How to Graft Fruit Plants

Many fruit trees do not come true from seed---the seeds from a Braeburn apple won't necessarily produce Braeburn apple trees---but one way that home gardeners can propagate their favorite varieties of fruit plants is by grafting. Grafting joins a cutting (also called a scion) from one tree onto the rootstock of another, and it can be a useful tool in preserving heirloom or wild varieties of fruit plants.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Knife Pruning shears Scion Rootstock Grafting tape Paper towels Plastic bag

1. Collect a scion from the plant you wish to propagate. This is best done in the winter, when the tree is dormant. Using sharp pruning shears or a knife, cut off a twig of first-year growth, 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter.

2. Store the scion in the refrigerator, wrapped in moist paper towels in an loose plastic bag. Your goal is to keep it cool and keep it from drying out or rotting.

3. Prepare your rootstock. In the early spring, after your rootstock has leafed out but before it has blossomed, make a straight, horizontal cut where you would like to graft your scion. This can be done on a side branch or, in the case of saplings, on the main trunk. The grafting site on the rootstock should be of roughly the same diameter as the scion. After making the first horizontal cut, split the rootstock vertically, cutting about 1 inch down.

4. Make two cuts on the end of your scion to create a wedge. Each cut should be at a 45-degree angle.

5. Gently push the scion into the split rootstock. The cambium (a layer of cells between the bark and the inner wood) must match up, so sap can flow between the rootstock and the scion and the wound can heal.

6. Wrap the union in grafting tape (also called tree tape) to keep out bacteria and assist in healing.

7. Water well and, if possible, keep the newly grafted tree out of the hot sun. Within a few weeks, you should see buds forming on the scion. If any growth occurs below the grafting site, rub it off, or else it may overtake the scion.

8. Remove the grafting tape when the wound is completely healed shut. This may take a few weeks or a few months.

Tips & Warnings

• Always graft compatible trees. Two varieties of the same species work well (for instance, a Honeycrisp apple scion may be grafted onto a Gala apple tree rootstock), and you may be able to graft two tree that are in the same genus but that are different species (apples and pears, for example). To avoid damaging the wood, your knife and shears must be as sharp as you can get them.