepare cuttings
Cuttings can be purchased from experienced gardeners, or you can make your own.
Several rules for harvesting and storing shoots of the future scion.
For winter and spring vaccinations, shoots are cut late autumn after the leaves fall, before the onset of frost. If the winter was mild, graft shoots are also harvested in early spring until the buds swell.
One-year-old, well-ripened shoots on healthy fruit-bearing trees from the upper or middle part of the crown are subject to cutting. One-year growth is very easy to determine - this is the final branch to the first branch. Select graft shoots with a length of at least 40 cm with well-developed growth buds. The so-called tops, abundant long shoots directed steeply upwards, are not suitable for copulation. Shoots that are more than a year old are also not suitable.
During autumn harvesting, the shoots are stored in the garden, sprinkled with earth, or in the basement in wet sand. If graft shoots are cut in early spring, then they are wrapped in plastic bag, to avoid drying and reducing turgor, and buried in a snowdrift. If the snow has already melted, then the twigs are stored in the refrigerator, in a container for vegetables.
It is important to have time to cut and properly preserve the graft material, so that until the vaccination itself, the shoots remain fresh with unopened buds, that is, they remain at rest.
How to prepare stock for grafting
tree pruning -preparatory stage before vaccination. Pruning is recommended on the day of vaccination so that the sections do not dry out. Large branches are shortened with a hacksaw and the cuts are trimmed with a sharp knife. On thick branches with a large cut section, up to 3-4 cuttings are grafted, with a smaller one or two is enough.
For plum grafting, it is better to use a tree no older than 10 years. Wipe the selected grafting site with a clean, damp cloth. At the end of the stock, on the side opposite to the cut, a bud is left, which will attract nutritious juices to the junction of the scion and stock.
How to prepare a graft for vaccination
Cuttings are cut from graft shoots immediately before grafting. Cleanliness should be observed: before cutting into cuttings, the graft shoot is wiped with a damp cloth, cleaned of lime, dirt, cobwebs. Do not touch the cut on the handle with your fingers to prevent infection, which negatively affects the healing of the vaccine. Only the middle segment is selected as a scion cutting. It is the middle part of the shoot that has the greatest survival rate. Long grafts have less growth strength, so no more than 3-4 buds are left on the handle. Grafting cuttings require very careful preparation. Departing from the lower end of the handle about 3 cm, an oblique cut is made.
On the cutting cutting, the lower kidney should be at the level of the upper part of the cut from the opposite side.
How to cut a cutting
The correct cut is the key to a successful vaccination. In order for the cut on the varietal cutting to be successful, you should practice on wild branches. The cut is made in one movement in the lower part of the cutting, obliquely, stepping back from the end of 2-3 cm. You should try to make the surface of the cut and the rootstock and the scion turn out to be smooth, even, of the same length. The larger the cut surface on the cutting cutting, the higher the survival rate.
The graft and rootstock sections are connected so that the cambium, the so-called thin layer of tissue that separates the bark and wood, coincides most accurately. If the cut of the rootstock is wider, then the graft cutting is applied, aligning the cambium at least from one edge.
tree grafting
There are about 150 types of tree grafting. Choose the most suitable way. Some types of vaccination (in the butt, in the split) are carried out before the onset of sap flow, others (for the bark), as soon as sap flow begins.
How to make a vaccination harness
With any method of grafting, the cuttings are tightly tied with strips of various synthetic and natural materials. Tying the grafting site is necessary both to fix the scion and stock, in order to avoid their displacement, and to protect the sections from drying out. The stalk is tightly tied to a branch using ribbons 4-5 cm wide, cut from a polyethylene or PVC film. Many gardeners successfully use ordinary electrical tape, adhesive tape or adhesive tape. Dressings with an adhesive surface should be facing the sticky side out. The stalk is wrapped from the bottom up to the combined cuts of the scion and stock, capturing half of the previous turn.
The lower kidney of the cutting is left outside. Sometimes bast is used as a strapping agent. The strapping with a bast is made rare in order to enable the scion and rootstock branches to thicken due to the gaps between the turns. They begin to tightly wrap the junction of the scion with the stock from the middle part of the cut up, then go down and fix it with a knot. After tying the grafting, the cut ends of the branches are treated with garden pitch, plasticine, window putty or oil paint. Care should be taken to ensure that the dressing does not get into the wound.
