GRAFTING

So you would like to know how to graft trees so that you can do some experimenting. Lets talk about cleft grafting and how it’s done. First let me say that you should do this in the late winter or early spring when the buds are swelling and the bark is still tight on the wood. The scion should be dormant. (Scion is the piece you are grafting on to the root stock.) You need a sharp knife, a grafting chisel, a hammer or mallet, a small wedge 3" long, a pruning saw and some grafting or bees wax. At this point you are ready to start grafting, however, I would suggest, if possible, that you ask a nurseryman to let you watch him do some grafting first.

Lets just graft a scion to a limb and see what happens. Pick a limb approximately 2" to 2½” in diameter and with a sharp saw cut it off squarely where it’s straight with no crooks or bends. Prepare two scions (scions should be 4 to 6 inches long) by cutting a tapered end at least 1½” long on each one. There should be 2 or 3 buds on each scion, above the tapered end. Split the end of the limb with the grafting chisel and hold it open with the wedge. Insert one scion on each side of the split limb so that the cambium layer on the scion (the growing layer between the outer bark and the wood) is touching the cambium layer of the limb. When you have the scions placed properly remove the wedge and the pressure will hold them. Now generously cover the entire graft with the wax and keep an eye on things as the grow together. Grafting really isn’t that hard and is lots of fun to watch as something you created grow and produce fruit.