Why not propagate cultivated apple trees by sowing seeds?
It would seem that sowing seeds is the easiest way to propagate apple trees. Sow and wait until it sprouts and bears fruit. But the wait in this case will last a very long time: apple trees produce their first harvest after about the 5th year of growth, and only if the tree has been replanted at least three times before.
If the apple tree has not been replanted during its entire growth period, wait for the first harvest in the 15th year of growth.
Based on this, another question arises: what is special here? I replanted the apple tree three times and that’s it, wait for the first apples in the fifth year. But even here it’s not so simple. Any seed fruit crops do not inherit parental characteristics. This statement also applies to apple trees. So, when you grow a crop this way, you always leave a huge amount of intrigue because you don’t know what you’ll get in the end. You can spend a lot of time growing, but end up with completely inedible fruit, although very attractive in appearance.
Although there are exceptions to any rule. In this case, the exception is a group of old, but quite edible folk apple varieties. They are now planted much less frequently than new breeding varieties, but this does not make them any worse. The advantages of such varieties are durability and excellent adaptability to any growing conditions, but the disadvantages are the large height of the trees (difficult to care for) and the late date of fruiting.
So, to make the work easier, experienced gardeners advise the shortest way to an apple harvest - grafting onto wild animals.
When is the most effective time to vaccinate wild animals?
The procedure requires a strong and good wild game, which will absorb all the nutritional compounds from the ground through its root system:
- Spring grafting is done when the buds have not yet begun to bloom, but the frosts have definitely passed and will not return. This time usually falls in March. The second time the procedure is carried out when the active movement of juices begins on the rootstock (this is approximately April - May). This time is considered the most successful, since the vaccinations take root and adapt well.
- If for some reason the grafted tree does not take root in the spring, then another grafting can be done in the summer. For this purpose, the graft must be prepared either in late autumn or early spring (by the time of grafting it will still be dormant). The procedure is carried out from the middle to the end of the summer season (late July - late August), when the trees begin the second period of active movement of sap. For the scion, you need to take the branches and buds that have developed in the current season.
- In the fall, grafting should be carried out so that the apple tree still has time for normal preparation for wintering. So, the best time to carry out the procedure will be the beginning of September, since further the movement of juices will begin to slow down and will end with the falling of leaves and, accordingly, hibernation. And the scion must have time to adapt to new conditions during this time, or it will die.
For autumn grafting, you need to cut off a cutting from a shoot, the length of which will reach 40 cm and the age of one year.
We prepare cuttings
For spring grafting, the branches are prepared in the fall, when they have been hardened by light cold snaps and have matured. But severe frosts are not expected. Annual shoots often freeze slightly. The branches are tied into bundles, the ends are dipped in warm paraffin. Until spring, they are stored, packed in film, in sawdust, boxes, in a snowdrift, in a cellar.
For summer grafting with your own hands, cuttings do not need to be prepared in advance. Select young branches without defects with healthy leaves growing in the middle of the crown. Requirements for the size of green cuttings:
- diameter 5-6 mm;
- length 30 cm.
For grafting using the budding method, one bud is enough, so a fresh cutting is enough for several graftings.
For tabletop grafting, which is done in winter, not only scions, but also rootstocks are prepared in the fall. Seedlings are dug up before frost, one-year-old or 2-year-old ones with a good root system are selected. The above-ground part is shortened to 30-40 cm.
How to grow a wild apple tree for grafting
If you already have a wild fruit tree somewhere on your property, then you can safely use it. However, if you do not have such a resource, you will have to grow it yourself.
Growing wild game from seeds yourself
For this growing method, you will need seeds of frost-resistant apple trees that grow specifically in your area (this is important!).
- You need to collect seeds in the fall; choose the largest fruits to collect seed.
- Rinse the seed and dry it.
- During the period from January 15 to 25, it is necessary to stratify the seeds. Cover them with sand and put them in the refrigerator.
- You can also sow seeds in the garden at a depth of 30–40 mm in autumn. Then they will be covered with snow all winter, and in the spring they will sprout. By autumn you will receive healthy and strong seedlings.
Scion preparation
It is optimal to prepare cuttings for the scion in the autumn. Usually, whole shoots of the apple tree variety of interest are used, but this is not mandatory. As a last resort, you can use simple cuttings.
Cutting the shoots should be done after the first frost has occurred (it is better to do this when a stable negative temperature has established). Thanks to this, the shoots will overwinter better. In addition, the trees from which the cuttings were cut will endure this procedure themselves without much harm to themselves, since at this time the sap flow is significantly slowed down.
You can cut the shoots at the end of the winter period, however, it is believed that in this case they will take root worse than those cut at the end of last autumn. This is explained by the fact that after winter the thin branches from which cuttings are made may freeze and not take root at all.
The length of the shoots for the scion is selected within 0.2-0.3 m. They must have at least 5 buds. Larger shoots can also be used as a scion, but the rootstock must be large enough, and the grafting itself must be carried out at a considerable height, so that the fusion of the two organisms occurs normally.