To protect the ends of the cuttings and branches from the scorching sun, some gardeners put on plastic or paper bags over the vaccinations and tie them with a rope. Their size should be 10-15 cm longer than the handle. Thanks to this shelter, a humid microclimate is maintained, which contributes to better grafting and obtaining a good result.
What should be the care of the tree after vaccination
After three weeks, you can already evaluate the result of the vaccination. If the scion did not dry out, and a callus appeared at the junction of the scion with the rootstock - an outgrowth formed as a result of wound healing, then the tree was grafted successfully. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the bandage so that it does not squeeze the bark of the tree and loosen it from time to time.
The strapping is usually loosened by mid-July after the vaccination has completely healed. Bast on the stock with reverse side cut a little from the cut with a knife. When leaves appear on the handle, remove the plastic bag. The time of removal of the strapping is determined by the intensity of growth of the grafted cutting. If the cut surface is small and there is a strong growth of the scion, the strapping material is removed after 2-3 weeks. With a large cut section, the strapping tape is removed only the next year, in the spring. If all the buds of the scion have taken root and started growing, then they leave only required amount shoots. They are tied to a support so that they do not break, and all unnecessary are removed.
As a rule, shoots of stone fruit trees quickly stretch and give a large increase. For uniform crown formation, growing branches must be redirected in different directions. Instead of a support, a spike, sticks, side rails are fitted, setting them above the graft to protect the shoots from the wind and birds. It is preferable to tie branches with twine, grabbing in several places. Periodically, as the shoots grow, the garter is corrected.
In order for the graft shoots on stone fruit trees to complete their growth in a timely manner and have time to mature before the onset of winter, pinch their tops in summer. Pinching helps the plant to better endure the winter and accelerates the onset of fruiting. Strong, straight growths without side branches also need to be pinched back to induce flowering. The tops and shoots that form on the branches of the scion are regularly pruned to avoid thickening the crown and weakening the vaccination.
If a powerful top appears next to it with a graft that has taken root, it is kept in order to bud in the summer. A failed vaccination can be repeated after one year. spring period, by updating the cut on the scion branch by about 10 cm.
The following spring, when the graft has already taken root well, the strapping tape is removed, the thorn is cut off and the wound is treated with a garden pitch or other coating agent. If the inoculation is carried out with several cuttings, the tallest one is left, the secondary shoots are first shortened, and after the wounds have healed, they are completely cut out. On a tree that has undergone significant pruning, auxiliary shoots are not removed, but are bent in different directions and tied up for quick recovery and crown formation. Feeding branches are either removed, cut into a ring, or grafted.
In spring, to stimulate growth, grafted trees are fertilized with nitrogen supplements, and in autumn period to improve winter hardiness - potassium-phosphorus mixtures.
The strapping itself is usually left until next spring, until the scion is finally strong.
Plum grafting on a plum, video
How to graft fruit trees with cuttings (copulation)
They start grafting with a cutting in early spring, with the onset of a thaw, before the onset of sap flow on the stock and swelling of the kidneys. The circulation of juice on the trees of stone fruit crops occurs earlier than pome crops, in connection with this they are in a hurry to graft in the first place, until the buds have blossomed.
Exist different kinds copulation. Copulation (mating) and English copulation (reed mating) are used with an equal section of the rootstock and scion. If the rootstock branch is thicker than the scion cutting, other types of copulation are used: in the butt, in the split, behind the bark. All types of copulation have been successfully practiced for grafting on stone fruit trees.
Copulation method in the butt
Copulation in the butt is well suited for plums, cherries and sweet cherries, since it is carried out before the onset of active sap flow, when the juice does not dry out. The essence of this method is as follows: a scion and a stock of the same diameter are selected and equal oblique cuts up to 3 cm long are made. They are connected together into a butt, then a strap is applied and treated with garden pitch.
English (improved) copulation method
English copulation is used to secure the graft more securely. Parallel to the main cuts of the scion and rootstock, the same incisions (tongues) are additionally made, approximately 3 cm long.
The tongues are brought into contact with each other so that they interlock. Fix with electrical tape, sticky side out, capturing half of the previous turn. The upper end of the cutting and the rootstock branch are smeared with garden pitch. This method of improved copulation is most often used for grafting plums and cherries.
