On the reproduction of an apple tree from a branch and cuttings at home, in the ground

Apple trees are perhaps the most numerous inhabitants of Russian gardens. And every single amateur gardener, no doubt, has his own favorite apple variety, which he would like to have on his farm. And sometimes you need to update the plantings, but you don't want to lose the apple varieties dear to your heart. Then the gardener is faced with the question of how to propagate an apple tree? In this article, we will look at the most popular ways to propagate apple trees, noting the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Reproduction methods

The apple tree is not the most capricious tree in reproduction. However, before you get down to business, it is worthwhile to figure out what home methods exist. There are several methods you can use to hedge your bets. How the apple tree reproduces:

Reproduction with the help of seeds seems to be the simplest and most logical. However, there are difficulties here: firstly, it takes longer, and secondly, you can get the wrong variety that you expected. The fact is that when grown from seeds, trees acquire a different genetic set. Therefore, this method is used to develop new varieties. Of course, for the sake of interest, you can try to germinate seeds and get a shoot out of them, but you should not hope for this option. Most likely, the output will be a wild apple tree with small apples.

Reproduction using cuttings and cuttings is considered to be the most successful methods.

other methods

There are several other methods by which fruit trees are propagated. You can grow new seedlings using seeds. This method is used in the spring. It is used if you want to develop a new apple variety.

To propagate an apple tree with seeds, in the fall they are taken out of the fruits of different varieties and washed under running water. After that, they are treated with "Epin" (400 g per 5 liters of water), a strong growth stimulant. After that, the seeds are placed in small grooves to a depth of 1 cm.

The distance between the seeds should be within 15 cm. For the propagation of apple crops by seeds at home, the planting material is hardened. To do this, place them in damp sand and refrigerator for a few days. Only in the spring are they planted in the grooves. When the first shoots appear, the seedlings with few leaves are removed.

The advantages of this method of apple propagation include:

the safety of varietal properties that are transmitted from the parent tree;
improvement of commercial and taste qualities, t. to. the new apple tree has the advantages of several varieties, between which pollination took place;
the lifespan of trees obtained from seeds is longer than after grafting.

The disadvantages include the impossibility of applying the method by beginners, because it is suitable for experienced gardeners (it is often used in nurseries to obtain more resistant varieties), a long process of work (not always successful), the timing of fruiting when compared with grafted seedlings.

Transplant method

It is carried out in early spring, 3 weeks after the snow has completely melted. In this case, root seedlings are used, which are located at a distance of 2 m from the mother tree. Choose "offspring" only healthy and fruitful varieties.

In spring or autumn, seedlings are dug up from 1 to 2 years old. Their root system must be developed.It is better to replant young trees in autumn according to the standard procedure. As a result, you will receive valuable "copies" of the apple tree, only with a low survival rate.

Vaccination with an insert is carried out in the fall, a month and a half before the onset of frost. The essence of the method is that inserts of weak varieties are grafted to the root system of a strong variety. For reliability, they are fixed with electrical tape or tape.

The question of how to propagate an apple tree arises at different stages of the hobby for gardening. Someone wants to have a large garden, someone wants to clone a tree of their favorite variety, renew old trees. Of course, it is easier to buy a seedling, but it is always a risk.

New tree from branch

The method of propagation using layering is simple if you follow the rules. There are 2 ways to grow an apple tree from a branch, both refer to propagation without grafting.

The first way is to plant a seedling of the desired variety at an angle in the fall so that the branches touch the ground. In early spring, examine the tree, select young shoots and pin them to the ground with staples. During the summer, you need to huddle the place several times in which the roots will grow from the bud, and maintain the moisture level necessary for rooting. Thus, by the fall, quite viable seedlings will be obtained. The advantage of this method is in obtaining a large number of new seedlings. The downside is the need to buy a young tree. That is, it will not work to grow an apple tree seedling from an old tree.

Dig in the branches of the apple tree

How can you root a branch of an apple tree without being able to dig it in? Here a more convenient method comes to the rescue: propagation of an apple tree by air layers. You need to carefully examine the tree and select developed branches with good annual growth (those that have shoots). You need to take it, step back from the top about 10 cm and use a sharp (this is important) knife to peel off the bark with a ring about 3 cm wide.This area is treated with a special solution that stimulates root growth. You can find one in a garden store. Dilution of the solution - according to the instructions.

For the formation of roots, moisture is required, so the place of future root growth must be wrapped in moss and a bag on top. During the summer, the bag should be removed periodically to moisturize the root formation. With the arrival of autumn, you can remove it completely. If everything is done correctly, the root system will be quite developed. Then, with the help of a pruner, the future seedling is cut just below the roots and planted in a permanent place. For the winter, it is better to cover the future apple tree, since it is still rather weak.

Important! If there is no moss on the site, you can build something like a greenhouse on a branch. For example, make a container out of a plastic bottle, fill it with a substrate that can retain moisture (for example, rotted leaves) and fasten it to a branch. A disposable glass or something else, not very heavy, can also play the role of a container.

Broken branch method

Vaccination methods are different

The method of propagation of the apple tree called the method of the broken branch is used both in the spring and in the fall. Propagating an apple tree by cuttings at home is not entirely correct. A better and more progressive way is the broken branch method. The main goal is to create an artificial stimulus for root formation in trees.

Scheme

The technique consists in performing 7 simple steps:

in winter or early autumn, they choose an annual shoot on a tree, break it. It is impossible for the bark to crack, otherwise it will not be possible to grow a healthy apple tree;
fix the branch in this state with wire and electrical tape;
at the end of March or November, the electrical tape is removed, and the upper part of the shoot is cut with a knife from the mother tree;
in the lower part, several lateral buds are left and a cut of the old apical bud is carried out (it is formed at the very top of the shoot, representing a new rudiment);
the neck is cut off from a dark plastic bottle, 300 ml of water is poured inside and 3 capsules of activated carbon are thrown;
cuttings, which were prepared by the method of a broken branch, are dipped in a bottle and placed in a well-lit place (balcony or windowsill);
roots will appear after 3 weeks. When their length exceeds 5 cm, the seedling is placed in open ground. In the case of the procedure in the fall, planting is carried out in December, first in a bucket and placed on the balcony. Planting in open ground is performed in April.

How to propagate an apple tree by cuttings

Reproduction of an apple tree using cuttings is usually carried out in the spring. Thus, by the fall, seedlings with roots are already obtained, which can be planted in a permanent place in a couple of years.

Green cuttings

Ideal cuttings will be young shoots, the lower part of which has already begun to grow stiff. When all the leaves, except for the top one, are already open, you can start working.

