Unusual vaccinations - the path to tree stunting

The dream of every amateur gardener is to plant and grow dwarf apple and pear trees in his garden.

Dwarf trees, compared to vigorous ones, have a number of significant advantages: smaller tree size, placement of more trees in the same area, earlier onset of fruiting, higher yield per unit area, larger fruit size and better quality, smaller root system , which makes it possible to grow such trees in low, swampy areas with high groundwater levels. However, growing dwarf fruit trees poses significant difficulties. First, you must have dwarf clonal rootstocks obtained by rooting layerings or woody and green cuttings, which takes at least two years. It can also be grafted onto dwarf inserts, 15-20 cm long, previously grafted onto ordinary seed rootstocks, which also takes at least two years. Secondly, dwarf rootstocks and inserts have very fragile wood, and very often, after strong winds, trees grafted onto them break even in the nursery, which requires them to be tied to stakes. In addition, the winter hardiness of the wood and roots of existing clonal rootstocks is not very high.

Is it possible to somehow get a dwarf tree from a young vigorous fruit tree? It turns out that it is possible. I first read about this in 1963 in the then just published book “Reproduction of Garden Plants” by American authors H. T. Hartmann and D. E. Koestler. By the way, I consider this book to be the best of the books on this topic published to date. In the spring of 1964, I had already started an experiment on this transformation of vigorous grafted trees (4 two-year-olds and 2 three-year-olds) and continued it until 1972.

What is the essence of such a transformation? At a height of 20-25 cm from the soil surface, a strictly horizontal circular cut of the bark is made on the tree trunk, and here, but already 10-15 cm above the first cut, a parallel, similar cut of the bark is made. To better maintain horizontality, a cardboard template can be used, which is wound onto the tree trunk before cutting the bark. A vertical cut is made from the upper annular cut to the lower one, thereby violating the integrity of the bark ring. You should mark the top and bottom of the ring with a ballpoint pen, felt-tip pen or other writing object. Then carefully use a grafting knife to separate the bark from the wood along the entire perimeter of the ring, remove it and, turning it upside down, insert it in its original place. The ring should fit snugly against the wood. To do this, it is tightly tied with twine, and the wounds are covered with varnish or wrapped “tightly” with strips of rubber (in this case, varnish may not be used). To reduce transpiration, it is advisable to also wrap the wound with strips of plastic film. You can also use the following strapping technology. Initially, secure the ring with small small nails, and then, since when wrapping the bark ring with twine or rubber, the bark is partially injured, it is advisable to first wrap the bark ring with strips of plastic film and only then wrap it with twine or rubber over it. The film and tourniquet are applied so that they grip both the upper and lower ends of the ring well. This operation is best achieved in early spring at the beginning of sap flow at the time of swelling of the buds. The operation is not so complicated and can be easily carried out by any amateur gardener with basic grafting skills.

As a result of such grafting, due to a change in the normal polarity of the bark ring, difficulty is observed in the transport of growth substances - auxin and photosynthesis products to the root, which leads to the effect of dwarfism of the tree. At the same time, the size of the crown and root is significantly reduced, the onset of fruiting is accelerated, the fruits become larger and the yield increases. But this eliminates the low winter hardiness and fragility inherent in clonal rootstocks.

However, such an operation can be fraught with some troubles. So, with a wide ring, the dwarfing effect can be so strong that the root will simply starve and will not be able to feed the crown. Usually, wild shoots grow below the grafting site on the trunk, which are not affected by the ring. These shoots also feed the roots with the products of photosynthesis. By regulating the number and size of these shoots, normal nutrition of the roots and normal growth of the crown can be achieved. In the case of a narrow ring, it sometimes happens (usually after 2-3 years) that the normal conductivity of the pathways is restored in the phloem of the bark of this ring, and the tree begins to grow strongly again.

