To get a seedling of the fruit tree you like, you don’t need to grow a rootstock from a seed and know how to graft. There is a simpler way that allows you to form a seedling with almost one hundred percent survival rate.
What you will need:
- knife;
- plastic bag;
- lace or thread;
- priming;
- small wood shavings;
- pot or bag for seedlings.
The process of obtaining seedlings
The method involves the formation of a seedling with roots from a living tree branch. It can be used from spring until almost the end of summer. A fairly even branch 1-2 years old is selected from the mother tree. Using a sharp knife, remove the bark from it in a circle the width of 2 fingers. You need to cut off the top bark and the green cambium underneath.
Then take a small tied plastic bag with moistened soil. It is advisable to mix the soil in it with small wood shavings so that it sticks together in a lump. The bag is cut lengthwise, and the part of the branch stripped of bark is placed in the cut. Then the branch is sprinkled with soil, the walls of the bag are brought together and it is wrapped in lace.
After 1.5-2 months, fairly large roots will appear inside the bag along the cut of the bark.
The branch is cut below the bag and the polyethylene is removed. The branches from the seedling need to be shortened, since the small root will not be able to supply them with sufficient water.
The seedling is first dipped with its root in water for a minute, then planted in a pot or seedling bag.
For this purpose, soil with shavings is used. In the pot, the seedling takes root and strengthens. By winter it needs to be lowered into a cellar or basement. In the spring, since there are shavings in the soil, the seedling is easily removed from the pot along with the soil and planted.
