PUT TOGETHER AN ORCHARD BY YOURSELF!

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We bought several different kinds of apples that fall, decided which ones we liked best, and then returned for more the next fall. When we asked the old orchardist to sell us some wonderful grafting stock, he was notably pleased with our interest and presented them to us with his best wishes.

The Grafting Principle

Before getting into the specific techniques of grafting, it's helpful to understand the principle that lies behind it. Only one cell layer of a tree's branch or trunk is capable of healing a wound. This layer, which lies between the bark and the wood, is called the cambium. The principle of grafting is simply: 1) to cut bud-bearing pieces off of the parent tree in such a way as to expose the maximum amount of cambium, and then 2) to attach this piece to a place on the new tree where a large amount of cambium has also been exposed.

Where the two cambiums touch, the cells will multiply and fuse the two pieces into one organism. If the two cambiums don't touch, the part which was put onto the new tree will die, and the tree will just heal over the wound. Therefore, it's essential to put the grafted material in the right place, and to bind the graft tightly to keep it there.

T-bud Grafting

When it comes to dealing with young trees, try T-bud grafting. It is quick and provides greater chance for success than other grafting methods. It is also the method of choice when you plan to raise your own seedling rootstock or grow dwarf trees.

CUTTING AND WRAPPING YOUR STOCK

The first step to T-bud grafting is cutting your stock, in this case called budsticks. A budstick is a terminal shoot which is about the thickness of a pencil. You can test for bud maturity by pulling downwards on a leaf in the middle of a shoot. Buds are a good age for grafting when the leaf stem will come off cleanly, without tearing. As soon as you cut the budstick of the tree, remove the top of the shoot and the leaves, leaving about 1/4 inch of each leaf's stem to use later as a handle.

Wrap the bottoms of the budsticks in moist material and keep them in plastic bags. If they dry out, so will the buds; so do your grafting as soon as possible. Although grafting is generally done over winter, some people prefer to graft in August, when the bark of the rootstock slips easily from the wood underneath.

Make a T-shaped cut through the rootstock's bark at least four inches above the ground, by pressing the bark with a knife. Make your cuts quickly and smoothly with a very sharp knife (ripped or bruised tissue may not heal, and if you make the cut on the north side of the tree, the graft will be less likely to dry out). With your knife blade, lift the flaps that you've just made in order to loosen them, and then cut a bud shield from your budstick. (Don't use fruit buds because they'll bloom in the spring instead of making a shoot right away.)

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