Grafting Fruit Trees

Grafting fruit trees is a technique used by horticulturalists and plant enthusiasts everywhere to create or improve an existing variety of fruit tree. The only sure way to get a certain variety of fruit tree would be to graft a scion from a tree with desirable qualities (delicious fruit, heavy bearer) to a similar fruit tree with other qualities (drought resistant, dwarf).

Rootstock

Nurseries provide rootstock for grafting purposes, these rootstocks are usually propagated by some other method than “seed grown” to retain the properties of the original tree. If a rootstock were allowed to grow from seed it may not possess the same traits as the parent plant; it could develop the properties of an earlier ancestor that may not be as desirable. Cloning of the rootstock will produce an exact copy with no deviation, in plant traits, from the parent plant giving good quality with predictable grafting results.

Grafting Existing Fruit Trees

Using existing fruit trees that don’t produce well or produce low quality fruit as the scaffold for grafts will produce fruit much quicker; as the scaffold tree is already a few years old. Older fruit trees can accept grafts on limbs higher up the tree where there is newer growth to increase the possibility of a successful graft. The grafted tree, if thriving, will likely have a root system that is well adapted to the native soil, and will provide the resistance needed (drought and disease resistance) to support the new graft. Lastly, this tree will be bearing fruit in a few years rather than 10 or more years when grown from seed.

Grafting the Appropriate Tree

Trees of similar attributes (genus) must be used if a successful graft is to be made. If the scion and fruit tree are not closely related a weak graft will form that may separate and break as it grows. Always graft a known “good” combination of scion and fruit tree – for best results – because even grafting within the same genus may not prove successful.

Best Time to Graft

Grafting should take place when the fruit tree is still dormant; usually in early spring. Scion wood from the prior season can be used for the graft. Scion wood must be kept cold, moist, insect and cold damage free for best results. The carbohydrate content of winter harvested scion wood is one possible contributing factor to the higher success rate of late winter to early spring grafts. Make sure the scion isn’t cold damaged as this will cause it to form a good graft much more slowly.