How to Bud-Graft Apples
Bud grafting is a form of surgery for removing buds from one tree and placing them into another tree. Bud grafting is a common type of grafting for fruit trees including plum, apricot and apple trees, according to the Gardening Guy website. You should complete bud grafting during the summer months, when you are able to peel back the bark of the trees, and there are well established buds. You will see bud grafting results for apple trees in just a few weeks. It may take multiple attempts for a graft to take on a stock tree. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Select twigs from the donor tree that are from the current season's growth for bud sticks. Look for buds, which are located under leaves, that are green.
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2
Cut off bud sticks from the donor tree with pruning shears. Bud sticks should be about the width of a pencil and about 8 to 12 inches in length. Remove leaves from the stick. Allow 1/2 inch of the leave shaft to mean above the bud to use as a handle.
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3
Place the bud sticks in a container with water, or wrap them in wet burlap to keep them from drying out.
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4
Select the area on the stock tree, which is going to grow the bud, for placement of the bud on the tree. The bud should be grafted at least 15 inches from the trunk of the stock tree.
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Using a sharp knife, cut a "T" shape into the stock tree. The cut should go through the bark and into the wood section of the branch. The length of the cuts should be at least 1/2 inch long.
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Lift the corners of the bark with the knife to open up a small gap in which to place the graft.
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Cut off the bud from the bud stick using a sharp knife. The cut should begin below the bud and go beneath the bark and into the wood. Once the cut has gone all the way under the bud, remove the knife and cut down from the top to create a shield shaped bud section.
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Place the bud carefully into the stock tree, peeling back the corners of the bark as necessary. Work the bud down towards the bottom of the "T" using the handle still attached.
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Wrap the bud with budding strips to keep the bud in place and from drying out. Avoid wrapping over the bud and the leaf handle. The strip will disintegrate over the course of the winter. You can purchase budding strips at nurseries that sell fruit trees.
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10
Cut all the leaves off the stock tree that are beyond the graft.
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Tips & Warnings
Monitor the graft the during the first few weeks. If the bud dries out and changes color, the graft was unsuccessful. Even if the graft takes, significant growth of the bud will not occur until spring.
References
- Photo Credit Digital Vision/Digital Vision/Getty Images
