Like other fruit trees, cherry trees are propagated by grafting. Two plant parts - a rootstock and a scion - are combined into one. In this way, a varietal offspring of the desired variety is created.
document
The rooted part of the cherry tree is called the rootstock, also known as the wildling. The rootstock primarily determines the growth strength and intensity, it is responsible for the lifespan, willingness to bloom and yield of the future cherry tree.
Vegetatively propagated rootstocks or seedlings are used for grafting. There are slow-growing, medium-growing and strong-growing rootstocks. For the sour cherries, wild cherries, stone cherries or steppe cherries are used as a base. Rootstocks that slow down growth, such as Weiroot, GiSelA, Colt or Piku, are used for sweet cherries.
scions
Scions are the annual shoots that you cut off between December and January from the cherry tree whose properties you want to increase. The scion should be about 30-40 cm long, pencil thick and come from healthy, fertile trees. They are kept in the damp sand in a cool place over the winter.
The scions primarily indicate the following characteristics of the future cherry tree:
- taste, color and quality of the fruit,
- resistance to fungi,
- frost sensitivity.
finishing process
Refining is the actual transfer of the scions to the rootstock. The right time for this is around the end of April/beginning of May, when the cherry trees begin to sprout. The base is cut back so far before sprouting that only one guest remains next to the crown stump. This serves to supply the scion with nutrients and water. The scion is grafted onto the base by tucking it behind the bark and firmly attaching it to it.
A distinction is made between bark plugs and goat's foot plugs. While with bark grafting only the bark of the substrate is cut, with goat's foot grafting a notch is cut into the wood behind the bark. In addition, a scion can be connected to a rootstock of the same strength by means of copulation. The ends of the pieces to be connected are cut at an angle, placed on top of each other and connected. In any case, the finishing point is connected with raffia and spread with tree wax (€12.96).
Another finishing technique is called oculation. In this method, a bud, the so-called eye, is cut out of one cherry tree and placed in the other, in the bark of which a T-cut has previously been made. This type of finishing is used in summer, usually at the beginning of August, when the eyes of the noble variety have developed far enough and the bark of the rootstock can still be easily detached.
tips and tricks
The sweet cherry varieties usually need a pollinator nearby. You don't have to plant a second cherry tree for this. You can only graft individual shoots if a pollinator is missing for the first variety.