When setting up my experiment, I used rings with a width of 10, 15 and 20 cm, using two trees for each ring. Indeed, already in the first year, by the end of the growing season, there was a sharp decrease in the growth of all shoots and the formation of fruit buds. On trees with a wide ring of bark, shoot growth was minimal. In the second year after the operation, all the experimental trees began to bear fruit; the size of the fruits on them was indeed somewhat larger. Starting from the first year, growth of wild shoots was observed on all trees below the grafting site, and influxes of varying sizes were observed above. By the fifth year, one tree with a bark ring 10 cm wide and by the seventh year another tree with the same ring width began to produce large growths, characteristic of vigorous trees, i.e. lost the property of dwarfism. One tree with a bark ring of 20 cm for two years had a depressed state and a very large influx above the grafting site, its growth was minimal, and fruiting was very poor. There was clearly severe starvation of the root of this tree. After a significant number of shoots grew below the grafting site in this tree, most of them were left to feed the root. As a result, the tree straightened out and began to grow and bear fruit normally, like other experienced trees. Until the end of the experiment in 1972, all trees that showed dwarfism, with a reasonable number of wild shoots, grew well and bore fruit. In 1972, during the uprooting of the garden, two such trees were dug up to study the root system. It turned out that the size of the root system actually decreased compared to that for vigorous trees.

For trees that have again shown strong growth, a second operation can be performed, but not on the trunk, but on the skeletal branches of the crown. In addition, to prevent such a return to vigorous growth, it is advisable to work with a ring 20-25 cm wide.

V. N. Shalamov

In the process of grafting different crops, gardeners have to solve complex problems using non-standard technologies.

Instead of varnish - sealant

I do not graft simultaneously with pruning, in one day, but over the course of one to two months, in stages.

First stage of vaccination fruit tree begins to mature in early spring, when there is no need to fear frosts below 10°C. At this time I begin pruning for future grafting. I cut it so that the cutting area is minimal; often the cut is parallel to the ground. Then I sweep away the sawdust and paint the cut with white PF-115 paint. Since the wood absorbs paint, after 2-3 days I paint the cut again.

To the second stage of vaccination I start when sap flow begins, and sometimes a little earlier. This is the grafting into the cleft itself (in the literature it is called “grafting into the peripheral half-split”), although I perform it with some of my innovations.

My split never goes through the center of the rootstock. I'll explain why. The split should gently grasp, and not squeeze, and especially not pinch the handle. With a soft grip, the cutting can be pulled out of the split with little effort without tearing its bark. Therefore, my split runs no more than 10 mm from the edge of the cut. After this, I insert the cutting at an angle of 5–100 from the axis of the branch and cover the split on all sides, top and bottom. I do without garden varnish; I give preference to “Universal Sealant” produced by Altair CJSC (Kopeysk, Chelyabinsk region). Actually, as you can see from the manufacturer's instructions, this sealant is window putty. Unlike garden varnish, it does not flow in the sun and does not harden, but it compacts the grafting site perfectly. I apply a drop of PF-115 paint to the upper end of the cutting.

The cuttings begin to vegetate after 1.5 weeks. At the same time, below the grafting site, tops begin to grow from dormant buds. Do not remove them under any circumstances, as the tops help draw nutrients to the cutting. Once, following one of the recommendations, I removed the tops, and the cuttings that had begun to vegetate dried up. But you can’t let the tops grow freely either.

What to do? You need to break the top at the base so that it hangs “by a thread” without drying out. The tops can be completely removed next year. The number of successful (accepted) vaccinations when using this method reaches 90 out of 100.

Grafting only with cuttings with apex

Previously, I had tried more than once to graft cherries with summer budding, but soon gave up: in recent years, the summer has been hot, the survival rate of the bud is poor, and there are a lot of other concerns at this time.

I believe that spring grafting with cuttings is a universal technology for all types of fruits, including stone fruits. I even grafted gooseberries and created standard forms. I graft cherries, sweet cherries and all other crops in April using the improved copulation method.

Grafting of home and garden trees

In the spring, before active sap flow begins, not only garden trees are grafted, but also crops growing at home. The choice of method of carrying out the procedure depends on the purpose:

• crossing fruit tree species;
• improvement of varietal qualities;
• rejuvenation of old trees with young scions;
• grafting wild game to produce a harvest.

The rootstock is the tree that will be grafted. A scion is a cutting of a new species or variety used to improve the taste of the fruit or the characteristics of the plant.

Grafting of citrus and exotic domestic trees

Heat-loving citrus fruits and exotic plants are almost impossible to grow in Russia due to the unsuitable climate for them. But this can easily be done in an apartment.

When growing crops such as tangerine, lemon, mango or pomegranate at home, you must remember that wild plants grown from seeds will produce inedible fruits or will not bloom at all. That is why the vaccination procedure is mandatory for them.