Split method
Secateurs shorten the branch-rootstock of the second order. They split it in the center of the butt with a sharp garden knife, pressing and gently shaking the knife blade, to a depth of about 3-4 cm. At the bottom of the graft cuttings, two opposite oblique cuts of equal length are made. One of the cuts passes near the kidney. The resulting double-sided wedge should match the size of the split on the rootstock. Correcting with a garden knife, the stalk is inserted into the split with a wedge, trying to match the bark of the scion and rootstock at least along one edge. On thick rootstock branches, if the cut diameter allows, two scion cuttings are inserted into the split, also strictly observing the rule that the bark and cambium of the scion and rootstock coincide on the corresponding side. The grafting site is tightly fixed with electrical tape or polyethylene strips. The open ends of the branches are treated with garden pitch to protect open cuts from drying out. When coating, the garden var should not be allowed to get inside the split itself, as this will damage the healing of the graft. The splitting method is universal for any fruit crops.
Method for the bark on the trunk
The grafting site on the trunk is preferable to choose closer to the base of the branch, it contains more nutrients, which means that fusion will occur faster.
The barrel is wiped with a clean, damp cloth. Then a T-shaped incision is made in the cortex.
The formed corners of the cut are carefully bent so as not to injure the wood, and the prepared graft cutting is placed with the cut inward so that the cut is completely buried under the bark.
Method for the bark on a branch or stump
This method is technically simple, accessible even to beginners and is highly effective. It is successfully used on plum, cherry plum, apricot. First, a suitable branch is cut with secateurs and the cut is cleaned with a sharp knife. Further, starting from the butt, on the side along the graft branch, a cut of the bark about 5 cm long is made. A cooked grafted stalk is brought behind the bark, facing the cut to the wood. The grafting site is pressed and tightly wrapped with tape. The open surfaces of the cuts are sealed with garden pitch.
How to inoculate with an eye (budding)
This type of vaccination is recommended in the summer. During the period of circulation of juice through the tree, the bark, when cut, easily peels off from the wood. First of all, and as early as possible, budding is carried out on stone fruit crops: plum, Hungarian plum, cherry, apricot, as their rootstocks soon lose juice. Later, seed crops are grafted.
How to prepare stock for budding
If before budding long time the weather was dry, then the stock tree is watered abundantly to increase the sap content. Two weeks before grafting, they begin to prepare the stock: all side branches are cut out, the trunk is cleaned to a height of about 20 cm. Immediately before budding, the soil is raked from the trunk and wiped with a soft cloth.
How to prepare eye buds for budding
Cuttings with eyes are cut no later than a day before vaccination, and preferably immediately before budding. Carefully select healthy specimens of cultivated breeds with good properties. When choosing a scion, you should carefully examine the plant and take precautions so that as a result of vaccination you do not transfer viral diseases to the stock.
Branches should be facing south and fairly mature. Such branches crackle when bent. Leaves are immediately removed from the graft shoot to avoid evaporation of moisture and drying of the buds-eyes. Only petioles 1 cm long are left. The graft prepared in this way is wrapped in a clean, damp cloth and put in a plastic bag. Before vaccination, the graft material is stored in a dark, cool place: a cellar or a refrigerator.
Shield grafting
Begin budding with a shield by cutting out an eye. In the middle of the scion cutting, the buds-eyes are most developed. The stalk is held with the left hand, turning the tip towards you. Then, stepping back from the kidney-eye by about 1.5 cm, put a sharp knife, preferably budding, to the handle. By moving towards themselves, a shield of bark with an eye about 3.5 cm long is cut out, trying to leave less wood on the shield.
It is more difficult to extract the peephole from wood with pronounced layering. Sometimes it is better not to cut it, but to pick it out. Remove the peephole, being careful to save the cone.
On a rootstock tree, from the northwest, a site is selected with smooth surface trunk and cut the bark with the letter T: first, a 1 cm transverse line, after which a longitudinal incision 3 cm long is made.
The bark on the rootstock is carefully spread with a knife, a shield is inserted behind it so that the eye is 1 cm below the transverse incision. The place of budding is firmly pressed, and part of the shield above the transverse incision is removed with a knife. When budding, it is important to avoid touching the section with your fingers. Grafting in the direction from the bottom up is tightly wrapped with electrical tape or bast. In order for the strapping to hold well and be securely fastened, the short end of the tape is tucked under the long one and fixed with the first turn.
After budding, the soil is again scooped up to the rootstock tree trunk to the very eye for better healing of the graft and protection from pests.
To prevent birds from landing, a shoot bent by an arc is fixed on the branch with the graft, or two sticks are simply tied above the graft.