How to cut an apple tree:

Cutting is best done in the morning. It is convenient to do this with a special sharp knife for grafting. The lower cut is not made straight, but at an angle of 45 degrees, directed towards the kidney, without cutting it off. The upper cut, on the contrary, should be straight. Usually, an average of 3 cuttings can be obtained from each shoot.
Each process must have at least 3 leaves. Moreover, the lower one must be removed and the 2 upper ones left. The remaining 2 leaves should be cut (with the same grafting knife) in half.
The resulting future seedlings must be placed in a root stimulant solution for 18 hours. The container in which the branches will be kept should be covered with a film or bag. So the moisture level will be higher, which is beneficial for future roots.
While the cuttings are in solution, you can prepare a box for later finding cuttings in them. The container should be about 30 cm high. To a height of 20 cm, it must be covered with earth, and on top about 5 cm with sand, which must be pre-calcined in the oven. This is done so that all bacteria in it die. Before placing the cuttings in the substrate, it must be moistened. You can do it with water, or you can do it with a stimulating solution.
After the cuttings have been soaked in the solution for the right time, they can be planted in a box. They should be placed in the sand shallow, from 1 to 2 cm. If placed deeper, they can rot. When planting, you should strictly ensure that the leaves do not come into contact with each other and with the walls of the box.
The box with cuttings should be in a warm, bright place, but not in direct sunlight. Every week, you need to ventilate the cuttings and monitor the humidity. It is better to water not from a watering can, but from a spray bottle. Dampness should not be allowed. You also need to inspect the cuttings for decay.
If conditions are favorable, the cuttings will have roots on average in a month. When this happens, you can and should ventilate more often. So future seedlings will get used to the fresh air and natural conditions.

Such cuttings need to overwinter in the same box. It is buried in the garden at a level with the ground; the cuttings themselves must be sprinkled with sawdust, pine needles or peat. In the spring, they are planted in a temporary place for growing. The seedlings will be ready for planting in a permanent place in 2 years. This is not the shortest time, but a good method.

Cutting an apple tree in spring can be done in another way: using a champagne bottle. Here the algorithm of actions is different. The shoot is cut off completely, then placed in a bottle filled with boiled water cooled to normal temperature. The shoot is placed in a bottle, the hole is sealed with garden varnish or wax. The bottle should be placed in a hole in a well-lit area. Cut off the shoot, leaving only 3 buds above the ground. Cover the top with foil or put a plastic bottle with a cut-off bottom. Further, the care is the same - to ventilate and, if necessary, water.

Cuttings

To propagate an apple tree using cuttings, they are first harvested. The right time for this is spring or autumn. If you prepare the material in the summer, it will quickly give roots, because did not have time to stiffen. Try to take cuttings from the bottom of the tree. They will form roots faster.

The best cuttings are the growths of the current season, which appear in the spring. The older the material, the more difficult it is to work with it. The denser the inner layer of wood, the more likely it is that the cutting will break and it will be impossible to carry out further actions.

Scheme

Step-by-step instructions for growing apple trees from cuttings will help to carry out the process correctly:

cut the cuttings, the size of which is 10-15 cm, in the morning. At this time, more moisture accumulates in them. Cut a few spare cuttings at once;
Sprinkle the cut off branch with "Kornevin" (40 g per 6 l of water) to speed up the formation of roots. After that, they put it on the windowsill, dipping it into a vase of warm water. Under the influence of water and sun, roots will appear on the cuttings within a few weeks;
when the roots on the branch are 8 cm in size, it is prepared for planting in open ground;
plant cuttings with a group trench method. Dig and fertilize the trenches in advance. The smaller the distance between the bushes, the better the chances of getting a healthy apple tree.

When the cuttings are finished, they start caring for the culture. Water it every 14 days so that the soil does not have time to dry out. Loosen the soil in the trunk circle every week. So you will improve access to the roots of air and nutrients. To reduce the likelihood of moisture evaporation from the soil, mulch the trunk circle with straw and rotted manure.

The advantages of cuttings include the possibility of obtaining plants that will be used for grafting, performing the functions of a stock, and the constant renewal of productive apple varieties.

The first drawback is that summer apple cuttings do not always reach the rooting stage and the gardener will have to repeat the procedure, spending time and effort. The second drawback is the inability to carry out actions in the spring or autumn. Only in summer can a gardener cut an apple tree.

How to grow an apple tree seedling in other ways

Experienced gardeners are looking for easier and more interesting methods of growing apple seedlings. One of them is to propagate the apple tree by cuttings grown in the potato tuber. You need to take a large tuber (ideally without eyes, or cut them yourself) and stick the prepared branch into it. The tuber is placed in the ground, moistened, covered with a jar and placed in a warm, bright place. The only action that needs to be taken is to moisten the earth. As practice shows, cuttings root quite quickly with this method. The cutting will take all the nutrients it needs from the tuber.

Important! All the methods described are also suitable for pear propagation.

Propagating an apple tree by cuttings, layering or a branch is not the most difficult thing. Yes, perhaps not the easiest, but definitely worth a try. You may have to master several ways before you find the perfect one. As a rule, a positive outcome is guaranteed in most cases. Usually only those who are not looked after at all die. If all the necessary conditions are met, you can grow your own apple orchard from your favorite varieties.
https://youtu.be/XjeiwM_Xgjw

For fruit to be sung in the garden every year, the trees need to be renewed. The apple tree lends itself well to cultivation. If it has served its time, it is not necessary to buy a seedling in the nursery, you can use the shoots or cuttings of a tree that has been bearing fruit for a long time, and the apples were juicy and tasty.How best to propagate an apple tree depends on the experience and knowledge of the gardener. Not every summer resident will master budding, but can use a simpler method of rooting cuttings.

Additional ways of rooting

The apple tree propagates by cuttings successfully only if the process is correctly rooted. This is done in the spring in the following ways:

in potatoes, when a stalk is stuck into a large tuber and dropped into a container, which is covered with a film to maintain a constant microclimate;
lignified cuttings are rooted anywhere, forming a greenhouse;
in a box - when cuttings in boxes are placed in a warm, ventilated place to prevent rotting in the roots.

All methods of apple propagation for experienced gardeners are not burdensome. Rather, on the contrary, they bring pleasure, since the result of this process is a tasty and rich harvest of healthy apples in summer and autumn. With regular attention to apple trees, the garden will be young and blooming every year, and this is the real pride of the gardener.

Terms and features of work on the reproduction of an apple orchard

In order to grow healthy fruit trees, rejuvenate old ones, breed new varieties, certain procedures are performed on the site every season.

In winter

In the coldest period of the year, snow is raked up to the near-trunk circle of apple trees, the trees are whitewashed if they did not have time to do it in the fall. At the end of February, experienced gardeners begin pruning.

In summer

In July and August, apples ripen, the time comes for harvesting and harvesting. This season, only dry and damaged branches are removed, healthy shoots are not shortened, but pinched to limit growth.