Grafting of domestic crops with cuttings

This method is the most effective due to its high survival rate and complete preservation of genetic material. Cuttings are most often grafted by copulation or into a split, but for domestic citrus fruits it is better to graft by the bark.

The grafting material can be borrowed from friends or from the nearest botanical garden. Ordering cuttings by mail is very risky, since they may die during transit, and you will not be able to find out what tree they were cut from.

Citrus bud grafting

You can also use the budding method - bud grafting. You can get grafting material from a young tree without cutting off an entire cutting. Home crops tolerate the procedure quite well if it is carried out correctly. For more information on citrus fruit budding methods, see the article on lemon grafting.

Sharon persimmon grafting

If you want to grow a persimmon from a purchased fruit by planting a seed in a pot, the plant will also need to be grafted, otherwise it will grow wild and will not bear fruit in 80% of cases. Vaccination is carried out in any convenient way, including grafting pruners.

Compatible plants that can be grafted

Many gardeners are interested in the question: what crops are compatible for grafting, what can be used for rootstock and scion? You can always use the same types of plants, but different varieties. This is done to obtain, change or improve varietal characteristics.

You will probably be interested in an article about grafting apple trees and other fruit trees, which describes in detail the procedure, the tool used, and the means for processing.

You can also experiment with different types of fruit trees, but it should be taken into account that some plants react quite aggressively to the engraftment of any cuttings, while others are capable of even taking on a different species.

Most often, grafting of fruit crops in the garden is used to rejuvenate a variety or replace it with a more valuable one. If you want to get a completely different plant in the shortest possible time, you can use a scion of a different type. For example, in the place of an apple tree, a pear or cotoneaster will take root well, and chokeberry will easily accept red rowan.

Cuttings are used to graft fruit trees in the garden. If the rootstock is young and its diameter coincides with the scion, then it is better to use improved copulation (with a gap). When the tree is old enough, grafting into a split or behind the bark is suitable.

Everyone would like the trees on their tree to please them every year with an abundant and high-quality harvest, never grow old, and any variety they like to take root easily and quickly. It is quite possible to make all these dreams come true if you are an expert. Let's look into the nuances of this subtle and very fascinating matter.

The main rule of breeders is to graft like onto like. In this case, a successful result is guaranteed, since intraspecific vaccinations always grow together easily and bear fruit well.

Important! Internatal vaccinations are considered the most difficult, but quite realistic. For example, growing on, although it sounds like a fragment from a fantasy series, is quite possible. But such combinations are very short-lived. Cause- in the discrepancy between the development coefficient of the wood of the rootstock and scion. Over time, this graft turns into a thick log, which becomes too much for the thin leg.

The desired result can be obtained not only by crossing varietal and wild ones, but also in tandem of interspecific specimens. Recently, gardeners have been experimenting more and more, grafting on quince.

This combination is attractive due to the special taste characteristics of the fruit, which become more pronounced. It is almost impossible to achieve this when fused with wild animals.

Experts emphasize that in most cases it is used as a rootstock for and- on which the cutting you like takes root.
This variation is very successful for intervarietal and interspecific combinations, since the tree provides good nutrition to the scion, which, in turn, quickly absorbs useful microelements and forms an improved harvest.

But it is impossible to grow quince sprouts on a pear. This happens extremely rarely, even among professionals.

Cherry plum

A surefire option is to cross two varieties of this variety. But as a result of numerous experiments, botanists have proven that cherry plum is the best rootstock for most stone fruit crops.

Important! Vaccinations are best done at 4-5-year-old seedlings, since a too young, underdeveloped tree is not yet ready to grow together, and older specimens are already sufficiently formedfor this purpose. The older the rootstock, the more difficult it is to achieve results.

The reasons for the popularity of the rootstock are:

• high survival rate of cuttings;
• increased productivity of the future scion;
• improved taste and larger fruit sizes;
• increasing drought and frost resistance of the scion;
• the presence of fewer root shoots.

Experienced gardeners speak well of those grafted on, and. At the same time, the effectiveness of the latter combination is noted only in warm regions where there are no harsh winters.

It is also recommended to use semi-wild varieties of cherry plum for grafting.

Plum

Having become interested in higher gardening, many lovers of experiments combine incompatible things and, of course, become disappointed in the undertaking.

