How to plant an apple tree in summer: step-by-step instructions for beginners

Improving the structure of an orchard and its condition in summer has a number of advantages and allows you to:

• Use working time rationally throughout the year;
• Increase the time frame for selecting varieties;
• Assess the condition of trees after winter dormancy, selected as a rootstock;
• Correct mistakes made as a result of spring vaccination;
• Reduce costs for storing cuttings.

Apple tree grafting in summer

Summer vaccinations are required if the tree begins to bear fruit poorly, or if there is a need to replace old crops with younger and more productive ones.
You can also experiment with growing several different varieties on one common rootstock, or you have a shortage of usable space and want to get fruits with a large number of flavors. Summer grafting is a mandatory measure if it is necessary to increase the frost resistance of a certain apple tree variety.

Aftercare

It begins on the day of the manipulation.

• Trees are shaded from direct sunlight and watered according to needs for a given period of root system development.
• Annual seedlings are watered in summer - up to 7 liters of water weekly. When fruit sets, the rate is increased to 10 liters.
• The tree trunk circle is mulched with straw, wood chips or rotted 3-year-old compost.
• Shoots grafted to shrubs must be tied to a support - each cutting must have its own fixation so that the crown does not cross. Place fastening elements at least 15 cm along the length of the branch - a general rule for all grafting methods.
• Before wintering, the near-root area is insulated with high-moor peat; you cannot fertilize before frosts - the shoot will begin to grow and freeze.
• The first mineral fertilizers are applied in the spring, after the soil has been uniformly warmed to 10 °C.

If fruits do not appear in the 5th year, ringing is carried out - cutting off a strip of bark on branches growing upward like a top.

Methods

There are several proven methods for grafting fruit trees. Each has its own advantages and features.

Bud and cuttings

The method of grafting with green cuttings is much less common than others, since the work is close to jewelry and not all experienced gardeners can carry it out without errors. It is carried out by implanting a young sprout into a cut tree or under its bark. At the same time, it is necessary to carry out preliminary cuttings.

Into the cleft

This grafting method is simply ideal for the summer season.
Because at this time the most active sap flow occurs. It is popular among both experienced gardeners and beginners. A shallow split is made on the rootstock, into which a young cutting is inserted vertically with a sharp edge. At the end of the procedure, the vaccination is fixed. The scion branch must be at least 3 years old.

By eye (budding)

Another summer grafting method is budding.
Gardeners of any skill level can easily implement it. The simplicity of the event ensures its 100% success. Performed in the second half of July - early August. The method is called dormant bud budding, because the eye takes root during operation, but is not allowed to germinate. The bud inserted into the T-shaped cut is pressed tightly against the wood of the rootstock and fixed.

Grafting pruner

An agrotechnical event carried out by grafting pruners is becoming increasingly popular. This method will allow:

• reduce operation time;
• increase its reliability;
• Correctly compact the grafting site.

Buy pruning shears only in specialized stores. This will guarantee that the tool will perform its function efficiently. With these tools you can graft branches from 4 to 13 mm. A V-shaped pruner will allow you to graft into the split and behind the bark.

By the bridge

The bridge grafting method exists to save mechanically damaged apple trees from death. Thanks to it, you can quickly and without loss stop the secretion of juice in damaged areas of the bark.

For the bark

If you want to simultaneously graft several varieties onto the trunk of an old apple tree, then this method will help. This way you can save your favorite plant from death. The event is carried out as follows:

• make an even cut of the old trunk;
• several cuts are made perpendicular to the ground surface along the bark to the wood;
• in their place, the coating is peeled off from the central part;
• Oblique cuts are made on the cuttings;
• scions are inserted into prepared holes;
• secure the entire area with twine.

When removing the old trunk, make sure that a few skeletal branches remain, which will help in the future to form the correct circulation of sap.

In the cut

The second name of this method is copulation. To implement it, you will need 2 branches of identical diameter. They are combined and tightly wrapped with electrical tape. In this way, a separate fruit-bearing branch of a different variety is obtained.

What else do you need to know?

In conclusion, let's look at a few tips and tricks from experienced gardeners:

1. Experienced gardeners are recommended to graft using a T-shaped method, a bridge, and using pruning shears. For beginners, the following methods are well suited - by the bark, in the split and with the eye.
2. It is not recommended to vaccinate in August after the 15th, or in the fall, since the rootstock may not take root due to the fact that at this time of year the weather becomes quite cold and rainy.
3. Buds on branches live quite a long time, but storing them for more than 6 months is not recommended, since sometimes the buds die, which reduces the chances of rootstock taking root (it is advisable to cut cuttings from the tree a few days before grafting).

Features by rootstock

The best rootstock option for an apple tree, in addition to its direct relatives, can be hawthorn, chokeberry, quince, viburnum and pear. But the most suitable basis is game, because such a symbiosis is beneficial in terms of combining many characteristics.

For an adult apple tree

If you decide to graft on an adult apple tree, then try not to place more than 5 varieties on one tree.
Try to select them according to their ripening time to avoid confusion. Place grafts on skeletal branches. It would be appropriate to place tall varieties on the north side of the crown. Do not forget that grafting takes root much worse on horizontal branches. Do not make grafts on apple trees whose age has exceeded 25 years.

