How to plant an apple tree: create, create, experiment

Why vaccination is needed

Before you start choosing the method and time of vaccination, you should clearly understand the purpose for which it is carried out. There are several reasons why the apple tree should be vaccinated:

1. If the apple trees on the site began to bring a weak harvest, then it can be significantly increased by replacing the old crown with a new and more fruitful one.
2. You can graft a tree for the purpose of a simple experiment, in order to try to grow two different varieties at once on the same tree.
3. To save space on the site, it is also advisable to vaccinate. This will help to grow two varieties at once on one tree.
4. If a decision is made to independently obtain a seedling, then you can subsequently refine the game with a good scion.
5. If the tree has suffered for any reason (for example, eaten by rodents), then it can be renewed by grafting.
6. Apple varieties that are afraid of frost can be grafted with more frost-resistant species so that they do not die in the harsh winter climate.
7. Thanks to grafting, a dwarf apple tree can be grown.

Interesting fact. In general, the vaccination procedure is equivalent to a surgical operation. But subject to the sequence and basic rules, it is possible for everyone, even a novice gardener, to carry out such a procedure.

Grafting into cleft

"Planting" to other fruit trees

If you want to achieve the desired result, then you need to know which trees you can plant the apple tree on. The best stock will be the same plant as the scion branch. But in recent years, breeding has achieved great success and expanded the range of plants that are suitable for splicing together.

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For example, you can make a hole in the bark of a pear. Then insert the bud of an apple tree there, and after a while it will begin to bear fruit with apples and pears. It should be rememberedthat the closer the plant varieties are to each other, the better the grafting will take place.

Can be planted on an apple tree and plants that are also Rosaceae. The procedure for apple trees in October allows grafting of quince. But there is an important nuance here, which is the incompatibility of quince with some varieties of apple trees.

But even if the scion was successful, there is no guarantee that it will last for a long time. For example, many stone fruit plants can be grafted onto an apricot, but only the apricot itself lives for a long time. The same rules will apply for the apple tree.

Types of vaccinations

There are many methods that can be used when doing apple grafting. Each of them has its own unique moments, which influence the choice in a particular situation. Before choosing your option, you need to know how to plant apple trees in any of the ways.

Grafting into cleft

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This method of grafting should be practiced during the dormant period of the tree. The best period will be the end of March and the beginning of April. You cannot complete the procedure alone. The second person will help make longitudinal cuts in the tree, as well as insert the graft.

Attention! If a young specimen of a branch is formed, then 45 cm recede from the main trunk.If an old apple tree is used for the procedure, then at least 1 m is indent from the trunk.For such a purpose, it is more advisable to use branches with a diameter of 5 cm.

It's worth noticing! On the main skeletal branch, it is allowed to perform more than one cut at once, and in different places of the crown. A couple of branches are left from the bottom of the crown, which will provide the necessary nutrition. It is also worth not removing the freshest and thinnest branches.

Among the main features of grafting into a split, the following points should be highlighted, which will help you understand how to graft an apple tree step by step in spring:

1. In the places where the saw was carried out, a neat cleaning is carried out. In the middle of the cut, insert a hatchet or secateurs. The length of the split should be about 10 cm. The slit is bred to the sides and the graft is inserted directly.
2. In order for the vaccination to be successful, it is necessary to ensure that the drawing of the parts to be composed matches as closely as possible.
3. On the thickest knots, it is allowed to make about 4 notches and add 4 scions to the tree at the same time. After the manipulations are completed, all joints are poured over with garden varnish.
4. If the stalk is not held too tightly and tightly, then you should take the rope and wrap the graft site. If the scion is about 3 cm, then the garden pitch is allowed not to be used, but wrapping is carried out with polyethylene. The film is fixed to the stump.

To carry out such an inoculation, cuttings should be taken in 4 buds.

Important! The cuttings are prepared on the same day that the manipulation will be performed.

Semi-cleavage grafting

Thin branches are also suitable for the procedure, since the depth of the split will be about 3 cm. The preparation scheme is similar to the “split” option. The graft is fixed so that the cut sections coincide. The tree is wrapped very tightly with polyethylene and fixed with twine. It is more advisable to use this type in the spring, before the buds begin to swell.

Corner notch method

To carry out such a procedure, it is advisable to use young branches up to 2 cm. They are cut using a sharp knife; an angular notch is made at the cut site. After a couple of centimeters, another notch is cut with an angle of inclination of 30 degrees and a depth of about 5 cm.On the opposite side, the slots are made in the same way.

From the bottom, the cutting is cut on both sides. If the cuts are made properly, the scion will fit perfectly into the cut on the rootstock. The operation site is protected with plastic wrap. It is best to also perform this type of vaccination even before the start of self-movement.