So that we don’t have to regret wasted time, we asked experts what can be instilled in.

In one of the largest garden nurseries in the country, we were advised to grow on this rootstock and.
And if you want to get something interesting from varietal plums, then it is better to graft on seedlings of large-fruited cherry plums. An excellent nutrient material for splicing is the rootstock VVA-1, SVG-11-19.

Important! It is better to plan the grafting of fruit crops in the spring, when the circulation of juice in the trunks begins and occurs very intensively. Summer experiments often fail due to dehydration, and autumn ones - due to early frosts.

These are the most common variations at the amateur level. Moreover, tandems of wild animals with hybrids and different varieties are allowed.

Did you know? Scientists have been able to prove that all plants transmit information about the amount of ultraviolet radiation received. This process occurs due to an internal mechanism reminiscent of the nervous system of primitive living organisms. For example, when light hit only one leaf, a violent chemical reaction occurred in the others. In addition, it was different in the color of the irradiation.

But this is still an incomplete list of what can be grafted onto. It turns out amazing when combining it with cherry plum and plum. Moreover, in these cases the reverse option is also allowed.

And if you want to get a dwarf, very winter-hardy tree with a branched, variegated crown, try merging it with thorns.
In regions with moderate climatic conditions, “Korostynsky” cherry varieties are ideal for grafting, as well as cloned rootstocks “Izmailovskaya (PN)”, “Rubin”, AVCh-2, VP-1.

Cherries

If you do not deviate from the key rule of gardeners, then the ideal option for cherry cuttings are frost-resistant varieties.

And when you want to expand the horizons of gardening possibilities, you can try to plant them on either cherry plum. These variations are welcomed among industry professionals because they have good survival rate and the ability to collect different types of fruits from one tree every year.

The only requirement for the scion: it must have good immunity and endurance to unfavorable cultivation conditions.

Did you know? In order to get results from grafted plants, you will need 4-5 years.

Experienced gardeners can try to grow with a plum, using the latter as a rootstock. This combination requires a lot of effort and knowledge, but the result is worth it.

Pear

The easiest way is to splice different ones. It truly brings pleasure with maximum effect. For such combinations, gardeners give preference to the varieties “Svetlyanka”, “Lesnaya”, “Tenderness”, which are used for rootstock.
A good result is obtained when grafted onto quince. Such a shoot never grows tall, its fruits ripen much faster than usual and have a slightly tart, pleasant taste.

Well, if you ask, “Can you graft onto a pear?”, you will get a clear answer: “Yes.” The most common combination, which is characterized by the rapid fusion of rootstock and scion, is considered to be apple varieties “Melba”, “Vityaz”, and pear varieties “Kadefralnaya”.

Experts warn about the high yield of grafting, so they advise you to support the scion branches in time, since the risk of them breaking off is very high.

Did you know? The foliage on plants is located in a clear order: at a specific angle, at the same distance from each other, clockwise or counterclockwise. Mathematicians managed to describe these facts as fractions using Fibonacci numbers. For example, the angle between the leaves is 2/5, the angle between the leaves is 5/13, and the angle between the leaves is 3/8. Botanists translate these values ​​as the plant’s effective ability to receive ultraviolet light and moisture.

