How to Graft Fruit Trees
Many of the fruits that we enjoy today are the result of someone combining a fruit tree branch with another tree.
Grafting is indeed a bit like creating Frankenstein because you can take several trees and fuse them into one.
Celebrate your inner orchardist – or mad scientist – and create your own fruit tree through the rewarding art of grafting.
Why graft fruit trees?
If you're wondering why not just grow fruit trees from seed, the reason is a matter of taste. Fruit trees that are grown from seed often don't taste that great. Plus, they take 7 to 20 years to fruit, whereas grafted trees take a mere 2 to 4 years!
Think of grafting as an insurance policy guaranteeing excellent benefits, such as:
The fruit varieties (and flavors) that you expect and want to be produced
Pest and disease resistance
Drought tolerance
Higher fruit yield
Quicker harvest
Basic Grafting Terms
Cambium (image from ptes.org)
The lower part of the tree is called the rootstock. The rootstock forms the roots and includes a portion of the fruit tree's stem. The rootstock determines how tall and fast the tree will grow.
The section above the graft is the scion. The scion is a young shoot that forms the fruiting portion of the tree. It determines fruit type, flavor, and color.
When looking at a young fruit tree branch, you'll see that the bark is brown. However, when you make a cut into the branch, you'll notice that the inner tissue is green. This inner tissue is the cambium.
The cambium is the crucial part of a tree that divides cells and promotes the secondary growth of stems and roots. The cambium must be present for the union in grafting to occur.
How to Graft Fruit Trees
Materials needed:
Grafting knife
Hand pruners
Grafting tape or Parafilm wax tape
Cup or bucket of water
The Cleft Grafting Method
Watch Rose’s grafting tutorial here!
Step 1:
Choose scions that are closest to the diameter of the rootstock or branch you're grafting onto.
The best scions are less than a year old, as thick as a pencil, hardy, and grow from branches that have at least 4 to 6 buds. Avoid collecting sprouts that grow from the base of the tree – those are usually rootstock.
Keep a cup or bucket of water handy as you collect your scions. As you make cuts with your hand pruners, collect your scions and place the cut end in the water to prevent drying out.
Step 2:
Create a 1” steeply angled wedge out of the scion cutting. Positioning your grafting knife to cut through the side of a bud can promote a stronger growth response.
Gently split the rootstock down the middle. The depth of the center cut in the rootstock should be equal to the length of the wedge.
Step 3:
Carefully insert the scion wedge into the rootstock. Make sure that the cambium layers touch. If they're not the same diameter, match one side's cambium layer.
Take your time with this step. Successful grafting depends on the contact between the cambium layers of the scion and rootstock.
Since the tree will sense that it's been wounded, it will send signals to the cut section to repair and seal the wound. This reaction will secure and form the graft union.
Step 4:
Strengthen the union by using grafting tape to hold the pieces together.
Care for Newly Grafted Trees
Water and fertilize regularly.
Keep the area clear of weeds.
Remove any suckers that appear on the rootstock.
Which Fruit Trees Can Be Grafted Together?
Fruit Salad Tree (image from Prospect Rock Permaculture)
The rootstock and scion wood must be compatible.
To make a match made in orchard heaven, make sure your rootstock and scion belong to the same botanical species. For instance, grafting an apple to another apple will always work.
You can also count on rootstocks and scions from different species (but in the same genus) to work together. For instance, stone fruits, which are within the genus Prunus, include apricots, almonds, cherries, peaches, plums, and nectarines. They would all be compatible with each other for grafting.
When is the Best Time to Graft?
The best time to graft fruit trees is late winter to early summer.
If stone fruits (peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry) are your jam, NOW is the time to graft them as they start to wake up from dormancy.
Most apple and pear trees wake up later and are more successfully grafted in March.
When it comes to cleft grafting, it's best to graft during the 2 weeks before or after the buds start to swell.
Special Offer on Applicable Trees
Fruit tree specialist Rose has limited availability in February and March for grafting bonus varieties onto your new Yamagami’s fruit tree.
Grafts are limited to available varieties on hand at the nursery, including scions that you bring with you.
See Rose at the Info Center on Fridays and Saturdays for more information.
Please keep in mind that we cannot guarantee that 100% of the grafts will take.
The non-refundable grafting fee is $20 per tree.
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