In the spring

Most of the work takes place in March and April. The territory of the garden is freed from debris, the earth is loosened. Until the sap flow began:

form a crown;
carry out supportive pruning;
spray trees with Bordeaux liquid.

To whitewash the trunks, mix chalk, casein glue, copper sulfate. Fertilizers containing nitrogen are applied to the soil.

Artificial root formation at the branch

If it is not possible to bend the branch to the ground, make a hole in the plastic bag and place the bag on a straight branch, and then fill the bag with soil. Tie the bag loosely, providing air access to the branch, slightly moisten the soil. After the roots are formed, separate the seedling with pruning shears and transplant to a new location.

Ways to propagate an apple tree

To renovate the garden, they use different methods, some of them are available only to professionals, others are suitable for novice summer residents.

Cuttings

The breeding material for the apple tree can be harvested in any season, and even in winter, and it is even better to do this at the beginning of summer. Fresh growths are selected from the lower tier of the tree:

In the early morning, the branches are shortened to obtain cuttings 15 or 20 cm long.
Sections are lubricated with the drug "Kornevin".
The workpieces are placed on the window, placed in water along with a growth stimulant.

After 3 weeks, small roots form on the cuttings of the apple tree. When they increase in size up to 60 mm, the workpieces are moved into the open ground.

Cuttings without vaccination

Before planting the shoot, dig holes, which are fertilized with humus, mineral complexes are added. Not one, but several cuttings with roots are sent to each hole. In order for them to take root, they regularly irrigate, loosen the ground. In autumn, the matured seedlings are dug up and each is placed separately. For the winter, the trunks are insulated with spruce branches or cloth, the root - with peat or compost.

Green

In order to preserve the varietal characteristics of the apple tree, to ensure high survival rate, in late spring - early summer, green cuttings are harvested from the growths so that the lower cut is above the bud, the upper ones are 10 mm higher than it. One sheet is removed, the other 2 are cut in half.

The box is filled with earth with a layer of 6 or 7 cm, then wet sand is poured, prepared cuttings with 3 buds are inserted to a depth of 20 millimeters. The distance between them should be about 5 cm.

A greenhouse is built from arcs and polyethylene over the box, which is kept in partial shade.The film is periodically removed and the substrate is sprayed from a spray bottle. The cuttings start up the roots after three weeks, and the polyethylene is removed. The soil is regularly loosened and irrigated. In the fall, apple seedlings are moved to a greenhouse or to a plot and insulated for the winter.

Root

Any kind of fruit tree can be propagated from cuttings, which are harvested from an apple tree up to 7 years old by cutting not branches, but roots from 10 cm long and 5–8 mm thick. A ditch is dug at the site, sawdust is poured at the bottom, they cover the laid cuttings, they cover it with earth, and where there is no snow in winter, they insulate it with spruce branches.

In early spring, the workpieces are placed obliquely in a box filled with sawdust, so that the upper part rises above them.

The container is moistened and left in a room where it is not lower than 20 ° C. When buds appear, root shoots begin to grow, with a length of 1 cm they are planted in grooves to a depth of 20 mm.

Lignified

At the end of December, healthy shoots of a year or two are chosen on the apple tree, which are located in the middle tiers of the crown from the south or east side and have time to woody. Branches break in several places without damaging the bark.

Insulating tape is applied on the bend line. The bandage is removed in early spring, the cuttings are cut at the fracture points at an angle and placed in dark plastic bottles without a neck. A porous sponge is placed on the bottom, soft water is poured with a layer of 5 cm, coal tablets are added.

The containers are kept on the windowsill. When roots grow at the ends of the cuttings, they are sent to partial shade. By the fall, real apple seedlings are obtained from lignified branches. With this method of propagation, the tree does not lose varietal characteristics.

Layers

This method is used in early spring, after the snow has completely melted. The soil should still be cold and moist. For layering, adult branches (2-3 years) with a diameter of 2-3 cm are used. Choose only those that have been in the sun for a long time and do not have branches.

Due to the fact that the air layers are only half woody, they have a small young growth of green color. In the place where the leaves did not have time to form, they wrap the branch with plastic wrap. With electrical tape, everything is fixed and left until the end of spring. The heat will soften the branch.

At the end of May, the film is removed and cuts are made. It is better to do them at the junction of the age shoot and the young growth. The width of the first annular notch shall be 10 mm. On both sides of it, 2 more incisions are made. If fruit buds appear, get rid of them.

Scheme

Rooting of the air layer is as follows:

inside any container suitable for planting, pour the prepared substrate;
cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle, and wrap the lower part of the layering with polyethylene and electrical tape;
the inside of the bottle is treated with Kornerost or Kornevin;
the branch is placed in a container with a substrate and covered with a cut bottle - this will take place faster;
the whole structure is placed in a shaded place to root the tree more reliably.

Air layering maintenance consists of weekly watering. A month before planting a branch in open ground, dig a hole and feed it with humus. A seedling is placed inside together with a soil lump, taking it out of the container. The first fruits will be formed in a few years: 3 years should pass.

How to prepare cuttings?

In the spring, strong young annual branches are chosen from the lower tier of an apple tree no older than 10. In the morning, until the moisture on the plants has evaporated, cuttings 20-40 cm long are separated from them with a pruner or knife. Shoots harvested in summer are immediately rooted or left for inoculation by treating the cut sites with a growth stimulant.

Seeds

Apple seeds are used by breeders to create hybrids.When pollinating a flower of a tree of one variety by crossing with another, seeds are obtained that have the properties of both parents.

At dachas, a wild game grows from an apple seed, onto which a favorite variety is grafted. Not earlier than 6 years later, the tree begins to bear fruit. An apple tree from a seed stock is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, it gives a high yield.

Reproduction by eyes

Eye grafting has a disadvantage: bacterial and fungal infections are often transmitted through the wound formed.

Propagated mainly in autumn, when implantation reaches 70%. In the spring, the procedure is successful only in 10-15% of cases.

Technology:

A shoot suitable for the rootstock is selected from an adult tree.
At the bottom of the selected branch, I make a T-shaped incision.
The cut part of the bark is folded back from above, revealing the inner tree layer.
A stalk with buds 2 cm in size is inserted into the freed space and pressed with the previously pushed back layer of bark.
Fix with tape, without grabbing the kidney, leaving it open.
The result is checked after 7 days, while the correct reproduction will be indicated by the green color of the eye.

Advantages and disadvantages

pros	Minuses
The ability to get several new seedlings at once on one trunk.	Low survival rate in rainy or, conversely, hot weather.

Rooting instruction

Sometimes summer residents, trying to propagate an apple tree, cut a lot of cuttings, but they rot and disappear. Such a nuisance occurs when poor-quality material was used or the procedure was carried out with violations.