Apical bud grafting
Budding with apical buds is sometimes used on stone fruits. Apical buds are usually deciduous. Under the very apical bud, the shoot is cut off in the same way as copulation and inserted into an incision on the rootstock bark, made in the form of the letter T. The place of budding is tightly tied.
Budding according to the Forkert method
This type of budding is recommended when there is insufficient juice content in stone fruit crops. The technique of the Forkert method is as follows: a reed incision is made on the bark of a rootstock tree, pressing with a knife from top to bottom. The length and width of the prepared shield with an eye and the incision on the rootstock should be equal. Next, the tongue of the bark is cut in half, after which a shield is inserted behind it. At the end, a tight bandage is applied.
What should be the care of the tree after budding
Two weeks later, the condition of the grafting-budding is checked. If the leaf petiole of the scion easily falls off when touched, it can be considered that the graft has succeeded. At the same time, the shield should remain fresh, with a shiny surface, and the size of the engrafted kidney should increase slightly. If the petiole does not fall off, then the grafting was unsuccessful, and the budding is repeated if the stock has a sufficient juice content. Re-budding is carried out on the reverse side of the trunk.
Three weeks after budding, the bast is cut away from the eye and removed so that it does not squeeze the bark of a growing tree. The vinyl chloride tape loosens spontaneously and does not cause much harm to the tree.
In late autumn, a grafted tree (especially apricot and peach) is spudded to protect the eye from freezing.
In spring, rootstocks with established buds must be pruned. During the growing season, new branches that have grown below the graft are also removed. In autumn, the shields are also removed, and the sections are treated with garden pitch.
On rootstocks with dried or frozen eyes, budding is done again. Re-budding is performed on the trunk on the reverse side of the unattached kidney.
What is the difference between grafting on stone fruit trees
Spring grafting of stone fruit crops is distinguished by some features that must be taken into account in order to avoid negative consequences. First of all, you need to take care of the compatibility of the plants used for grafting, otherwise, even with a normal survival rate, they will grow poorly and may eventually die. Sap flow in stone fruit trees awakens somewhat earlier than in pome trees, but for a shorter time. Therefore, the first step is to graft plums, cherries, apricots and other stone fruits in order to be in time before swelling and bud break. Late grafting causes intense gum disease and weakens the tree. Among other things, in stone fruits during bud germination and active sap flow, the juice that has come out on the wound surface immediately dries up. A film is formed that prevents the infection of the vaccine. This feature is expressed in cherries and sweet cherries. To avoid drying of the juice and the appearance of a film, cut cuttings are placed in a 1% sugar solution.
Representatives of stone fruit crops are mostly short-lived and not very frost-resistant. Young, healthy, strong trees are chosen for grafting. Carefully inspect so that there is no damage and gum bleeding. It is advisable to plant cherries and plums at the age of no more than 10 years, apricots - no more than 15 years. In the first decade, the trees develop intensively, the crown grows quickly, so all vaccinations can be done in one year. Older trees are grafted in two passes - half of the branches in the first year, the rest in the next year. Regraft the entire tree or just part of it. One tree can serve as a stock for several different varieties, provided that the ripening times do not differ too much. Cuttings used for grafting stone fruits are harvested only with healthy trees, with light wood on the cut. Annual shoots are cut at the top and in the middle of the crown on the sunny side. For grafting stone fruits, rather long shoots are cut, at least 40 cm, with developed growth buds. On such branches, flower buds are less often laid, which are not needed for the scion. If, nevertheless, after engraftment, a lot of buds appear on the handle, then they must be removed. After removing the buds, the grafted cuttings develop better. The so-called "blossoms" are more characteristic of early-growing varieties of cherries and are less common on plums. Plums are characterized by mixed buds. Soon, next to the main bud, new shoots begin to develop, of which they retain one of the strongest, and pinch all the secondary ones. 
Revaccinated fruit trees V Lately, as they say, in the trend. A tree-garden with multi-colored juicy fruits is a real miracle created by nature and human hands. One has only to try to make at least one vaccination, and it will be impossible to stop.
Grafting is a method of propagation of a fruit tree, which occurs with the help of artificial connection of plant parts. Because what can be grafted onto a plum will depend taste qualities, fruit size and yield. Usually stone fruit trees are chosen as a scion for this crop.
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What is tree grafting and why is it needed?
Grafting for a tree is a way to get an improved version of a fruit crop endowed with positive qualities grafted plant.
The grafting material is the following parts of the plant that are attached to the tree:
- stem;
- root;
- leaf;
- flower;
- bud;
- fetus.
