Young trees are grafted to preserve and propagate this delicious fruit tree variety. After a short time they delight with juicy fruits. In this article you will learn how to do this in just a few simple steps.
preparation
Cut the scions in February when the weather is favourable. If the soil is frost-free, cut off one-year shoots. You need about two to three per plum tree. These are stored in a cool cellar or hanging in a deep well until the beginning of May. To do this, hit the sand about 10 to 15 centimeters deep.
Choice of shoots:
- Location: from upper part of crown
- Size: pencil thick
- Characteristics: narrow eyes
- without flower buds
- free from pests and healthy knots
Storage of scion:
- cool but frost-free
- slightly damp
Grafting in late spring
On a dry and sunny day graft your sapling just under the bark. This method is one of the simplest and brings good results.
In the first step you throw off the crown of the plum tree. A higher, central branch is shortened at the top for this purpose. A targeted cut is then made at the desired location. Then round off the edges with a sharp knife.
Tip:
Select this leading branch when pruning in the fall. Neighboring branches are cut much shorter. This means that they do not impede growth during spring.
Sharpen the scion on the underside. To do this, the tree bark is scraped off about two to three centimeters. The rest of the shoot needs about two to four eyes. Ideally, these are already a little swollen.
Important:
Do not touch the interface with your fingers.
They loosen a little bark in two or three places on the tree. One shoot is inserted into the opening. They should line up tightly with the bark cracks. This means that neither air nor water gets to the finishing points.
Fixing the shoots
- bast
- tree wax
Wrap the trunk tightly with bast. Then seal the wounds watertight with tree wax.(12.96€) The shoots grow within 8 to 10 weeks. Cut open the bandage.
tips and tricks
In principle, all fruit trees should be grafted on related varieties.