The choice of soil and fertilizing

For the cuttings to release roots, they must have buds. Places of sections are treated with growth stimulants "Zircon", "Heteroauxin" and placed in a substrate or in another nutrient medium.

Rooting methods

There are several methods in which cuttings cut for reproduction form callus thickenings, which over time release the roots.

In potatoes

In this unusual way, cuttings have access to natural nutrients, growth stimulants and starch found in potatoes. A shoot with one or two buds is stuck into a tuber without eyes, which is buried in the ground and watered. A plastic jar or bottle is placed on top of the handle. It is ventilated and moistened, in 7-10 days the shoot releases roots.

In the box

Any container is filled with an air-permeable substrate, which is prepared by combining several components in equal proportions - sand, garden soil, peat, perlite. In order not to water the cuttings of the apple tree, ropes are placed at the bottom of the box, which is placed on the windowsill, and their ends are directed into a bowl of water.

When the buds swell, a complex fertilizer is added to the jar; when roots appear, the cuttings are shortened.

Landing in the ground

In order not to rush about with boxes, holes are dug in an open area, filled with earth and sawdust. Dry sand is poured over the substrate with a layer of 10 cm, which prevents weeds from growing and improves air permeability. Cuttings planted in the ground are covered with lutrasil or a plastic container, fed with chicken droppings or nitrogen fertilizer.

Graft

In the second half of autumn, cuttings with three buds 30–35 cm long are harvested from apple tree shoots older than a year, wrapped in wet material, taken to the basement, where they are placed vertically. The upper cut of the scion is made at an angle, the lower one is performed depending on the method of grafting used:

The procedure should be performed on a clear and dry day. The butt end of the cutting is shortened with a movement directed away from itself. In the first year, the leaves are cut off from the established scion, the growths are removed.

In water

A stalk cut in early spring at home can be rooted in a simple way - by placing it in an opaque jar filled with a small amount of water. In this case, you must comply with some requirements:

The liquid is not changed, but topped up.
Activated carbon or a growth stimulant is added to the container.
No more than 3 cuttings are placed in one jar.
The water is periodically saturated with oxygen.

A little aloe juice is poured into the liquid, an aspirin tablet, willow extract or honey is put. Such funds stimulate the appearance of roots.

Why do you need cuttings?

The "service life" of fruit crops is short-lived - including apple trees. The peak of fruiting lasts only for a few years, after which, slowly but steadily, the tree is losing ground. Every year the volume and quality of the harvest decreases, and finally the moment comes when the apple tree on the site must be replaced with a young seedling.

You can, of course, visit the nursery and purchase the latest hybrid varieties, breeding developments, even foreign high-yielding varieties. But since the climate in most of our regions is peculiar, it is not known what will eventually come of these experiments.

Maybe newfangled hybrids will not be able to grow at all, or they will not please with normal fruiting.

To avoid such risks, most gardeners prefer to take planting material from their own plot. Our apple trees have already been tested, have survived many winters, are adapted to the climate and weather, and their yield is known and predictable. Therefore, it is logical to cut cuttings from your own apple tree and thus extend the life of the fruit tree.

In addition, cuttings with green shoots are a great way to rejuvenate and grow the mother tree. It is also good to use the cuttings method in that this method can be used to propagate an apple tree at almost any time of the year. And in the conditions of our climate, this fact can be significant.

Features of reproduction of a columnar apple tree

Now in gardens and summer cottages, fruit trees are grown, which begin to bear fruit early, do not take up much space, since they do not have side branches. Columnar apple trees are propagated by grafting, cuttings, air layers.

For rooting, growth stimulants are used. It is difficult to breed dwarf varieties from seeds, an apple tree is obtained only after 5-6 years, but columnar trees do not grow from all seedlings, some of them belong to tall apple trees.

Cloning apple trees

It should be noted that the method of propagation of apple trees by layering is not suitable for all varieties. Therefore, some gardeners prefer more innovative methods, namely the cloning method. For this, basal offspring are selected and deposited. They freely separate and take root in a new place. Such seedlings bloom after four years of age, are distinguished by abundant fruiting.

Branches located low to the ground are also taken, pots with earth are placed under them, and several scratches are made on the bark of the branch, which are wrapped with cotton wool soaked in a composition to stimulate growth. The branch processed in this way is fixed to the pot and sprinkled with earth, while it does not completely separate from the tree. After root formation, the cloned cut begins to grow. On an industrial scale, cloning takes place using biotechnological methods. Read our article "How to properly care for an apple tree."

The main mistakes of grafting

The reproduction of fruit crops is not always successful. The plant does not take root well when the shoots are harvested in the spring during the period of sap flow. Cuttings are elongated, do not form roots. Some summer residents plant an escape at the end of a branch, but the procedure must be performed at its base. Green cuttings rot if they stand in cold water, there is no aeration.

The shoots chosen for propagation must have strong buds and be cut on a 1 year old tree.

Reproduction of an apple tree by green cuttings allows
update old trees, especially if they belonged to productive varieties.
This type of vegetative propagation allows save on buying new seedlings of the same grade and get experimental varieties.

Knowing how apple trees are cuttings, you can get up to several dozen young apple trees from one shoot.

Apple cuttings are often carried out by vaccination... Direct rooting is possible only when using shoots from young specimens.

Vaccination goals:

Grow several varieties on one apple tree to save space;
Restore a tree frozen above the grafting site;
Replace the variety of the purchased seedling;
Rebuild old apple tree with root growth.

The method of reproduction of apple trees, proposed by Nikolai Fursov

Cultivation of apple trees with green cuttings is not always successful. Because of this, they are harvested in large quantities. But the method of the gardener Nikolai Fursov is considered more successful. He proposed to prepare plants in advance for propagation by cuttings and the formation of a root system in the future. To do this, in winter, on the shoot that they choose, they make a neat break without damaging the bark.

This is done in stages:

about two months before the active movement of plant juices, a two-year branch is chosen on the main tree;
a break is made on the branches very carefully and without injury to the bark;
the place of the fracture is fixed in a slightly bent position;
in the third decade of March, the tape is removed, and the shoot is separated from the main branch exactly at the place of the break, and a cut is made from the lower edge through three or four buds to the upper bud;
then the neck of the brown bottle is cut off, water formed from melting snow is poured onto the bottom, approximately 50mm with 2 tablets of activated carbon dissolved in it;
after that, the cuttings from the broken branch are placed in water and placed on the windowsill;
in the next three weeks, new tissue will form from the end of the cutting, and roots will develop;
when the size of the roots reaches about 60 mm, they are planted in the soil.

Advice. According to the observations of experienced gardeners, this method gives a 70% result.

The main mistakes of grafting

In the spring, cultivation of apple trees by cuttings is not produced, as it begins to grow and draws out all the juices from itself. Not having time to take root, such an shoot dries up (rarely takes root).