In the case when a plant part is planted on a fruit tree, the graft will be called a graft. And the fruit crop on which the manipulations are carried out is called the rootstock. Most often, the scion and stock are spliced with each other exactly along the cambial layer, that is, along the growth rings of wood formed during the growth process.
Trees are grafted to:
- bring the fruiting period closer;
- increase the yield;
- to make the tree capable of fruiting;
- improve the taste characteristics of fruits;
- ennoble a fruit tree;
- strengthen the health and increase the immunity of the plant in the cultivated strip.
When to plant a plum?
You can graft a tree:
- spring;
- in summer;
- autumn.
The best time for grafting plum crops is the first spring months - March and April. During this period, the internal juices of the tree are activated, the process of swelling of the kidneys begins. Grafting under such conditions proceeds faster and is safer for the plant. The summer procedure is usually a re-vegetation. If the spring grafting of the plum failed, then in June-July you can do it again.
Autumn vaccination runs the risk of falling under the first frost and not taking root. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant plums in September and October.
Vaccination methods
There are several ways to graft a plum:
- copulation;
- budding;
- in a split;
- for the bark;
- into the side cut;
- bridge;
- ablactation.
Copulation
Process in Latin means connection. The graft and rootstock are adjusted to each other so that the bases of the cuttings fit snugly against each other.
Copying happens:
- simple;
- improved.
Scheme of simple and improved plum copulation
Advantages of copying:
- the scion takes root well;
- you can connect thin cuttings from 3 to 15 mm.
Disadvantages of copying:
- high risk of scion joint displacement;
- when voids occur between the cuttings, mold appears;
- it is necessary to connect the cambial layers between the scion and the stock;
- requires skill, attentiveness and a good eye.
The video from ulybays shows simple and improved tree copulation.
Simple
Copulation in a simple way happens in the following sequence:
- Cut the rootstock and scion at an angle of 45° and 4 cm in diameter.
- Attach the cuttings to each other as tightly as possible.
- Wrap the grafting site tightly and cover it with garden pitch (putty for the speedy healing of wounds and cuts of fruit trees).
improved
Copulation in an improved way is to create equal notches on the scion and rootstock and occurs according to the following technology:
- Cut equal splits on the cuttings.
- Connect the splits to create a single whole.
- Wrap the vaccination site and cover with var.
Budding
To graft a plum by budding means to implant a bud into a tree branch.
Benefits of budding:
- there is no mandatory deadline for vaccination (spring-summer);
- grafting is easy to perform even for an inexperienced gardener;
The disadvantage of budding is that grafting is unsuitable for mature trees.
The video shows the process of budding plums to cherry plum. Photographed by Nikolai Pomilyaiko.
Action algorithm
Budding consists of the following stages of work:
- On a branch of a donor tree, a bud is carefully cut off along with the wood around it.
- A healthy branch is selected on the plum and 3-4 cm of the bark is cut with a knife.
- The kidney is applied to the incision and tightly wrapped with electrical tape.
Scheme of plum budding
In split
To graft a plum into a split is to implant donor cuttings into a split tree trunk.
Advantages of split grafting:
- scion cuttings are securely fixed in the slot;
- high degree of engraftment;
- you can use a scion of any diameter.
Disadvantages of cleft grafting:
- it is possible to plant a fruit crop only in spring (March-early April);
- the method is not suitable for young and thin trees;
- it is necessary to connect the cambial layers between the scion and the rootstock.
Plum cleft grafting is demonstrated by the SAOS + channel about everything.
Action algorithm
Split grafting sequence:
- Select a branch of wood and saw off about 50 cm from the base.
- Chop it in the middle with an ax 3-4 cm deep.
- Sharpen cuttings for a scion from 3 to 10 cm long with an ax or a knife.
- Drive the scion into the split with a hammer and wrap it tightly with electrical tape.
- Spread the splitting place with garden pitch and put on protective polyethylene.
Split grafting scheme
For the bark
To graft for the bark is to deepen the stalk of a donor fruit tree by the bark of the rootstock.
Benefits of bark grafting:
- the graft is obtained for the growth of the fruit tree;
- you can grow several grafts into one branch.
Disadvantage of grafting over the bark:
- unreliable hitch;
- there is a risk of non-survival of the scion.
Bark grafting was demonstrated by Alyona Priest.
Action algorithm
The sequence of grafting a tree using the bark method:
- Cut down a plum knot for rootstock.