Grafting under the bark

The best period for performing such a procedure is considered to be the growing season at the very beginning, at which time the bark easily peels off the wood. First, you need to cut off branches and make cuts in the bark. A stalk is inserted into them, then the joint, which resembles a small bridge, is fixed with polyethylene.

Grafting under the bark

To graft faster, cuttings can be prepared a little earlier, but they should be stored wrapped in a damp cloth to prevent the cuts from drying out.

Copulation

A similar method is used if the scion and rootstock are of the same diameter (up to 2 cm). To make a similar look, you should make the same slanting cuts so that there are no knots and burrs (length - up to 4 cm).

Copulation

The prepared parts are connected so that the cambium of the scion and rootstock coincides as much as possible. The upper cut is treated with garden pitch, and at the junction, a polyethylene strapping is performed.

Improved copulation

This method is increasingly being used instead of traditional copulation. The connection is much stronger. To perform such a grafting, the following sequence of actions is used:

1. From the bottom of the cutting, a cut is made from top to bottom with a sharp knife so that a "heel" (a small piece of bark) remains.
2. A similar action is performed on the stock.
3. The two parts are applied so that the tabs left are in close contact with each other.
4. The shoot is lowered so that its cut completely coincides with the cut on the branch.
5. The junction is wrapped in polyethylene and secured with twine. Sometimes it is advisable to use duct tape to secure it. The upper cut is processed with garden varnish.

This grafting method should be done in the spring when the bark is easily detached from the wood.

Budding apple trees

A similar method is used for planting apple trees in the summer, for example, in August. To perform this procedure, you should take a sleeping kidney from a healthy cutting. From an apple tree, a shoot of one year is cut off to 0.5 m.Choose one that has good wood, even bark and beautiful healthy leaves.

You can cook the cutting in advance, but it is immersed in water so that the juice does not evaporate. You should also pick off all the leaves.

Budding apple trees

In this case, the stock will be a young tree, the trunk of which is about 8 cm. Before the procedure, all branches are removed, and also thoroughly watered. The kidney is inserted into a T-shaped cut or into the butt. The junction is wrapped in polyethylene.

Required tools and materials

Be sure to wrap the splice

Splicing requires the following tools:

• sharp knife with a short blade;
• hacksaw or garden pruner;
• budding knife.

In specialized stores, a grafting pruner is available for sale, featuring a special blade shape. It allows you to make thin and precise cuts for perfect connection of parts and less trauma to woody tissues.

You will also need the following materials:

• garden var, or resin - a viscous putty for disinfection, which prevents the appearance of pathogenic bacteria in the affected areas;
• strapping (to secure the scion to the stock) - usually a narrow polyethylene tape or electrical tape is used.

When is the best time to graft apple trees

In principle, you can graft apple trees throughout the year. Still, the best periods are late summer (early autumn) and spring. The specifics of each season should be noted in more detail.

Grafting in spring

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As experienced gardeners note, the spring period is most favorable for performing grafting procedures, since at the beginning of sap flow, the grafting takes root well. Different types of vaccinations are carried out at different times:

• the use of cuttings is relevant after the end of spring frosts (late March - early April);
• apple budding begins in late April or early May.

It is worth noting! The spring operation has one more advantage: if the rootstock does not take root for some reason, then grafting for this tree can be repeated in the summer. Therefore, grafting apple trees in the spring for beginners would be an ideal choice, so that the first trial becomes a real lesson and shows what mistakes can be.

Grafting in the fall

In general, autumn is not the best time to perform such a procedure, but if the temperature is warm enough outside, then you can graft the tree in September.

During this period, the following methods are allowed:

• budding an apple tree with an "eye";
• into cleavage;
• in the butt;
• for the bark.

Important! Vaccination procedures are performed 2-3 weeks before the cold snap, until the average temperature drops to 15 degrees. But in the southern regions, where frosts come very late, you can try to plant a tree in mid-autumn.

Grafting an apple tree in the fall

Autumn surgery is less common than spring surgery. Since it is difficult to predict the beginning of frost, this phenomenon is unpredictable. But sometimes there are situations when it is impossible to get cuttings of the desired variety in another period of the year, so there is no other way out. You should vaccinate about a month before setting the temperature outside to +5.

Important! To prevent rot formation, the "operation" should be performed at a height of at least 25 cm.

For vaccinations in the fall, you can use the following methods:

• after harvesting, until the fall of leaves, grafting can be carried out in any way of copulation;
• for peephole inoculation, the best period is the end of August - the second half of September;
• bark grafting should be done in late summer, early September and early August.

Important! As practice shows, 100% engraftment of grafts is ensured if the vaccination is done before the onset of an average temperature of +10 degrees.

How to make

So, we need a harvesting from the most fruiting plant. It needs to be cleaned of all adhering dirt.

To make the required cuts, you need to have a sharpened knife.

The grafting site must be washed with boiled water and wiped with a napkin (clean cloth).

