There is one interesting fact that any experienced gardener is well aware of. However, unfortunately, many beginners do not know about it. It says that the pear and apple tree are actually related plants. This means that they can be grafted onto each other. Also, when carrying out the pear grafting operation, it is important to note that in addition to their relationship, the pear and apple tree have something else in common: both of these plants are pome-bearing. This further emphasizes their similarity and is an important detail when we talk about vaccination.
However, not everyone is able to carry out this extraordinary procedure. In this article we will look at all the rules and techniques for grafting a pear onto an apple tree, and also draw your attention to the most common mistakes that, obviously, it would be better not to make.
Is it even possible to graft a pear onto an apple tree?
Since you are reading this article, then, obviously, this can be done. In addition, such a relationship provides the gardener with a huge range of possibilities, namely:
1) The opportunity to experiment with different combinations of “neighbors” and receive a pleasant prize in the form of new taste qualities of the fruits of both trees.
2) Replacing small, low-tasting fruits from your tree with more tasty and marketable-looking fruits from another tree.
3) Opening up new possibilities for the capacity of your garden: instead of two trees, you will have only one, bearing fruit for two.
4) Treatment and renewal of the rootstock.
5) Providing the opportunity for the root of the rootstock and the branches of the scion to exchange strong qualities and displace each other’s shortcomings.
Plus, this is one of the fastest known ways to get a completely new fruit-bearing plant. Naturally, provided that you do everything correctly and follow the instructions.
In addition, it is not necessary to graft a pear onto an apple tree. There is also the possibility of grafting an apple tree onto a pear tree, since these plants are absolutely equal and have approximately the same biological properties.
Important!
Don’t forget about the timing of vaccinations. They are very important, and each season has its own rules that are vital (naturally, for your tree) to follow.
Even if the wrong time for grafting, incorrectly taken actions or unsuitable weather conditions will not kill your apple tree, however, the graft will definitely be rejected and your long-term work will go down the drain.
Scion preparation
Before you start vaccinating, it is important to decide on the rootstock (what the shoot will be grafted onto), and also take care of the shoots - the scions.
You can cut branches for grafting both in the spring and in the fall. However, experienced gardeners living in cold regions prefer to cut them in the autumn. After all, winter can be so severe that all the shoots from which the grafting material is cut will freeze and in the spring there will be nothing to graft
You can cut branches for grafting both in spring and in autumn. However, experienced gardeners living in cold regions prefer to cut them in the autumn. After all, winter can be so severe that all the shoots from which the grafting material is cut will freeze and there will be nothing to graft in the spring.
It is necessary to harvest shoots in the fall only after the leaves have fallen and the trees have gone into hibernation. The procedure is completed before frost sets in. In this case, the chopped branches will be prepared for winter dormancy. And they will “wake up” by the time it is time to graft the graft onto the rootstock. In spring, branches should be cut after the frosts have passed.
Harvesting of shoots is carried out from annual growths in which the wood has fully matured. Usually the material is cut from the south side of the tree.
There is no need to cut fat branches as cuttings - with such a grafting you will have to wait a very long time for the harvest. You can recognize such shoots by the greenish color of the bark and the too large distance between the buds.
The prepared “correct” shoot is 6-7 mm thick and about 35 cm long, the buds of which are well matured. The branches must be cut with a sharp, disinfected tool.
Save the garden: How and with what to treat pear scab
If the shoots are harvested in the fall, you need to organize their proper storage in the winter:
- A hole is dug in the ground up to 40 cm deep. The bottom and walls are covered with pine or spruce branches, chopped material is laid, and the remaining spruce branches are covered on top. Then the hole must be filled with soil or covered with a thick layer of straw. In winter, they are additionally covered with a layer of snow 45 cm thick.
- Chopped branches can be hidden in frozen sawdust. This method is suitable for regions where there are frequent thaws in winter. A layer of moistened sawdust is poured on the northern side of the site, chopped shoots are placed on top and covered with another layer of insulation. After the sawdust freezes at sub-zero temperatures, you need to pour a layer of dry material on top and cover it with film.
- A layer of moistened sand or sawdust is poured into plastic bags or boxes. Chopped twigs (lower ends) are placed in them. Then the boxes are put into the cellar, where the temperature should be maintained at about 0ºC and the humidity at about 70%. In this case, the workpieces will not become moldy or dry out.
- You can put the shoots in the refrigerator at a temperature of about 2ºC. Pre-wrapped in a damp rag and placed in a plastic bag.
Features of grafting a pear onto an apple tree
All over the world there are hundreds of thousands of gardeners who are keen on grafting one fruit-bearing plant onto another, and among them there are certainly those whose garden is decorated with apple trees with pear cuttings grafted onto them.
However, this procedure is not simple, and even those who really wanted to graft a pear onto their apple tree were faced with unforeseen circumstances in which the plant simply rejected the new branch, suppressed it, and the poor pear died.
One of the clear signals that your grafting is not going according to plan is that the graft site begins to grow significantly. This can be explained by the fact that the scion and rootstock are not completely compatible. As a result of this conflict, the tree shows a painful reaction.
There are several possible ways to solve this problem.
For example, there is a very effective and easily explained method. If the grafting was done in the spring, then over the summer some small branches will definitely grow on the scion. We will need these branches, because they were grown on the juices secreted by the rootstock, and, therefore, they are much more compatible with the apple tree than the very first scion. The same procedure is carried out with these branches next spring, and as a result the tree does not reject it, but allows the scion, which is already familiar to it, to grow on its trunk.