Cuttings or shoots cut at the end of autumn should be stored at near-zero temperatures and always in humid conditions. The best way to do this is to place them in a box with damp sand to a depth of about 5 cm. In this case, the sand in the box must be periodically moistened to prevent the cuttings from drying out.
The basic rule of grafting is to carry it out before the buds bloom on the scion. To avoid this, it is recommended to cover the box with cuttings with polyethylene or a thick layer of paper.
The nuances of the procedure in different seasons
You need to prepare the scion in the fall, cutting off the branches after the first frost, and also cutting them into segments. In such cuttings, sap flow is slow, so they practically do not experience stress from pruning.
For the scion, choose branches 20–30 cm long with at least 5–6 buds. Such cuttings should be stored indoors at a temperature of 0 degrees, placing them in damp sand. The sand needs to be moistened periodically as it dries.
Spring grafting
This time is considered the most effective for grafting: 1. The “split” grafting procedure is carried out before the active movement of juices in the tissues of the tree begins.
2. The “bark” grafting method, as well as budding with a germinating eye, improved copulation and “butt” are best suited for grafting when the juices begin to flow.
Summer grafting
In the summer, the second period of active sap flow begins, so it is possible to graft a cultivated variety onto a wild apple tree “by the bark”, “into the cleft”, by budding with a sleeping eye, by improved copulation and “in the butt”. In the middle zone of the country, it is best to carry out budding in mid-summer (around the end of July), and for the southern regions, mid-late August is suitable.
Autumn procedure
In autumn, the effectiveness of grafting is not as high as in spring or summer.
However, if the warm weather in the region is delayed, then you can try budding in early to mid-September). You can also use the “butt” method or perform an improved copulation (not for beginners). It is advisable to complete the grafting with budding approximately 14–21 days before the onset of stable +15 outside. Adult plants are not grafted at this time. In the southern regions, vaccination is also possible in October.
Why is vaccination needed?
Apple tree grafting is a very popular method used by breeders. It allows you to change the quality, quantity and appearance of the fruit or the tree itself.
Benefits of vaccination:
1. With the help of grafted branches or buds, you can rejuvenate an old plant and increase its yield. This method helps gardeners and gardeners preserve a rare variety or the tree itself.
2. The formation of the crown is the result of a well-carried out grafting. If there are many varieties on the tree and it is difficult to pick apples due to the height of the apple tree, the tree should be made shorter. This will allow you to harvest the fruits faster and safer.
3. Plants that have been injured can be saved by regular grafting.
4. For gardeners with small families and small plots, growing several varieties at once on one tree becomes very convenient. Varieties can be completely different and have different ripening periods, so the harvest can be obtained throughout the entire fruiting period, starting early, ending with late.
What is needed for the grafting process
To complete the procedure, you will need a whole set of tools that any self-respecting gardener should have:
- a knife with a short but sharply sharpened blade;
- grafting knife;
- budding knife;
- pruning shears (or hacksaw for wood).
It is also advisable to purchase a special grafting pruner. Models of grafting pruners may have different configurations, number of blades and cutting method. Advantages of the grafting pruner:
- much lower level of injury compared to conventional tools;
- allows you to make shaped cuts so that the coincidence of the cut parts is absolute;
- allows you to make the most accurate and thin sections for budding.
What care do grafted trees need?
The graft wrapped in elastic material should be inspected and checked every 14 days. You can also, if necessary, loosen the strapping somewhat so that it does not grow into the tree bark. It is necessary to protect the operation site from birds and pinch shoots throughout the summer.
For an apple tree that was grafted in the spring or summer, the bandage is removed after 60 days, but for a wild apple tree that was grafted in the fall, the bandage is removed in the spring, when all the snow has melted.
When the graft adapts, the buds will wake up and shoots will begin to form from them. There is no need to leave them all, choose only the strongest one (usually the top one).
At the end of July - beginning of August, remove the tips of the shoots on the cuttings. This will help stop the intensive growth of the cuttings in length and stimulate growth in width. In addition, this technique will help speed up the fusion of the scion and rootstock. Those shoots that grow below the graft need to be cut off (they only take away nutrients from the cutting).
It is also necessary to tie the regrown shoots to the support:
- this should be done for the first time when they grow by 20–25 cm;
- the second time the procedure is carried out when they reach a length of 40–50 cm.
A grafted wild bird needs regular watering and feeding in the summer.
Required tools and materials
The grafting procedure is a kind of operation for the plant. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare all the necessary tools and materials in advance so that they are at hand.
You need to prepare:
- a sharp garden knife that needs to be disinfected;
- the same sterile pruning shears;
- if necessary, a garden saw;
- durable material for strapping, adhesive tape or electrical tape, oilcloth and rope are suitable;
- garden pitch, putty or plasticine for sealing wounds.
Since the procedure is carried out quite quickly, it is better to have everything at hand so as not to waste time searching for the necessary funds.
Tools for grafting apple trees.
