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.