Plant grafting allows you to combine positive traits from different plants in a genus and unite them in one plant.
Grafting makes it much easier to propagate fruit trees or roses than you might think. Grafting is assigned to vegetative propagation. Refining is an ancient method. Without them, many ornamental plants and fruit varieties would not exist today, because not every plant can be automatically propagated by seeds. There are different methods of refinement. These depend on the plant and the season when the grafting is to be carried out. Some common forms of refinement are described in more detail below. This means that hobby gardeners can also use the refinement in their own garden. With a little skill and patience, positive results will not be absent.Why should plants be grafted?
The refinement is used for artificial vegetative propagation. Refinement is often used on roses and fruit plants. Vegetables such as tomatoes or cucumbers can also be refined. Basically, only plants of one genus can be grafted. In a few cases, grafting also works for plant species that are closely related. So roses are grafted on roses and apples only on apples. In the case of medlars or pears, the refinement can take place on the related quince. The quinces are in turn grafted on hawthorn seedlings.
What exactly happens during the refinement?
In simple terms, grafting involves attaching branches from one plant to another plant. The goal is to clone each branch. While the plant characteristics are only inherited in a weakened form during natural reproduction, the positive characteristics can be fully retained and thus increased with professional breeding. The fact that it is a fast method of propagation also speaks for the refinement. Just think how long it would take for a plant grown from seed to grow and form a stable stem.
Note: It is not possible to breed new species using the grafting method.
Nevertheless, different plant properties can be combinedcombine. For example, if the apple tree has ailing roots, it makes sense to place its branches on a sturdy trunk and thus develop a strong plant. The properties of the mother plant can be specifically increased by grafting. Most of the time, this concerns the appearance of ornamental plants or the taste of certain types of fruit and vegetables. However, the growth form of a plant or the color of the foliage can also be passed on.
Tip: When propagating from seeds, most of the properties of the mother plant are lost.
The seeds of one fruit tree or one variety of rose would ultimately produce completely different varieties. The results are often wild forms. Only rarely are higher quality varieties produced than the mother plant.
Tip: Stone fruit plants can be grafted together. This applies to cherries, apricots or plums. Cherries and apples are not usually paired together.
Graft plants - step by step
What is needed?
- Knife
- Dressing Material
- Wound Sealant
- Documents
- Sciones
First of all, you should acquire some basic botanical knowledge and provide yourself with the necessary basic knowledge about the individual finishing methods. Now get a sharp knife ready. Special grafting knives with a one-sided grind are particularly suitable. This simplifies your work. With a little skill, however, the finishing can be carried out with any sharp knife. You can use pruning shears and a hand saw to help. All tools used should be sufficiently sharp. It is important that you make smooth cutting edges so that the plant is not unnecessarily weakened or damaged.
You will also need bandages such as insulating tape, rubber bands or special finishing foils. You will also need finishing wax or a wound closure paste. The be-all and end-all for successful grafting are rootstocks and scions. The base represents the lower part of the plant, i.e. the stem and root area. The scion refers to the upper parts of the plant, i.e. the branches with the later leaves, flowers and fruits.
Processing methods during the dormant period of plants
❶ Copulation - easy grafting of fruit trees
Apple or cherry trees were only grafted by experienced gardeners for a long time, but any hobby gardener can easily copulate them himself. First, scion andpad used. The scion is cut from a one-year-old branch. To do this, first cut off the branch. The scion can then be cut from the middle piece. The pieces of branch you choose should be about the thickness of a pencil and have at least four eyes. The base should ideally have the same dimensions. It is cut on the opposite side of the trunk of an eye, which is located on the bark. The cut should be made at an angle and be about two inches long.
Tip: The intersections of scion and rootstock should fit congruently.
Both parts are placed on top of each other and secured with a bandage. Tree wax is then painted over the connection point. Now it's time to wait. If grafting is successful, scion will sprout again in spring.
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Copulation - step by step
- Find underlay
- Cutting scion
- Put scion and base together
- Combine scion and rootstock
- Spread tree wax
- Wait for budding
❷ Goatfoot grafting - advanced copulation
Once you have successfully copulated, you may be interested in other similar grafting methods during the dormant period of the plants. One of them is the goat's foot refinement, also called lateral pointing. The hobby gardener may already have an idea of what is happening. The principle is similar to copulation. However, a smaller scion is used, which is attached to the base on the side. Cut the scion in winter. The refinement does not have to be carried out immediately. The noble rice can also be kept cool for some time.
First bring the base to the desired height. Use sharp tools and make sure the cutting edges are smooth. A wedge is then cut out laterally from the base. This is the so-called goat's foot. This requires two incisions about three centimeters long. The resulting gap in the base is now filled with scion, which must be cut accordingly. The scion is fitted into the pad and also closed with bandages.
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Goat foot refinement - step by step
- Cutting scions
- Cut underlay
- Cut wedge out of base
- Cut scions accordingly
- Fit scions into wedge
- Close grafting area with bandage material
❸ Okulation - grafting roses and trees in summer
In contrast to copulation, no whole shoots are grafted during oculation, but the focus here is solely on the eyes of the scion. This method can be performed on roses or fruit plants.
Tip: Budding can only be carried out in summer, otherwise the bark cannot be detached from the plants.
The easiest way to do budding is to use a special budding knife. This will cut an eye out of the scion. The length of the noble eye should be about three centimeters for fruit trees and about two centimeters for roses. It is best to leave a petiole on the eye.
Tip: When grafting roses, the noble eyes should be cut off from spent plants.
All side shoots must be removed from the rootstock. In order to be able to use the noble eye, a T-shaped cut must first be made at the relevant point on the pad. The bark on the trunk is carefully removed with a knife. Then the noble eye can be pushed into the resulting gap. Raffia or a similar dressing material can be used for the connection. However, special occlusion closures are also available. After about three weeks you can see whether the refinement was crowned with success. If the petiole detaches from the eye, oculation has been successful.
Refining by oculation - step by step
- Select underlay
- Cut shoot
- Cut out the eye
- Crop Underlay
- Insert noble eye in gap
- Close grafting point
What are the advantages of grafting in your own garden?
- Successful experience
- Preserve old fruit or rose varieties
- Preserve weakened plants
- Large plantings
- no expensive equipment required
- Easy to do with some basic gardening knowledge