- Cut the bark 4-5 cm and turn it outward.
- Sharpen the end of the rootstock with a knife at 45 ° and carefully drive it behind the bark.
- Fix the inoculation with electrical tape.
Bark Grafting Scheme
Into the side cut
The grafting of plums into the side cut is carried out to form the crown of the fruit tree.
Benefits of side cut grafting:
- manipulation is not tied to one season (spring-summer);
- no need to connect the cambial layers between scion and rootstock.
Disadvantages of side cut grafting:
- not suitable for thin young branches of a fruit tree;
Grafting in the lateral incision is presented by Oleg Zanedinov.
Action algorithm
The sequence of grafting a plum into a side cut:
- Choose a healthy, sturdy plum branch.
- Stepping back 20 cm from the base of the branch, make a cut with a knife deep into the woody part.
- Insert the scion into the resulting opening and tighten with twine.
Grafting in the side cut
bridge
Grafting a plum tree with a bridge is the main way to save a fruit tree from the effects of rodents.
Removing buds on a scion is a feature of bridge grafting. Manipulation is carried out to set the direction of growth of the cutting.
Benefits of bridge grafting:
- no need to connect the cambial layers between the scion and rootstock;
- grafting can reanimate both young and mature trees.
Disadvantages of bridge vaccination:
- difficult to perform;
- tied to the time of the holding (after the start of the growing season);
- scion of any diameter cannot be used.
Bridge grafting demonstrated by user Mikhail Chertok.
Action algorithm
The sequence of grafting a plum with a bridge:
- Clean the damaged area of the trunk from the remnants of bark and dirt.
- Prepare a scion one and a half times longer than the lesion.
- Sharpen the ends of the scion with a knife and remove the buds from them.
- Make incisions at the top and bottom of the rootstock just above the wound.
- Alternately squeeze the branches of the scion and fix it with a tourniquet and electrical tape.
- Coat the wound with var and wrap with polyethylene.
Bridge Grafting Scheme
Ablactation
The method of grafting by ablactation is the splicing of a scion and a rootstock.
Ablactation advantages:
- it is possible to reanimate even a heavily affected tree;
- vaccination is easy to perform;
- vaccination is not tied to a specific time of the year (spring-autumn).
The disadvantage of ablactation is that it is necessary to connect the cambial layers between the scion and the rootstock.
The process of ablactation is presented on the video by the user Vladislav Kompaniets.
Action algorithm
Ablactation sequence:
- Choose approximately the same branches or trunks of the scion and rootstock.
- Cut off notches on them with a diameter of 5-6 cm.
- Lean the notches close to each other, trying to connect the cambial layers of the branches.
- Tie tightly with a tourniquet, cover with garden pitch.
- Wrap the vaccination site with rags and polyethylene.
- After 4–6 months, untie the grafting site and cut off the grown donor shoots.
Scheme of grafting by ablactation
Before you carry out plum grafting activities, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules and recommendations:
- when grafting a fruit tree, you need to use a special tool - a grafting pruner;
- the grafting site is best covered with a self-destructing tape that allows air to pass through and does not pinch the branches;
- all manipulations must be sterile, and at the end of the work, the incision sites are smeared with garden pitch;
- it is better to grow the scion near the stem of the tree - parts of the trunk from the root to the first branch;
- in pursuit of an even cambial layer of the cutting, it is important not to overdo it so as not to reduce the scion to a poorly acclimatized critical size;
- the layers of the cambium must match;
- the scion is grown only on fresh cuts of the stock;
- vaccination should not be done on the south side of the tree - in order to avoid direct sunlight;
- the best time for vaccination is a clear early morning with air humidity above 60%.
What can be grafted onto a plum tree?
On a plum you can graft:
- cherry;
- apricot;
- cherry plum;
- peach.
The listed trees are stone fruit crops, they can give the plum not only a diverse range of flavors, but also resistance to climatic conditions:
- Apricot and peach do well on plum trees growing in acidic soil. The place of the stock is chosen above 30 cm from the base of the tree, usually these are strong skeletal branches of the fruit crop.
- Grafting cherry plum will prevent pest control. This culture is resistant to diseases and temperature extremes.
- A graft of cherry on a plum will provide a fruit crop with drought resistance and frost resistance. It is recommended to use the Bessei sand cherry variety. They try to grow to the root of the plum.