Go wild

To graft an apple tree wild in the summer, it is appropriate to use several different methods. Each of them will bear fruit; you just need to choose the one that suits you best. Experienced gardeners recommend using the budding method. It is carried out as follows:

1. We prepare a longitudinal cut of the rootstock branch in the form of the letter T. Its depth should be no more than 1.5 cm.
2. From the scion we cut off a bud that is ready to bloom.
3. We install the treated material vertically in the cut, covering the exposed areas of the trunk.

To the pear

In summer, an apple tree can be grafted onto a pear tree only with a bud, as well as onto a wild one.
It is best to carry out the event from mid-June until the 20th of August. Even if the eye does not take root, the base will not be damaged and you can make repeated attempts. By grafting an apple tree onto a pear tree, you can simultaneously solve the following problems:

• shorten the ripening period of the first harvest;
• increase the endurance of both crops;
• rejuvenate the garden.

Harvesting cuttings

Cuttings are used as rootstock:

• One-year shoot at least 30 cm long;
• With a cut diameter of 5-6 cm;
• Well ripened;
• Having a color characteristic of the variety;
• Undamaged by pests;
• No signs of illness.

It is better to harvest material from the south side of the tree , removing competing branches so as not to harm the mother plant.

Shoots that are very elongated, with too long distances between the buds and have a light green color may be insufficiently prepared or weakened .

Features in different regions

Russia is generously endowed with a huge number of climatic zones. Each of them has its own deadlines regarding the implementation of agrotechnical measures. This also applies to the grafting procedure:

• in Siberia, Karelia and the Urals, summer vaccination is carried out in the first week of August;
• in the southern regions the process should take place from the second half of July until mid-August;
• In the middle zone, it is better to plant apple trees from July 25 to August 5.

In any region, special attention should be paid to weather conditions. After all, they have a dominant influence on the effectiveness and speed of healing of the vaccine.

When to vaccinate?

Budding in summer should be done after the young shoots stop growing, since by this time the tree has already formed axillary buds.

In Russia this usually occurs in July and early August. However, in some cases the shoots stop growing much later, so a direct test is recommended before budding.

The main signs that a tree can be grafted:

1. The apical bud of the cutting is fully formed.
2. The distance between the nodes located at the top has decreased.
3. Cut the bark on one of the branches - if the wood comes off well, this means that the tree can be grafted.

Required tools and materials

Summer budding of an apple tree is carried out only when using a certain set of tools and materials. These include:

• sharp knife;
• pruner;
• saw;
• insulating tape;
• twine;
• garden var;
• Oil paint;
• gloves;
• chalk.

All instruments must be carefully sharpened and disinfected.

Safety precautions

Protecting the splice site

To protect trees from diseases, careful treatment with disinfectant solutions is necessary. Disinfection is especially important when cutting out buds - pathogenic microorganisms and spores of wood-decaying fungi quickly settle on the wound surface. All instruments whose blades touch cadmium must be clean.

Some scion preparation techniques can injure your fingers. Therefore, manipulations are performed in thick garden mittens that highly protect the wrists.

If cutting is accompanied by the detachment of small particles of wood, it is advisable to wear safety glasses before work.

Soap contains industrial fat; insufficient washing of tools or hands leads to contact with cadmium, which should be avoided.

Possible mistakes of novice gardeners

The grafting method is an affordable and popular option for obtaining a varied and rich harvest. But during the procedure, you can make many mistakes, which are especially common for novice gardeners:

• An incorrectly selected scion that will not take root on the rootstock.
• Incorrect preparation of the branch for grafting.
• Sometimes it is difficult for novice gardeners to determine whether a tree is ready for the procedure.

If your hand is not full in terms of preparing cuttings, then the risk of justifiable damage to the tree immediately arises. Therefore, “young” gardeners in terms of experience should carefully study the information about this stage of work.

Useful tips

Any old tree can be revived by grafting. At the same time, it will produce a good harvest of fruit of a new format, preserving the old variety range. To achieve good results, it is worth knowing a few secrets and nuances that relate to grafting apple trees:

• You need to select the “right” season for the procedure. For each variety and region, the time is selected individually.
• To make a good butt of the handle, it is advisable to make all cuts, cuts and chips under a ruler.
• There is no need to try to graft a tree that is not ready for this procedure. This can completely destroy the plant.

The result of a correctly administered vaccination

The art of grafting new apple tree branches onto old trees takes many years to develop. Therefore, new gardeners should not worry if something doesn’t work out the first time.

Reasons for failure

Beginners inoculate wild animals with an awakened bud. Almost always the outcome is disastrous. The scion dries out before it becomes part of the rootstock. There is a simple explanation for this failure. A blossoming bud requires plant juices immediately, and they will only arrive after tissue fusion

A common mistake made by novice gardeners is grafting with an upside-down cutting. Beginners do not appreciate where the bud is pointing, so they insert the graft upside down. The eyes should always look up.

The scion does not take root and dries out if the cuts are not aligned tightly, or because the surfaces on the scion and rootstock are uneven and jagged. Gardeners often forget to remove the tension tape in time, which causes a constriction to form on the trunk. After watching the video, any summer resident will be able to properly graft an apple tree onto a wild one.