Cuttings for grafting are prepared in midsummer or you can reproduce the apple tree by cuttings in autumn or winter (during the rest period).

Graft to the base of the branch gives better growth vigor to the cutting than to the end. The rootstock escape is not to be regretted, therefore

it is not enough to cut 20 cm from the top.

If the apple tree over 7 years old, then several vaccinations can be done on it.

It is allowed to fix the scion on skeletal branches of the second order (away from the trunk).

We must not forget about a tree with a graft, fertilizing and watering are required, fertilizer begins to be applied in a couple of weeks. For tissue fusion, a stable flow of water is required, natural precipitation is insufficient.

Late removal of the strapping may result in a constriction in the case of using film materials rather than automatically breaking tape. As a result, the development of the cutting is inhibited.

Technology, advantages and disadvantages of different methods of apple propagation

Each of the breeding options for an apple tree has its own pros and cons, nuances and special requirements.

Propagation by air layers

For breeding a certain variety of apple trees without the use of a grafting procedure, a well-known method of propagation in fruit growing by means of air layers is suitable. This technology is based on the peculiarity of the cambial tissue of the apple tree (cambium is a layer of vigorously growing tissue between the wood and bark, forms rings visible on the cut of the apple tree) to form roots on the area of injury.

An air cut is a section of a branch capable of bearing fruit, which is artificially stimulated to regrowth of roots using appropriate materials (plastic and polyethylene coating, substrate, fixation elements).

The older the apple tree, the more cambial (annual) rings on its cut

The method of propagation by layering, which is used for fruit bushes of currants, honeysuckle, gooseberries and others, is not suitable for apple trees, since it is difficult to bend an apple tree branch to the surface of the soil, pin it down and cover it with earth. However, in the case of the apple tree, a solution has been found: for the formation of roots, the earth is "raised" to the shoot. The procedure is carried out in early spring after the snow melts, before the leaves grow on the bush, that is, before the beginning of the active growing season. For central Russia, this period falls in mid-March or early April.

Preparing for breeding

For the procedure you will need:

plastic bottle with a capacity of 1.5 l,
polyethylene "sleeve" 35-40 cm long,
nutrient substrate.

Any of the components can act as a substrate: garden soil, humus, moss, rotted sawdust. For example, it can be a 1: 1 mixture of manure and compost, or a mixture of soil and vermiculite. The last component is an excellent moisture-retaining material. In addition, the nutrients necessary for the plant are added to the vermiculite - oxides of silicon, magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium and others. An excellent medium for growing roots is sphagnum moss, which must be periodically moistened.

Vermiculite is added to the nutrient substrate as it is an excellent moisture-retaining material.

The substrate can be replaced with a ready-made material - mineral wool cubes for hydroponics. It is sterile and can be used many times over a long period of time. The elasticity of mineral wool fibers allows roots to grow freely and absorb oxygen. However, the cotton wool should not be allowed to dry, it is necessary to control the degree of its moisture content, and, if necessary, add liquid.

Choosing and preparing an escape

A branch for use as a layering should be well lit by the sun, not have branches. Its age is 2-3 years, and its diameter is 1.5-2 cm. Such branches are 50% lignified; they must have a young green growth.

In early spring, after the snow melts, the selected shoot is wrapped in a plastic sleeve in a certain place (free from leaves).
With the help of electrical tape or rope "sleeve" around the edges is tied to the shoot and left until the last days of May or early June. During this period, being in a greenhouse, the bark of the branch should become soft.
After that, the film is removed to make cuts on the softened shoot. For this, the border between the age shoot and the fresh growth is sought.
Approximately 10 cm recede from this conditional point in the direction from the tree trunk and the first of the annular cuts 1 cm wide is made.
On each side of it, stepping back to the right and left, two more annular cuts are made. This is necessary in order to enhance the root-forming ability of the apple tree shoot tissue.
All fruit buds located above the injured areas are removed. The branch is now an air cut.

Film "sleeve" on the apple tree shoot helps to soften the bark

How to root an air layer

In order for the air layer to release the roots, it must be surrounded by an appropriate nutrient medium.

To do this, prepare a container with a substrate (a standard one and a half liter plastic bottle with a pre-cut bottom is suitable).
Once again put on the branch "sleeve" made of polyethylene, fixing its edge from below with electrical tape. A plastic bottle without a bottom is put on top of the sleeves with the neck down. The area with the annular notches should be almost at the bottom of the bottle.The upper part of the sleeve is also hermetically fixed with electrical tape.
The entire structure is placed vertically. To do this, it is strengthened at the support or directly at the tree trunk.
The inner space of the bottle is filled with a solution stimulating the regrowth of roots (Heteroauxin, Kornerost, Kornevin and the like) and left for 2-3 days. Later, the liquid is allowed to drain out by making small punctures in the plastic. The vacated container is filled with a moistened substrate in the amount of 250 g.
The rooting structure of the air layer includes a film sleeve, a bottle with a cropped bottom, and a substrate for nutrition.
For the construction of a film sleeve and a plastic bottle, shade conditions are created. For this, the bottle is wrapped in several layers of newspaper, which are sometimes removed to control the moisture content of the substrate. The soil is moistened about once a week, and in dry and hot weather - every other day.
In the last ten days of August, the cuttings are shortened by half, a week later they are separated with a pruner from the mother plant from the side of the lower part of the "sleeve". The structure for growing the root system of the seedling is removed from the shoot just before planting.
A month before, they dig a hole, fill it with fertilizers and water it.
The cutting is planted with a lump of earth, removing the film and the bottle.
Roots should appear at the cuttings before autumn, after which the sprout is separated from the mother plant and planted as an independent fruit unit. On a young tree, apples can be expected only 3-4 years after growing in a new place.

Video: reproduction of an apple tree by air layers

Pros and cons of the method of propagating an apple tree by air layers

This method, like any other, has its pros and cons.

Pros:

in comparison with cuttings, the method of air layering allows you to get a developed apple tree seedling of the required size with the presence of a root system;
if the apple tree planted from the air layer does not survive, it will not be necessary to inoculate the root shoots left by it, unlike other propagation methods, since it will be endowed with all the properties of the mother apple of a particular variety;
the whole process looks interesting, informative and visual, children can be involved in it in order to acquaint them with the fascinating world of fruit growing.

Minuses:

the process requires the application of labor and time costs, since it is stretched in time;
there is a need to prepare materials - films, bottles, substrate, fasteners;
there is a small risk of root failure at the end of summer: only root rudiments may appear in their place. In this case, before planting the seedling, the embryonic roots are incised and only after that the process is planted;
basic knowledge in fruit growing is required: the ability to distinguish the age of the shoots, the ability to choose the "correct" shoot for the layering, and so on.