It is worth remembering that the southern varieties of fruit trees will be difficult to take root in middle lane. At the first thaw, the southern culture begins to actively breathe with its roots, which leads to warming of the root collar and death of the tree during unexpected frosts. Therefore, it is better to choose cuttings from neighboring regions as a scion.
A plum tree can be grafted onto a different variety of lilac tree. Such a common manipulation allows the crop to bear fruit and improves the quality of the crop.
The best varieties of grafts are:
- VVA-1 - a hybrid of cherries with cherry plums;
- OP-23-23 - semi-dwarf hybrid for plum, cherry plum, cherry and peach;
- Druzhba - low growth rootstock for cherry plum and apricot;
- Eureka-99 - rootstock with medium height for plum, peach and cherry;
- AP-1 - rootstock with strong growth for plum, peach and apricot grafts;
- VSV - semi-dwarf undersized rootstock for plum, cherry plum and peach.
Features of the choice of scion and rootstock
Vaccination is comparable to surgery. Therefore, cuttings and fruit trees before such manipulation are carefully examined and studied for the absence of diseases and pests.
If the scion and stock are healthy, then use the following recommendations:
- the scion must be dormant and green;
- the stalk for grafting should be easily bent, which indicates its high viability;
- the recommended length of the scion is from 30 to 40 cm;
- the optimal cutting diameter for grafting varies from 0.7 to 10 cm;
- in the evening before grafting, the graft cut is renewed and the stalk is lowered into the preparation with a growth accelerator;
- for grafting, the stock must wake up and activate sap flow in the bark;
- you can check the readiness of the rootstock by lightly incising the bark and viewing the cambial layer, which should be green.
Tree care after grafting
In order for the cutting to take root and the grafting to be successful, after the manipulation, it is necessary to continue caring for the tree.
Caring for a fruit tree after grafting includes:
- the place of cuts is closed and insulated with a film;
- voids and stumps are covered with pitch or paint for trees;
- in the middle of summer, a constriction in the form of a ribbon or twine is untied on a tree;
- excessive inflorescences are cut off on the accustomed branch, leaving 2–3 experimental flowers;
- in spring, grafted trees are fed with nitrogenous fertilizers that stimulate growth;
- before autumn hibernation, the grafted culture is watered with phosphorus and potassium preparations to enhance the winter hardiness of the tree.
The accustomed vaccination will make itself felt by releasing leaves and flowers.
Plum is one of the most popular crops. But often the quality of the grown fruits leaves much to be desired: they may be too small, or aphids eat the plum, which causes the entire ovary to fall off. It happens that the variety is completely resistant to pests, and all fruits are destroyed by sawflies with codling moth.
If your plum tree is naughty every year, does not bear fruit, is affected by pests, then you have several options: cut down the tree and plant a variety that is more resistant to adverse conditions, or re-graft the seedlings with a new variety.
Grafting is the perfect way to improve a tree. Firstly, such trees come into fruition earlier than planted new seedlings. Secondly, after looking at the fruits of the neighbors, you know what you are getting. In addition, grafting allows you to rejuvenate the tree and increase its resistance to diseases and pests without spraying and fertilizing.
It is best to graft a plum onto a plum. A plum grafted on an apricot takes root well, grows powerfully and even begins to bear fruit, but breaks off at the place of grafting in the fourth or fifth year. There is an incompatibility of cultures.
WHAT TO VACCINE FROM
It is important to take vaccinations correct cuttings. They should be from shoots located at the top of the crown. And it is best to take the middle part of the shoots for cuttings - there are the most complete buds.
Biologists say that the plum was obtained by crossing cherry plum and blackthorn. This is confirmed by practice - a plum grafted onto a cherry plum turns out to be durable and bears abundant fruit. But it will not be possible to combine a plum with cherries or cherries - the vaccinations will die or break off after a short growth.
CHOOSE THE METHOD OF VACCINATION
Which vaccination to choose depends on the time of its implementation. In the spring, it is best to plant a cutting. Moreover, it is best to place two or four cuttings on one cut: at least one of them will probably take root. Cuttings are grafted into a split or, even simpler, behind the bark.
In July-August, it is best to graft a plum with a bud. To do this, they are grafted by grafting into a T-shaped incision or into the butt, cutting off a piece of bark from the shoot and wrapping a shield of bark with a kidney in its place.
THE MOST POPULAR VACCINATION METHODS:
Split grafting: when the rootstock is three to four times the diameter of the graft. In this case, the stock is split in half with a knife or an ax, and cuttings sharpened with a knife into a wedge are inserted into it from both sides. It is important to combine the cuttings with cambial layers on one side.
