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Why do we bud and graft anyhow?
- Most fruit and nut
trees are cultivars that are not struck from cuttings, exceptions being
some root cuttings such as mulberries and berry fruits.
- Multi grafts can extend
the range of cvs you grow and most importantly provide variety of fruits
over a longer season. One plum can take peaches and apricots as well as
plums.
- Plums, apples, pears,
cherries and almonds all need a co pollinator. Exceptions being the
‘Stella’ cherry and the ‘All-in-one’ almond.
- Most home garden
varieties of peaches, nectarines and apricots are self fertile. The
exception being ‘JH Hale’ (The Million Dollar Peach) that needs ‘Blackburn
Elberta’ as a pollinator.
- Compatibility is a
problem with pears, best left alone.
- Eggplant tree
“Cockroach berry” Solanum capsicoides as the rootstock. Grow rootstock for
2 years to attain 3 metres height, and then chip bud softwood in Nov.
Timing
- For most plants,
November and December in colder areas
Rootstocks to use
- Using designated
rootstocks say for apples
- Malling M9 30%
smallest but needs support resistant to phytophthora, susceptible to
wooly aphids
- M26 40% small but
susceptible to wooly aphids and phytophthora and burr knots.
- Northern Spry 60%and
most popular r/s medium resistance to phytophthora, and wooly aphids
- Or buy a plant and top
work it with your favorite apples.
Tools to use
- There are specialized
tools but even a razor blade will do.
- Grafting tools
- Budding knife
Techniques
- Top working
- Chip budding
- Multi grafting using
hand tools, Hibiscus syriacus & H. rosa-sinsnsis, Fuchsia cvs,
Props
to bring/use:
- Budwood from peaches,
apples, plums
- Roostocks or simulated
pots with pruned cuttings in them
- Budding tools, mastic
- Tape and Wool, the Yuji
Vradanicic method
References
·
The Grafter’s Handbook by RJ Garner, Cassell publishers, London, 5th
edition 1988, $45.00. hard cover 323 pages, ISBN 0 304 32172 9.
·
Plant Propagation; Principles and practices, by Hudson T. Hartmann, Dale
E. Kester and Fred T Davis Jnr. 7th edition 2002, published by
Regents/Prentice Hall NJ USA. US$98.00, ISBN0-13-681016-0.
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