Breeding new varieties from seeds

Reproduction of apple trees by seeds is possible. For the average fruit grower, this method is complicated; it is most often used by scientists in nurseries to develop new apple varieties. The seeds of a new variety are created by cross-pollination, artificially transferring flower pollen from one apple tree to the apple tree of another variety. Hybrid plants grown from artificially obtained seeds will combine the traits of both parental apple trees.

Before planting, apple seeds are subjected to a special pre-sowing treatment.

On the one hand, there is nothing difficult in planting apple seeds. On the other hand, you need to have sufficient experience in apple growing to do everything right.

In autumn, ripe seeds are removed from the fruits and thoroughly washed in water. Grooves are prepared with a depth of 2 cm and the seeds are laid out with a step of 20 cm between themselves. The planting material is sprinkled with soil and a layer of mulch so that in this state the seeds overwinter until spring.The impact of low temperatures on seeds is called stratification. If it is not possible to carry out stratification in a natural way, it is carried out at home. To do this, the seed is placed in a container with wet sand and refrigerated for one to two weeks. In the spring, the seeds thus stratified are sown in the manner described above.
Throughout the next season, young shoots are continuously monitored. All seedlings are discarded, in which small leaves and banded short branches are noted. At this stage, the inheritance of varietal traits in a plant can only be determined by the characteristics of the leaves (how much they correspond to the parental ones).
A year later, the growing seedlings are dug up and transplanted to a permanent place. When transplanting, they pinch the central root so that the apple tree is not too high (up to 7–8 m) and begins to yield faster.

Young apple sprouts are constantly monitored

It is important to understand that seed reproduction of an apple tree is not easy, with this method the result is always never fully known. Apple trees grown from seeds are called own-rooted.

Siberian scientist A.D. Kizyurin, in his observations of apple trees, came to the conclusion that the life span of self-rooted apple trees is about 100 years or more, while the grafted ones live only a quarter of a century.

Video: sprouting apple seeds and planting them in pots

Advantages and disadvantages of the seed propagation method for apple trees

Unfortunately, this method is rather complicated, long and therefore rarely used by gardeners on private households.

Benefits:

preservation of parental properties of the apple tree;
in a new apple tree, the manifestation of features of two varieties of apple trees, which pollinated among themselves, is possible;
longer lifespan of self-rooted apple trees grown from seed compared to grafted ones.

Disadvantages:

the inability to quickly obtain the required plant with all its parental properties, which is of interest only to experienced breeders;
duration of breeding work and the possibility of failure;
the ability to use a seedling from a sown apple seed only as a rootstock for growing another apple variety on it;
a later period of fruiting in comparison with apple trees obtained by the grafting method.

Propagation of apple trees by cuttings

It is not difficult to propagate an apple tree by cuttings. Cuttings are harvested in advance: in autumn, spring or summer. However, the roots harvested from the end of May to July are more willing to give roots, since they have not yet had time to completely lignify.

Non-lignified branches are chosen as cuttings.

A stalk taken from the shoot of the lower tier forms roots faster than a cut from the shoot of the upper tier.

Growths of the current year are chosen as cuttings.

Cuttings 15–20 cm long are cut early in the morning, when the most moisture accumulates in the cuttings. Several specimens are cut at once due to the likely death of young seedlings.
The twig is treated with Kornevin, then placed in a container with water and placed on a lighted windowsill.
After 20 days, roots appear on the shoots. When the roots reach 5–8 cm in size, the cuttings begin to prepare for planting on the street.
Cuttings are planted in groups, using the trench planting method (this is planting seedlings in trenches prepared in advance and filled with fertilizers). The large number of plantings significantly increases the chances that a full-fledged apple tree will grow, and labor and time will not be wasted.
After planting the seedlings, they begin to look after them - they abundantly water and loosen the soil in the near-stem circle. The latter is covered with a layer of mulch, which saves moisture.
By the fall, seedlings will form from the cuttings. After that, they are transplanted to a permanent place, starting to prepare for the first real wintering in open ground.

Cuttings with roots 5–8 cm long are transplanted into the ground

Video: ways to grow roots in apple cuttings

Pros and cons of the apple tree cuttings method

The grafting method is good for its independence from the season.

Pros:

renewal of a productive variety of apple trees;
the possibility of harvesting cuttings in any quantity and at any time - from early spring to autumn;
obtaining seedlings that serve as a rootstock in the grafting procedure.

Minuses:

sometimes the rooting process of summer cuttings does not work, roots do not form on them (in this situation, the procedure for winter preparation of cuttings is used);
the harvesting of cuttings for grafting is not carried out in the spring; they can be cut only at the height of summer - from the second half of June.

Broken branch method

Reproduction of apple trees by green cuttings is not always successful. More often it is possible to prepare cuttings according to the "broken branch" method, which is called "the method of experimental fruit grower Nikolai Fursov". The purpose of this method is to provide the plant with an artificial stimulus for root formation.

In winter - two months before the start of sap flow - they find a one-two-year-old shoot and deliberately break it, but so that the bark does not burst.
The branch is fixed in a bent position. To do this, the fracture is wound with spiral movements with the reverse side of the electrical tape to the wire.
In the last days of March, the tape is removed. The apex is detached from the maternal branch in the area of the fracture with a sharp knife. 4 lateral buds are left from the lower end and a cut is made on the apical bud (this bud, which forms at the apex of the shoot, is the rudiment of a new shoot).
4 lateral buds are left from the lower end of the apple branch and a cut is made on the apical bud
Next, take a dark plastic bottle with a volume of 2 liters and cut off the neck from it. Melted water is poured inside 5 cm from the bottom and 2 tablets of activated carbon are dissolved in it.
Cuttings prepared according to the broken branch method are placed in water, the bottle is placed on the windowsill.
Over the next 3 weeks, a callus influx forms at the lower tip of the cutting (callus is a tissue that occurs during injuries and protects the wound site) and roots begin to grow.
When the roots reach a length of 6 cm, the seedling is transplanted into street soil.

Video: how to grow an apple tree seedling using the broken branch method

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Broken Branch Method

The broken branch method compares favorably with other grafting methods with a high survival rate of cuttings.

Benefits:

a fairly large percentage of achieving the desired result - 70% of cases;
good rooting of the cuttings in the street soil, which allows you to create a full-fledged seedling from it, ready for planting in a permanent place (this is facilitated by early growing of roots).

Disadvantages:

the laboriousness of the process and its lengthy time (the procedure begins in the winter months, when there is snow);
the need for an accurate procedure, without injuring the shoot bark.

Reproduction of an apple tree with eyes (budding)

It should be understood that vaccinations are very sensitive to moisture, dust, bacteria entering the wound. Therefore, you should strictly adhere to all requirements when carrying out budding. The sequence of actions will be as follows.

