With good care, 1 acre of garden planted columnar apple trees, harvest from 1 to 2 tons of apples. Many summer residents have questions about how to graft a columnar apple tree, what material to use for the rootstock (dwarf, semi-dwarf). The yield of the future apple tree, resistance to diseases, low temperatures, and drought depend on the rootstock.
What does it mean to graft an apple tree?
Grafting is one of the methods of breeding work. It is used to cross plants of the same or different species.Basic terms that a novice gardener should know:
- scion;
- rootstock;
- budding;
- copulation.
A scion is a bud or cutting of an apple tree whose fruits and characteristics the gardener liked. Rootstock is a plant onto which the desired variety will be grafted. Budding is grafting with a bud, copulation is with a cutting.
What can columnar varieties be grafted onto?
There is a wild animal in every garden. The question immediately arises: can a favorite variety of columnar apple tree be grafted onto it? Experienced gardeners do not recommend grafting a column onto the scion of an ordinary wild game. This can be done, but there is a high percentage of graft rejection, and if the result is positive, the characteristics of the seedling are worse than the varietal ones:
- life expectancy is shorter;
- productivity is lower.
High-quality seedlings are obtained by using two types of rootstock material. In the southern regions, the superdwarf rootstock of the Paradise Belorusskaya apple tree is used. In areas with cold winters, Budagovsky's Baby (76-6-6) performs well. As a rootstock, you can use a seedling of a varietal apple tree growing in the area.
Common methods of vaccination
At the age of 15 years, the columnar apple tree stops bearing fruit. In order not to reduce the productivity of the apple orchard, new seedlings are planted, which are obtained using grafting. Methods that a novice gardener should master:
- into the cleft;
- for the bark.
Into the cleft
This method is the simplest and shortest in time. The quality of the rootstock has little effect on survival rate. If the compatibility of the crossed crops is low, a growth may form in the grafting area. Over time (2-3 years) the influx will disappear.
It is easier to work with material of small diameter.In this case, all operations are carried out using a sharply sharpened garden knife. The best time for vaccination is from April 15 to May 31. Cuttings (L = 35 cm) are harvested at the beginning of winter, stored in the basement, refrigerator, under the snow. When harvesting, the lower edge of the cutting is cut at an acute angle (the resulting cut in length should be 3 times the diameter of the cutting), the top is cut into a bud.
At the rootstock, the trunk is cut with pruning shears (knife) at a height of 15 cm. Cut at a slight angle. The split is made exactly in the center. Its depth should be 4 times the diameter of the seedling. From 3 to 4 buds are left on the cuttings. The bottom is cut with a knife in the form of a wedge (L = 4 scion diameters), the top is cut with pruning shears.
When combining the rootstock and scion, the cambium is aligned. By inserting a wedge into the split from above, a narrow strip of the scion is left without bark. The operation site is wrapped with a strip of film and secured with electrical tape. The top cut of the cutting is covered with a layer of garden varnish.
For the bark
For the bark graft apple trees in springwhen the bark begins to easily separate from the wood layer. Cuttings are taken from the middle of the shoot. The bottom is cut with an oblique cut, its length should be 3-4 cm, and the surface should be perfectly flat. The top is shortened immediately above the 3rd kidney.
The rootstock is first sawed off (cut) at the desired height, then an incision is made in the bark by 3-4 cm, it is lightly moved to the side and the lower part of the cutting is inserted. Its cut should fit completely into the cut. The vaccination site is covered with duct tape or vaccination film.
Useful tips
Natalya: “I I propagate columnar apple trees without vaccination. Early in the spring I take a branch the diameter of my index finger. In its lower part, I remove the bark in a circle to a height of 5 mm. I moisten a piece of cotton wool with heteroauxin and tie it to a branch for a day.I grow the roots in peat, pour it into a small black bag, and place a branch in it. I keep the peat moist. Roots appear in autumn. Every 2nd seedling takes root for me.”
Alex: “I grafted Currency onto Antonovka seed rootstock. I prepared cuttings in November, took shoots of the 1st order, and stored them in sand. The seedling turned out to be successful and is already bearing fruit.”