The bark is done as follows:

• A branch is cut down on a tree trunk, it will be a stock. The length of the remainder must be at least 70 cm;
• The saw cut is cleaned with a knife;
• A 6-7 cm long cut is made in the rootstock bark. The knife must be brought to the wood under the bark;
• The bark moves apart and a stalk is inserted into it, the lower end of which is sharpened;
• The vaccination site is tied.

From above, everything is covered with garden pitch.

If the diameter of the stock is very large, then several cuttings can be grafted onto it at once.

What rootstocks can be used for apple trees

The ideal and familiar option for everyone is considered to be rootstocks from cultivated varieties of apple trees or adult trees. But grafting can also be carried out on a "wild game" that has grown in the forest or sprouted independently from seeds.

Grafting to fruit trees

Grafting to fruit trees

Not only apple trees can be grafted onto an apple tree. Sometimes alternative non-native grafts are used, and the result pleases the owner. For our area, there are several alternative options that you can use:

• hawthorn;
• red and black chokeberry;
• quince;
• viburnum;
• pear.

Grafts to barren trees

Experienced gardeners and not only have a separate interest in the implementation of apple grafts to wild barren trees, for example, to birch. In essence, birch will be a very good stock, as it is a weed among trees, grows well and quickly, does not get sick. Having a fruit tree with similar resilience characteristics is everyone's dream.

But as practice shows, such vaccinations are very difficult to be vaccinated. In 70-80%, birch simply rejects the apple tree. It is for this reason that grafting on wild barren trees is not recommended.

Grafts to barren trees

Performing foreign vaccinations

When choosing foreign grafts, certain nuances are taken into account:

1. Operations performed not according to the classic apple-on-apple tree are not as durable.
2. The apple tree takes root on the chokeberry much worse than on the ordinary (red) one;
3. By grafting an apple tree onto a mountain ash, you can increase its frost resistance, but you should be prepared for the fact that the fruits begin to shrink. A similar problem can happen with viburnum, hawthorn and quince.
4. When grafting an apple tree on a quince, you should be prepared for the fact that the probability of survival is low, and the yield is very low.
5. A pear takes root better if you take an apple tree for the scion, but on the contrary, the operation ends in luck less often, but the apples will be juicier and tastier.

Despite everything, inoculations with foreign cultures are carried out quite often. This question is especially relevant if there is a desire, for example, to cut down an unnecessary mountain ash. The best methods of grafting on foreign rootstocks are:

• into cleavage;
• in the side cut;
• for the bark;
• improved copulation.

Operation options

Despite the existence of several options, in fact there are only two of them:

• Budding - with an eye;
• Copulation - with a handle.

The first option is usually used in the springtime, for the autumn, the second method is recommended. At the same time, there are many varieties of the method, but further only the simplest ones will be considered, which even inexperienced gardeners can do.

The easiest option is when both trees are of the same diameter and age. The rootstock stem and the scion stalk are cut at the same oblique angle. After that, both components are applied to each other and fixed.

Important. It should be applied immediately after cutting, otherwise the cut site will quickly oxidize, this will greatly complicate engraftment.

There is an improved version - the cut is made in the form of a zigzag, after which, again, both sides are applied and secured.

In some cases, the rootstock diameter is slightly larger. Experienced gardeners recommend using the splitting method - the trunk is split across. Splitting can also be done crosswise. A stalk is inserted into the split, the lower end is cut obliquely on both sides.

Features of summer vaccination

In the summer, the second sap flow takes place. It falls in late July - early August. In June, engraftment will be a little more difficult, but during this period a similar procedure can be performed. For this period, it is ideal to use the apple budding method. In the southern regions, this period falls on the end of August - beginning of September.

Features of summer vaccination

The main feature of the summer treatment is the use of fresh young green cuttings. Green cuttings must meet the following requirements:

• annual shoots longer than 30 cm;
• the cuttings must be fully formed and healthy;
• the cut diameter should be about 5-6 cm;
• the material must be harvested from the south side.

For the summer operation, you should use fresh shoots that are harvested on the day of the procedure.

Scion preparation

A graft is a cutting, which, with the help of certain manipulations, is "grafted" to another tree. Preparing a scion yourself is not difficult at all. First, you will need to find a healthy apple tree with excellent yields.

Cuttings are cut only from a healthy apple tree. They must meet the following requirements:

• the length should vary between 25-30 cm;
• after the completion of the budding procedure, there must be at least five healthy buds on the shoot;
• for cutting cuttings, only samples are selected, the thickness of which varies within 1-1.3 cm.

It is not recommended to cut the cuttings without calculating their quantity in advance. It is impossible to store cuttings for a long time, therefore, it is not necessary to make cuts again without special need.

Novice gardeners should take into account that cuttings are not subject to long-term storage, so you need to cut as many of them as you plan to use.