A suitable stock is selected and a T-shaped incision is made on its bark with a very sharp knife.
After that, the ends of the bark are bent to the sides to expose the layer of wood. A part of a varietal cuttings with a bud and bark, petiole 1.5 cm long, is inserted into the hole.
After these actions, the free part of the rootstock bark is tightly adjacent to the edges of the kidney attached to the incision. And neatly, with effort, they tie the kidney and bark to the trunk with a moistened washcloth. It is important to keep the growth bud free, not to trap it with a washcloth when fixing it.
After 7 days, the survival rate of the created eyes is checked. In the situation of the eye engraftment, the latter looks fresh, has a greenish color.

For a successful procedure, it is recommended to perform it early in the morning or in the evening.

A peephole from one apple tree is implanted on the shoot of another apple tree

According to the observations of gardeners, the survival rate of eyes at different times of the year is not the same: in the spring it is 10%, and in the fall it is already about 70-80%.

Video: budding an apple tree

How to propagate an apple tree by cuttings without grafting?

The so-called "Green cuttings" apple trees for direct rooting in the ground (without the use of vaccination) is carried out using a long branch that is not cut off from the mother plant so that feeding does not stop. The separation of the cut is carried out only after the formation of roots.

The procedure is carried out on the basis of a young apple tree in two ways:

The mother tree is initially planted in a slope;
The method of air layering is used.

Air layering technology

To breed apple trees without using the grafting procedure, you can use an alternative method. The use of air layers makes it possible to form new roots in the area of tree damage.

The part of a branch capable of fruiting is considered to be a layering. The principle of reproduction is to artificially stimulate root growth. To propagate a tree through an air layer, you need to follow a simple instruction:

choose a branch with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm with a young green growth;
wrap the free space on the branch with electrical tape to create a greenhouse effect;
at the beginning of the summer period, make cuts on the branch and build a container with a stimulating solution around;
leave the container for a couple of days, then drain the liquid and fill the free container with a moistened substrate;
at the end of August, cut off a branch with a pruner and transplant into open soil.

When to "prepare apple cuttings for grafting or rooting?

The question of whether it is possible to propagate an apple tree by cuttings has exhausted itself, now you need to understand when it is better to prepare such cuttings.

The final result depends on the correct choice of green cuttings. The mother plant is chosen one-year copies, which below the wood is already formed, but the top is full of young green shoots.

We have already said above that harvesting apple cuttings for grafting in the spring is not done. Harvesting time falls in the second half of June - July. At the height of summer, the time of intensive spring development has already ended, you can start.

The cutting procedure is performed in the morning, In the same day perform cuttings procedures. Cutting technology is often used twigs with a heel (the remainder of the stem on which the shoot grew), counting on the acceleration of rooting.

Harvesting apple cuttings.

Which twigs are best to choose and how to cut them?

Small in size;
The maximum number of kidneys is 5 or less;
The cut is made directly under the last kidney;
The stalk is cleared of foliage in the lower part, that is, in the zone that will be in the ground;
The foliage is trimmed in half on top to reduce evaporation.

Next, green cuttings are planted or used for grafting. In the latter case, the place is not sprinkled with earth, since additional roots are not needed.

Root cuttings

These cuttings differ from ordinary cuttings in that they are formed, departing directly from the root system of the mother apple tree. Such a cutting is much more viable than a cut from a shoot.

It already has its own roots, does not require careful preparation and germination. As a rule, excellent healthy seedlings are obtained from root cuttings, which will give large yields in the future.

In addition, the time for obtaining a full-fledged plant is significantly reduced in this case: after all, this shoot does not need to artificially increase the root system.

However, there are difficulties here as well. You can take a high-quality and viable root cutting only from relatively young apple trees.The older the fruit tree becomes, the less viable and strong its root shoots become.

Blank

It is better to separate the stalk from the mother tree on a cool and cloudy day, but dry. Select a site in the root zone of the apple tree and gradually, layer by layer, remove the soil from above.

Thus, soon you will get to the small roots of the overgrowth: they are usually thin, only 5-8 mm in diameter. Use a sharp pruning shears to separate the roots from the base of the mother plant. And a full-fledged shoot suitable for further rooting will be obtained.

If the harvesting takes place in the fall, it is necessary to find a place where the cuttings will be stored until spring. Find a small hill on the site so that in the spring the planting material does not flood with melt water.

On this hill, a trench is dug (shallow) according to the size of cuttings, its bottom is laid out with dry sawdust. Place mouse poison in the groove to protect the shoots from pests.

Tie the root shoots in bunches and lay them on the bottom of the recess, cover them with a rodent mesh on top, insulate with dry soil or humus. Mark the place of "burial" with a stick with a bright flag, so as not to run around the site in search of it in the spring. In such recesses, the cuttings overwinter safely.

However, if the winters in the region are snowy and frosty, better insulate the bottom, walls and the upper part of the groove.

More about vaccination

Preparation for vaccination begins with stock selection, which is used as a wild (grown independently) apple tree or planted from seed. The first option is preferable due to stability.

Grafting is carried out to the root system of the rootstock, if it is not planned to form several varieties on one apple tree. As a scion, you should choose annual shoots. Cutting of an apple tree in the summer is performed on the day of cutting the cuttingsafter removing the leaves and leaving the petioles.

What are the possible errors and problems?

We will find out what difficulties and mistakes a gardener can face when cutting apple trees.

Harvesting cuttings in spring

If you cut the cuttings not in winter, but only in spring, there is a great risk that the plant will not take root. Such cuttings are strongly elongated, and their roots turn out to be weak, underdeveloped. The fact is that in the spring, violent processes of sap flow begin in the apple tree, which interfere with the normal survival of cuttings.

Grafting to the end of a branch

This is the mistake of novice gardeners. When the cutting is grafted closer to the end of the branch, the risk of rejection will be greater. It is much more effective to plant at the very base of the shoot.

Propagation of an apple tree by green cuttings

The easiest way to root cuttings is to placing in a jar of water... Failures with this method are not uncommon and are associated with poor selection of an escape or incorrect conditions.

When rooting in water, it follows aerateso that prevent decay the bases of the shoots. This procedure is especially important if you plan to add more liquid.

Rooting the cutting with a foam circle.

It is better to add water, not change it. It is important to use water at room temperature;
Do not put many cuttings in one container;
The mother plant must be cared for in order to get good shoots;
It is advisable to add preparations to stimulate the roots or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to the liquid to the cuttings.

Regardless of the chosen method of rooting cuttings, if healthy young seedlings are obtained, then they are planted for growing in a nutritious soil. Disembarkation to a permanent place is made only after 2 years.

Further, standard care procedures are performed: loosening, watering, monthly feeding and weeding.