It is allowed to engraft pear cuttings on, and even

The dream of every amateur gardener is to plant and grow dwarf apple and pear trees in their garden.
Dwarf trees, compared to vigorous ones, have a number of significant advantages: smaller tree size, placement of more trees in the same area, earlier onset of fruiting, higher yield per unit area, larger fruit size and better quality, smaller root system , which makes it possible to grow such trees in low, swampy areas with high groundwater levels. However, growing dwarf fruit trees poses significant difficulties. First, you must have dwarf clonal rootstocks obtained by rooting layerings or woody and green cuttings, which takes at least two years. It can also be grafted onto dwarf inserts, 15-20 cm long, previously grafted onto ordinary seed rootstocks, which also takes at least two years. Secondly, dwarf rootstocks and inserts have very fragile wood, and very often, after strong winds, trees grafted onto them break even in the nursery, which requires them to be tied to stakes. In addition, the winter hardiness of the wood and roots of existing clonal rootstocks is not very high.
Is it possible to somehow get a dwarf tree from a young vigorous fruit tree? It turns out that it is possible. I first read about this in 1963 in the then just published book “Reproduction of Garden Plants” by American authors H.T. Hartman and D.E. Koestler. By the way, I consider this book to be the best of the books published to date on this topic. In the spring of 1964, I had already started an experiment on this transformation of 6 vigorous grafted trees (4 two-year-olds and 2 three-year-olds) and continued it until 1972.
What is the essence of such a transformation? At a height of 20-25 cm from the soil surface, a strictly horizontal circular cut of the bark is made on the tree trunk, and here, but already 10-15 cm above the first cut, a parallel, similar cut of the bark is made. To better maintain horizontality, a cardboard template can be used, which is wound onto the tree trunk before cutting the bark. A vertical cut is made from the upper annular cut to the lower one, thereby violating the integrity of the bark ring (Fig. 1). You should mark the top and bottom of the ring with a ballpoint pen, felt-tip pen or other writing object. Then carefully use a grafting knife to separate the bark from the wood along the entire perimeter of the ring, remove it and, turning it upside down, insert it in its original place. The ring should fit snugly against the wood. To do this, it is tightly tied with twine, and the wounds are covered with varnish or wrapped “tightly” with strips of rubber (in this case, varnish may not be used). To reduce transpiration, it is advisable to also wrap the wound with strips of plastic film. You can also use the following strapping technology. Initially, secure the ring with small small nails, and then, since when wrapping the bark ring with twine or rubber, the bark is partially injured, it is advisable to first wrap the bark ring with strips of plastic film and only then wrap it with twine or rubber over it. The film and tourniquet are applied so that they grip both the upper and lower ends of the ring well. This operation is best achieved in early spring at the beginning of sap flow at the time of swelling of the buds. The operation is not so complicated and can be easily carried out by any amateur gardener with basic grafting skills.
As a result of such grafting, due to a change in the normal polarity of the bark ring, difficulty is observed in the transport of growth substances - auxin and photosynthesis products to the root, which leads to the effect of dwarfing the tree (Fig. 2). At the same time, the size of the crown and root is significantly reduced, the onset of fruiting is accelerated, the fruits become larger and the yield increases (Fig. 3). But this eliminates the low winter hardiness and fragility inherent in clonal rootstocks.
However, such an operation can be fraught with some troubles. So, with a wide ring, the dwarfing effect can be so strong that the root will simply starve and will not be able to feed the crown. Usually, wild shoots grow below the grafting site on the trunk, which are not affected by the ring. These shoots also feed the roots with the products of photosynthesis. By regulating the number and size of these shoots, normal nutrition of the roots and normal growth of the crown can be achieved. In the case of a narrow ring, it sometimes happens (usually after 2-3 years) that the normal conductivity of the pathways is restored in the phloem of the bark of this ring, and the tree begins to grow strongly again.
When setting up my experiment, I used rings with a width of 10, 15 and 20 cm, using two trees for each ring. Indeed, already in the first year, by the end of the growing season, there was a sharp decrease in the growth of all shoots and the formation of fruit buds. On trees with a wide ring of bark, shoot growth was minimal. In the second year after the operation, all the experimental trees began to bear fruit; the size of the fruits on them was indeed somewhat larger. Starting from the first year, growth of wild shoots was observed on all trees below the grafting site, and influxes of varying sizes were observed above. By the fifth year, one tree with a bark ring 10 cm wide and by the seventh year another tree with the same ring width began to produce large growths, characteristic of vigorous trees, i.e. lost the property of dwarfism. One tree with a bark ring of 20 cm for two years had a depressed state and a very large influx above the grafting site, its growth was minimal, and fruiting was very poor. There was clearly severe starvation of the root of this tree. After a significant number of shoots grew below the grafting site in this tree, most of them were left to feed the root. As a result, the tree straightened out and began to grow and bear fruit normally, like other experienced trees. Until the end of the experiment in 1972, all trees that showed dwarfism, with a reasonable number of wild shoots, grew well and bore fruit. In 1972, during the uprooting of the garden, two such trees were dug up to study the root system. It turned out that the size of the root system actually decreased compared to that for vigorous trees.
For trees that have again shown strong growth, a second operation can be performed, but not on the trunk, but on the skeletal branches of the crown. In addition, to prevent such a return to vigorous growth, it is advisable to work with a ring 20-25 cm wide.