With the onset of spring, the time for tree grafting begins. There are many techniques that allow you to do this with a high probability of scion engraftment, varying in complexity. A novice gardener can try grafting with a drill. This method is designed for a thick rootstock, significantly larger in diameter than the scion.
What to prepare:
- a drill with a drill of smaller diameter than the scion;
- sharp knife;
- garden var;
- grafting tape.
Drill grafting process
The rootstock trunk is drilled through tangentially so that the middle of the hole is as close as possible to the bark, namely its green cambium layer. To do this, use a clean drill, preferably sterilized with alcohol. It is important that the hole is drilled with a slight downward slope.
The compressed wood fibers at the entrance and exit of the hole are trimmed and removed with a sharp knife.
Next, the scion is cut lengthwise at a slight angle. The cut part should be 10 mm longer than the width of the hole in the rootstock. It is important not to touch the cut surfaces with your hands and carry out cutting with a knife wiped with alcohol.
The reverse side of the scion from the cut is carefully cleared of the upper hard bark. It is necessary to expose the green layer of cambium underneath.At the same time, the scion is shortened. You need to leave no more than 4 eyes. The scion is then inserted into the hole. Its cambium should be adjacent to the cambium under the bark of the rootstock.
After this, the graft is tightly wrapped with grafting tape. You need to wrap everything up, completely eliminating air access. If there is a peephole nearby on the scion, you can also wrap it up, but do not forget to open it later when the graft takes root.
At the end, you should cover the joints between the tape and the scion with garden pitch or other paste. It will protect the graft from water leakage. The freshly cut end of the scion is also coated with varnish.
This method allows you to graft onto the trunk of an adult tree. In order for it to take root, it is necessary to remove its entire crown before doing so. Then the tree, having no other eyes, will direct all the sap to the development of the scion. If its own sprouts appear on the trunk, they must be removed immediately, since they will compete with the grafting and it may die. Grafts on such a large rootstock grow very quickly due to its developed root system, so the harvest from them should appear several seasons earlier than usual.