Sprouting an apple tree from seeds

The easiest way to propagate apple trees is to germinate from seeds. To do this, in the fall, seeds are extracted from fresh fruits and thoroughly washed in water.Having dug holes 2 cm deep, the seeds are laid out at a distance of 20 cm from each other. From above, the seed is covered with a layer of soil and mulch so that the seeds lie in the ground until spring.

Throughout the next season, the seedlings require regular supervision. Sprouts with small leaves and weak stems are sifted out. A year later, the growing seedlings are dug up and planted in a permanent place. During transplanting, you need to pinch the root so that the tree does not grow too tall and begins to bear fruit faster.

A seed-planted tree can take several years to grow, which is a major drawback. However, apple trees grown from scratch have a longer lifespan and yield higher yields.

Rooting options

In potatoes

Rooting in potatoes - unusual, but enough successful way.
Is selected large tuber, which one all eyes are removed, then the handle is simply sticks into the pulp potatoes and dug into the ground.

Cuttings covered up film or glass container to achieve the greenhouse effect, the soil is constantly moisturizes.

The method is suitable for vegetative propagation of any varieties of apple trees.

Lignified cuttings

There are 2 ways of rooting lignified apple cuttings: at home and outdoors.

How to grow an apple tree from a cutting at home? For this, the shoots are installed in boxes. A mixture of universal soil and straw (1: 3) is used as the soil so that the density of the earth is not heavy to maintain aeration.

Simple burial;
Using a cellophane bag. The bottom is cut off, holes are made on the sides, into which shoots are inserted. The method allows you to quickly extract seedlings;
Formation of drip irrigation with strings or twisted cotton cloth. The tips sink into the water.

Rooting in a box

Landing box installed in a warm place, but with ventilation, for example, close to the vents, to cool the top of the cuttings and prevent rotting of the bases.
Swelling of the buds indicates normal development, therefore, unused specimens can be discarded and replaced with new shoots.

With drip irrigation, you can make small concentrations of complex dressings in a container with water. With the active growth of the cutting in the apartment in winter, you need to shorten itleaving a few lower leaves.

Rooting in the street

If there is no place at home, then you need to use the technology of rooting cuttings on the street. using soil of the same composition and sand (10 cm layer) as mulch, which prevents waterlogging and weed growth, as well as maintaining aeration.

Green apple stalk for rooting outdoors.

Depressions are created into which the cuttings are stuck. During the growth of shoots, organic fertilizers will help their development, especially bird droppings solution.
The drip irrigation method with patches and ropes can also be arranged.
Street bed cover from night spring frosts and excessive sun with the help of agryl, lutrasil, but not film.
During the day, the shelter is raised so that provide oxygen access... The need for lighting levels varies.
When harvesting shoots from a sleeping tree, cultivation must be carried out in the dark, and a summer shoot requires a lot of light.

Cutting an apple tree: is it possible to grow an apple tree from a cutting

The answer to this frequent question is unequivocal - yes, you can. Moreover, this is practically the only way to reproduce an apple tree. True, there is still an opportunity to grow it from a seed, but this is a rather painstaking method that requires a significant amount of time. With him varietal characteristics are not preserved and he did not find wide distribution. The main purpose of cuttings is to obtain seedlings for propagation.

There are two methods of obtaining an apple tree seedling from a cutting - grafting on a stock (this is the name of a plant to which a bud or a cutting of another plant is grown) and rooting of a cutting without grafting. Let's reveal in detail the essence of the second method.

Reproduction by division

Division is one of the simplest and most reliable methods of plant propagation. With its help, rhizome plants are propagated, the aerial part of which is a bush. Rhizomes are underground shoots formed from underground buds.

For reproduction, the bush is dug out together with the rhizomes, after cutting off the aerial part. Then the rhizome is divided into several parts with a knife. Each part must contain buds, from which a new plant will then develop. The separated rhizomes are planted in the ground, watered, etc.

Advice. During vegetative propagation, all the characteristics of the mother plant are preserved, which means that new plants of the same variety can be obtained. When planting with seeds, varietal characteristics are lost, and new plants are not uniform in their qualities.

In spring and autumn

Sometimes rooting procedure for summer cuttings does not work, that is, no roots are formed. There is an option that includes preliminary preparation planting material in winter.

In December it is necessary to break a 1-2-year-old branch without damaging the bark and fix it in a slightly bent state with a plaster, electrical tape or grafting tape.

Spring in March the material is removed and the shoot is cut off in the fracture zone and placed in melt water for 2-3 weeks with the addition of activated carbon. During this period, callus growth should appear, and later - roots 7 cm long.

ATTENTION! Such layering can already be planted in a greenhouse, constantly maintaining humidity. Rooting requires nutritious soil and shelter.

Cuttings with a wrapped breakage point can be cut off immediately and placed in sand or peat at a temperature of 2 ° C or slightly higher. In the heat, the cuttings are transferred several weeks before planting.

In autumn a full-fledged seedling is formed, accelerated development is associated with the accumulation of growth substances in the fracture zone.

When growing in boxes in the spring, cuttings are transferred from home to the garden, but are transplanted into the soil only in the fall.

If apple trees are cuttings in the fall, they are stored until late winter - early spring. Before planting, they are soaked in water and dried wood is removed.

Grafted and rooted apple and pear trees

Today you cannot find a single garden in which a grafted fruit tree does not grow. Any nursery proceeds as follows. Valuable varieties of pears or apple trees are grafted to any stock, and then the resulting plant is put up for sale. The summer resident buys it and plants it on his site in order to obtain a large harvest with high taste characteristics. But is this always the case? Unfortunately no.

Nurseries put the grafting and sale of plants on the stream, so often no one even thinks about the compatibility of the scion and rootstock. As a result of such "experiments", a summer resident in his garden plants a plant that is not ready to survive in the current climatic conditions or produces fruits that are strikingly different from those promised when selling a seedling. This applies to apple trees. If, when grafting the rootstock and the scion of pears, their incompatibility occurred, then the seedling will not only not yield a crop, but in 99% of cases it will simply die.

What about the case when there is a need to fill the garden with exclusive and verified varieties of pears, apples, plums and cherries? There is a way out - this is reproduction by cuttings. In this case, the question of the compatibility of the scion and the rootstock automatically disappears, since the future plant will be grown from a cutting of an already grafted fruit-bearing tree. Own-rooted trees easily tolerate the passage of groundwater close to the soil surface. It will be easy to propagate them not only by cuttings, but also by branches or even with the help of root shoots.

Of course, one cannot say with 100% certainty that propagation of fruit trees by cuttings is the only true and effective way that cannot be compared with the purchase of grafted seedlings. Both of these methods have their pros and cons. We can only say with confidence that propagation by cuttings is another method of vegetative propagation of fruit trees that deserves attention.