Kidney grafting: a T-shaped incision is made on the rootstock. The bark is moved apart with a knife and a shield with a kidney is inserted into it, tearing off all the leaves from it, but leaving the petiole for the convenience of grafting. The method is very simple and gives excellent results.
Grafting with a cutting over the bark: a branch is cut down and bark cuts are made on the stock in two opposite sides, cuttings with oblique cuts are inserted into them. Everything is tightened with electrical tape and smeared with garden pitch. This is the simplest and effective way vaccinations.
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Breeders usually deal with issues of grafting one tree onto another. Although ordinary gardeners sometimes set out to do this in their garden. And then questions begin to arise - what can be grafted onto, what cuttings will subsequently give a full-fledged plant with fruits, because without this the whole idea does not make sense.
Undoubtedly, like on like takes root best of all - an apple tree on an apple tree, a pear on a pear, and so on. But sometimes we go further and want to try to graft, say, on a plum, something from a completely different species. And we begin to wonder if it is possible to plant an apple tree, cherry or peach on a plum tree. Well, let's find out about it together.
Which fruit tree cuttings can be grafted onto a plum tree?
If you decide to try difficult gardening, you first need to know for sure what can be grafted onto a plum tree. Cross-species grafting is, of course, rather risky, but if done correctly, interesting results can be achieved.
Here is a list of crops that can become plum grafts:
- felt cherry;
- apricot;
- peach.
As you can see, this is all stone fruits. For them, the plum is sometimes saving, because it tolerates frost well, can take root in any, even swampy, soils.
The easiest way is plum grafting. This can come in handy if you have acidic soil in your area. In this case, you can grow an apricot on a stock of plums or cherry plums. Usually grown in this way apricot feels pretty good. There is practically no build-up, which indicates excellent tissue compatibility.
When is the best time to vaccinate?
The time factor for this procedure is very important. Each season has its own fundamental features. It is believed that best time for grafting is spring. During this period, the circulation of juice is very active and with close contact 
scion and rootstock, excellent growth will be ensured.
In the summer, vaccinations are carried out only if the spring one fails and a second attempt is required. There is a chance that before the onset of winter and cold weather, the cuttings will have time to take root and get stronger.
In the fall, vaccination should be done especially carefully, since sudden frosts can destroy the grafted stalk and prevent it from taking root.
In addition, gardeners are usually guided lunar calendar, which has recommendations on the compatibility of different phases of the moon and ongoing manipulations with plants.
Known for its resistance to diseases, pests and weather conditions, cherry plum is widely used by gardeners for grafting on plums. This method allows not only to save space and grow two trees on one tree. different types fruits, but also significantly increase the yield, as well as improve the overall performance.
So, often, instead of the large-fruited plum promised by the seller, an unsightly tree with small fruits grows, which, moreover, can also get sick. It is a pity to dig it out, and why? If you graft cherry plum onto the remaining healthy plum branches, next year you can enjoy delicious fruits, and in a few seasons a bountiful harvest will be provided.
It is best to vaccinate in early spring, before the buds open on the trees. You can graft several varieties of cherry plum on one plum at once, which will increase the yield.
Rootstock selection and preparation
For a stock, choose a young one at the age of 4-5 years with a trunk thickness of at least 4 cm. It is worth considering that the older the stock is, the harder it will be for the graft to take root.
Find a healthy, undamaged branch on the tree and, using a sharp pruner or file, remove more than half of the young shoot. Clean the edges of the cut with a clerical knife. In the middle of the cleaned hemp, make a deep longitudinal incision (up to 5 cm). The rootstock is ready.
Scion selection and preparation
On the sunny side of the outer part of the crown, from its middle tier, select and cut out a one-year-old healthy shoot. It must have already matured wood.
Cut off the top and prepare a stalk 15 cm long. Cut the lower part of the shank on both sides with a knife to make a wedge.
For cuttings, it is better to use the middle part of the shoot.
How to graft a cherry plum into a split?
Now you can proceed directly to the vaccination:
- Firmly insert the wedge-graft into the split (longitudinal incision) on the drain.
- Seal the edges of the grafting site with garden pitch.
- Wrap the graft tightly with garden pitch.
- Put a plastic bag on the grafted stalk, pulling its ends with electrical tape under the graft. It will protect from the bright sun and retain moisture.
So that moisture does not evaporate from the cut at the top of the scion, it must also be covered with garden pitch.
