I received several interesting e-mails this week from readers who had questions about pruning trees and grafting fruit trees.
Of those two activities, pruning is certainly the easier. You might recall that not long ago I devoted a column to pruning tips. If you missed it or would like a second look, you can find the column (titled: "Pruning: a kindly cut for your trees") at my web site. Go to www.landsteward.org then find "The Plant Man" heading in the menu and scroll down that page to find the pruning column.
As for grafting, it's certainly trickier than pruning but it can be very satisfying when you achieve a successful result! Grafting is truly a creative process and, as such, requires you to develop some basic skills.
Firstly let's define grafting.
The simplest definition I've found comes from an online source called The California Backyard Orchard. There you'll find that grafting is "A way to propagate a plant by inserting a section of one plant (the scion) into another plant (the stock)."
Grafting is a very good way to add a somewhat different variety of fruit without having to plant an entirely new tree! Perhaps you've noticed, say, a cherry tree belonging to a friend or neighbor. Their tree bears fruit maybe a little earlier than yours, or you just like the taste. You can use grafting to add some of that "new" fruit to your existing tree.
The two key words to remember when it comes to grafting are "scion" and "stock."
The scion is the part that you convince your friend to let you snip from his or her tree, whereas the stock is, essentially, the limb of your own tree that you prepare to accept the new stepchild.
This process is much easier to understand when you can see some pictures along with the explanation. I highly recommend an excellent web site hosted by the Agricultural Extension Service of the University of Georgia. The web address is http://www.ces.uga.edu/Agriculture/horticulture/H-00-049.htm and I've embedded a hot link direct to that page from this column, archived under "The Plant Man" heading at my web site.
When you read the article from the folks at U of GA, you'll see how to cut the tip of the scion into a wedge shape and trim the top to include just two or three buds. You must saw an appropriate limb from your "host" tree and then cut a notch into the freshly cut limb and carefully slot the scion into the notch before covering all the exposed area with a tree wound dressing or pruning seal.
It's important to cut the scions from their original trees during the winter when they are still dormant. The ideal time for grafting in most areas of the United States is late February and March.
Between the time you harvest the scions and the time you actually graft them, you will need to store them in green pine sawdust or slightly moist sphagnum moss in a cold place such as a un-heated basement or a refrigerator, at about 34-36 degrees F. If you're planning on placing the scions in your kitchen fridge, you might want to secure the approval of your spouse or significant other to avoid any unpleasant surprises!
Frankly, the process of grafting involves some important steps that I don't have room to detail here, so I suggest you take a look at the U of GA web site, or do a little online or library research of your own. Yes, grafting does mean you will have to learn some new skills, but the results can be enormously satisfying.
If you have any specific questions, or if you'd like to share some of your own grafting success stories and tips I can pass on to your fellow readers of this column, please let me know via e-mail.
Earlier in this column I mentioned "The California Backyard Orchard." Never mind if you live somewhere other than California, if you're searching for the meaning of certain words or phrases related to trees and their propagation, you'll find this a handy resource. The URL is http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/glossary.shtml and I've provided a direct hot link from my web site. Simply find this column archived under "The Plant Man" and click on the link.
Now get grafting!
The Plant Man is here to help. Send you questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived Plant Man columns, visit www.landsteward.org where you can also subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed newsletter.