The second method is no less effective. It consists in the fact that between the rootstock and the scion there is another layer, represented by another rootstock. Such an intermediate tier will affect the entire plant: both the rootstock and the scion, allowing them to grow together much better.
Preparation of cuttings
The time to prepare cuttings for grafting is the end of autumn and the end of winter. Basically, gardeners prefer to harvest cuttings in the fall after the leaves fall, with the onset of the first frost. At this time, disinfection from microbes and fungi occurs, the plant enters a phase of complete dormancy.
In the autumn harvest, cuttings of a young fruit-bearing tree are selected. Usually his age is from 3 to 7 years. The stalk can have a length of no more than 40 cm. Its diameter is approximately 5-7 cm. It should have growth and 4 developed buds. The distances between nodes are short. Nature has invested in a small cutting the ability to give birth to a full-fledged tree with maternal properties transferred to it.
Attention! To graft by cuttings, cuttings must be cut from the side of the tree crown facing south, from the shoots of the middle tier. If it was not possible to prepare cuttings in the fall, they are cut in early spring
The favorable time for this is March-April, depending on the region where the grafted plants grow. Summer grafting of fruit trees with green cuttings gives good results. In summer, cuttings are cut before grafting. For beginners, experienced gardeners recommend taking cuttings from trees that are regularly pruned.
If it was not possible to prepare cuttings in the fall, they are cut in early spring. The favorable time for this is March-April, depending on the region where the grafted plants grow. Summer grafting of fruit trees with green cuttings gives good results. In summer, cuttings are cut before grafting. Experienced gardeners recommend that beginners take cuttings from trees that are regularly pruned.
Timing of pear grafting onto apple tree
Some gardeners believe that the timing of grafting does not affect anything at all. However, it is better not to listen to them, because they are not only important, but are also one of the determining factors in the success of your vaccination.
Spring grafting
Spring is the best time for vaccination. However, spring is also divided into a large number of periods. And we are interested in the period of movement of juices. And, to be more precise, the period before it. This is the best time to vaccinate. As a last resort, you can select the peak activity of the juice movement itself. One way or another, when choosing any of these two options, the survival rate will tend to one hundred percent.
However, there is no point in delaying it at all: by the time the apple tree blooms, the process should be completely completed. The time of vaccination within a day should be chosen based on many factors: temperature, windiness and humidity. It would be better to choose a day when these factors will not fluctuate too much between day and night, because a sharp drop in temperature or strong wind can simply kill the fresh graft.
Naturally, frosts during vaccination are even more undesirable.
Advice.
Most attention should be paid to night temperatures, because night is most often destructive for young plants. If it is warm, then you don’t have to worry about the scion.
It is best to prepare cuttings for grafting in the spring in advance. However, in the case of apple and pear trees, you can even use freshly cut branches. If you nevertheless decide to prepare cuttings, they should be stored at a temperature not exceeding 4 degrees.
Summer vaccination
Although spring is the best time for vaccination, summer procedures are also common. The most suitable months for summer vaccination are June and July. However, you should not wait until the very end of the season: the first days of July should be your last possible starting point.
If the summer turns out to be particularly hot, the cuttings can be protected with a special non-woven material. This way the sun will definitely not scorch it, and the vaccination will be successful with a much higher probability.
Approximately in September, you should pinch the young leaves of the scion to allow them to ripen well before the onset of serious cold weather.
Autumn vaccination
Even though some gardeners practice autumn grafting, we do not advise you to even consider this option. Due to unpredictable weather conditions, constant rain and winds, this season shows the worst results in the race for survival rate. The cutting may well simply die in such harsh conditions if it is not strong enough. Therefore, if you still choose autumn, vaccinate solely at your own peril and risk.
Recommendations
Pears should be grafted in early spring, before the buds open. Before the active movement of juice begins, you can hope for 100% results from this scion.
In the southern regions the procedure is carried out in early spring, in the north at the end of April or even later.
To determine the optimal timing for grafting, you need to monitor the air temperature. When nighttime fluctuations become insignificant, you can begin the procedure.
If you decide to carry out work in the summer, the best month is July, but you can do it before August. At the end of August, the difference in night and day air temperatures can be significant, which negatively affects the survival rate of plants. Another important point is the correct choice of scion:
- To grow a hybrid large fruit, take the pear of Memory Yakovlev, Carmen, Bere-Gardi, Large-fruited Susova. To properly graft these varieties, you will need to separate a branch containing several buds.
- When making a scion of branches of equal diameter, you need to choose one that is equal in thickness to the scion. If you decide to use the splitting method on a stump, use a couple of branches of small diameter for the scion - much smaller than the trunk of the tree used for replanting.
Read about planting pear seedlings in spring at this link.
A few weeks after the procedure, inspect the area at the junction of the shield and the main trunk. If the bud is green, everything went well. It is recommended to graft a couple of new branches into the cleft to minimize the risk of death of the scion material.
This method can be used to work with any branch of the main tree, but the most effective are manipulations performed on the north side - the survival rate in this case will be maximum if you use a garden varnish.
This material will tell you about transplanting a pear to a new place in the spring.
At what height is it correct to plant?
Rake the soil away from the rootstock trunk so that the root collar is clearly visible. Carefully remove the branches at a height of 10 cm from the ground and wipe this part of the trunk with a damp rag. Using a sharp knife, make a T-shaped cut 3 cm in length on the root collar.
