How to Grow Fruit Trees From Grafts

Grafting fruit trees is the process of affixing a piece of one tree to the base of another tree. The reason to do this is to produce multiple varieties of fruit on one tree. Another reason to graft is to produce a tree that has seedless fruit. In fact, seedless fruit trees would not be able to propagate without the process of grafting. The key to successful grafting is to make certain the plants you are grafting are compatible. Do some research to make certain they are from the same genus and species.

Things You'll Need

• 2 mature fruit trees
• Fine-toothed saw
• Sphagnum moss
• Heavy-bladed knife
• Pruning seal
• Grafting tape (optional)
• Electrical tape (optional)

Instructions

Grafting Procedure

1. Collect your scion wood (the piece of one fruit tree that you will be grafting onto another fruit tree) in the winter by using a fine-tooth saw to cut a section that is ¼ to ½ inch in diameter. Make certain that your scion wood comes from last season's growth and contains several disease-free buds.

2. Immediately store your scion wood in moist sphagnum moss and put it in a refrigerator. The scion wood must stay moist until it is grafted.

3. In the spring, cut off a large weight-bearing branch of your stock tree (the main tree you are grafting on to) with a fine-tooth saw. Cut a couple of scores into the cambium (exposed cut area.) This is where your small scion wood will be wedged into. Be sure to cut your notches into the cambium on the outer edge of the stock tree. In other words, the notches should be right next to the bark.

4. Take your scion pieces and cut off the tops, taking care to leave some buds on the tiny branch. Then cut the bottoms into wedge shapes with your fine-toothed saw.

5. Take each of the wedge-shaped ends of the scions and stick them into the scored sections of the stock tree. Cover all exposed areas with pruning seal. As the tree grows, cut back any outgrowths from the stock tree so that the scion wood won't be overtaken.

Tips & Warnings

• If you live in a windy area and you see your scion wood starting to slip, purchase some grafting tape and wrap the scion securely to the stock tree. The grafting tape will decompose over time. If you need something more secure, you can use electrical tape.

• If you use electrical tape, be sure to monitor the growth of the tree and remove the tape after the scion is securely grafted and growing with the stock tree. If not, you will be restricting the growth of that portion of the tree.

References

• University of Georgia
• Do it Yourself