How to Bud-Graft Walnut Varieties
Walnuts, members of the genus Juglans, are often prized for their wildlife value and for human consumption. Although walnut trees can be grown from seed, vegetative propagation guarantees that the desirable characteristics of a parent tree will be represented on the new tree. Budding is a type of grafting that incorporates attaching a small scion from the desired parent tree to a properly selected and prepared rootstock. Walnut, with its thick bark, should be grafted using the patch budding technique for the greatest likelihood of success. Do this in late summer, early fall or spring as long as the bark is slipping, or actively growing. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Grafting knife
- Twin-bladed (double-bladed) knife
- Pruning shears or sharp, strong scissors
- Damp material (cloth, peat moss in bag, etc.)
- Wrapping
Instructions
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Select and prepare the bud stick. Choose young growth of about the same diameter as the rootstock that has well-spaced buds growing singly rather than in clusters. Two to three weeks before performing the procedure, cut the leaves off of the bud sticks but leave the leaf petioles attached.
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2
Cut the bud stick off the parent tree. If the budding will not be performed immediately, keep the bud stick moist by wrapping it in a damp material, and keeping it out of extreme heat and direct light.
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3
Remove the bud from the bud stick. Use the twin-bladed knife to make parallel, inch-long cuts spaced evenly above and below a bud from the middle of the bud stick. Use a sharp grafting knife to make a vertical cut at each end of the horizontal cuts about 1 inch apart, essentially cutting a square patch. Push the bud sideways gently to remove the bud and created patch from the bud stick. Make sure that the core of the bud stays on the removed patch.
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Prepare the understock by making a patch similar to the patch cut from the bud stick. Make a 1-inch-long double cut with the twin-bladed knife in a clean, straight-grained section of the understock. Make one vertical cut to connect the two cuts and raise the bark gently with the point of the knife to create a flap.
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Place the patch with bud on the cut section of the rootstock.
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Crease, and tear or cut off the bark flap, leaving a slight amount that overlaps with the patch.
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Seal the bud patch tightly, leaving the bud itself exposed. Use budding tape, rubber budding strips, masking tape or electric tape. Apply the wrapping material so that it overlaps itself and can effectively seal out air and prevent desiccation.
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Care for the plant following the union. Lightly nick the bud patch with a knife about three weeks after performing the procedure, to check for green tissue, which indicates that the union was successful. If the wrapping material is durable, remove it once the bud wood begins to grow, to prevent girdling.
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Tips & Warnings
Perform the bud patch removal and union as quickly as possible to prevent drying and increase the likelihood of a successful union.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
