If you want to graft your apple tree, you don't have to be a professional. With a bit of know-how and the right instructions, you too can refine your apple tree.
Most gardens have at least one apple tree. No wonder, apples are among the most popular fruits in Germany. It's only annoying when the apple tree only produces small and not particularly tasty fruits.
Planting a new apple tree is one possibility, but requires patience until the first harvest. But if you don't want to wait so long for your sweet, crunchy apples from your own garden, you can also graft your apple tree with other apple varieties. With the right approach, you'll soon have other apples in your garden to enjoy.
There are several ways of improvement - oculation and copulation. The simplest method here is copulation and you can find detailed instructions for this here.
Apple tree grafting with the copulation method
➤ What you need for this
- a scion
- a base on which the shoot is placed
- Copulation Knife
Note that the grafting of the apple tree only works if the shoots are from the same plant species. For example, an apple tree would not grow on top of a plum tree.
The scion, i.e. the variety that you want to propagate, should have a branch that is at least ten centimeters long and as thick as a pencil. There should also be about four buds on it.
» Caution: Only annual shoots are used.
The base should be at least as thick and have two buds.
➤ The right time
The best time to cut scion is during the winter months - December and January. You can also carry out the refinement immediately afterwards. But you can also wait until spring (March to April). Until then, however, the scion should be stored cool and absolutely frost-free.
» Tip: The twig stays fresh for a long time in damp sand.
Grain apple tree - instructions
❒ Step 1: Padcut in
Here we go. To make a clean cut you need a sharp knife. The best thing here is a special copulating knife (cheap here on Amazon). This allows the cut to be made properly without damaging the branch.
Use the knife to make an oblique cut on the base. This can be up to six centimeters long.
❒ Step 2: Cut the twigs as a counter tongue
Now take the twigs and do exactly the same thing. Cut a counter tongue to match the base so both branches fit squarely on top of each other.
❒ Step 3: Fix the cut
Then place both parts on top of each other and fix the connection with raffia. Finally, coat this spot and the tip of the scion with tree wax.
» Attention!!! The interfaces must not be touched with the fingers.
If the branch sprouts in spring, grafting was successful.