The main indicator of this is the discarded foliage. Therefore, to make blanks for spring vaccination Preferably no earlier than November. It is possible even at the beginning of winter. Small frosts will not be a hindrance.
The meaning of such a preparation is that annual shoots, which are used for cutting cuttings, will not die in winter if severe frosts. Also, for good survival, the scion must be in a "sleeping" state until the vaccination itself. And in the rootstock tree at the time of the procedure, there should be an active movement of juice. This can be achieved by preparing cuttings in advance.
Shank secrets
Cuttings or grafts are segments of annual stiff shoots. You need to take them from varietal trees and shrubs tested for fertility. Then we will clearly know what to expect from the grafted plant. It is advisable to take cuttings for clothespins from trees on which anti-aging pruning is carried out in a timely manner. They have stronger shoots and better developed growth buds.
It is advisable to cut the grafts from annual branches. But if this is not possible, it is possible from two-year-olds.
First of all, pay attention to the diameter of the shoot. It should be at least 6-7mm. This corresponds to the thickness of a simple pencil. The length of the branch from which scions can be taken should be at least 40-50 cm. If the shoot has damage or spots, it is better not to use it.
Our advice:
If you need to take cuttings from a young tree with a small crown, it is better to choose for this the branches that you plan to cut in the spring.
Timing of cutting cuttings for grafting
Another important nuance is the timing of cutting cuttings for different crops. First of all, we harvest grafts from plants less resistant to frost - cherries, peaches, apricots. This can be done until frosts do not exceed 5-8°C. But cuttings from apple trees, cherries, plums, pears, quinces, mountain ash can be harvested at lower temperatures (up to 15 ° C). Therefore, the first preparations are carried out from the second decade of November to mid-December (if severe frosts do not hit). For frost-resistant plants, the whole of December, and even the beginning of January, is suitable. An additional bonus will be the natural disinfection of sections. Since frost will destroy fungi and many microorganisms.
Portrait of the ideal cutting for grafting
If you have decided where to get scions, and November has already shown its harsh character, it's time to get down to business.
- A good cutting should be 30-40 cm long, with cherries it can be longer - 50-60 cm. Not less than 4-5 well-developed growth buds.
- No need to cut cuttings from the "fat" shoots. Tops are distinguished by a greenish tinge of the bark and longer internodes. They are located on strong branches and directed upwards. Such a scion will take root, but will bear fruit poorly.
- The scion should not be thin or crooked, short (less than 10-15cm). The core of the branch should be lively, greenish.
- In a properly prepared cutting, the cut is just below the growth neck. The scion cut in this way takes root better.
How to store cuttings for grafting
Before you send the cuttings for storage, you need to sort them, tie them in bunches and attach labels with the name of the variety. It is advisable to prepare more grafting material than you need.
There are several proven ways to store grafts.
“To save the cuttings until spring, it is necessary that the kidney is in a dormant state,” explains Pavel Nikolaevich Naumenko, agronomist of the private enterprise "Agrosvit" in the Kiev region. - To do this, it is necessary to place the cuttings in a room where the air temperature is not higher than 5-7 ° C. It can be a cellar, a basement and even a refrigerator, but not freezer.
Wrap the cuttings in damp cloth or burlap and cellophane. Tie well so that moisture does not evaporate. Check from time to time for mold. If yes, wash them cold water and change the fabric.
You can also store the scions in a cool room, lowering the slices into the sand, which must be periodically moistened.
These methods are more suitable for pome crops and grapes. For stone fruit plants, they are not always successful. Since the air temperature in the cellar or basement gradually rises, and the buds may awaken ahead of time. Such cuttings take root poorly.
stone fruit plants
Scions of stone fruit plants need to be stored at an air temperature of minus 2-3°C. Sawdust can be used to create the appropriate conditions. It is recommended that the bundles of cuttings be placed in a container and covered with wet sawdust with a layer of 10-15 cm. After that, freeze. They have such a home-made "refrigerator" in the shade behind the house or barn, where the sun's rays do not penetrate. From above they fall asleep with dry sawdust 40-50 cm and cover with cellophane, which will keep them from getting wet. This device will save the cuttings in a "sleeping" state until the vaccination itself. A few days before the procedure, the pile must be cleared and the container with the scions should be transferred to a warm room for thawing.
It is possible to store cuttings in a trench, the depth of which is 30-40 cm. Spruce branches are laid on the bottom, then scions wrapped in film or cellophane, and again a layer of spruce branches. From above, the pit is covered with earth, then with fallen leaves, straw or sawdust. When the snow falls, you can heat it up on the storage.
In addition to protection from freezing and drying out, the cuttings must be protected from the ubiquitous rodents. Fiberglass or a fine-mesh net will help us with this, with which we need to wrap the grafts over cellophane. Experienced gardeners claim that at least effective protection old nylon tights or stockings can serve.
In March-April, when the trees begin to wake up, you can start grafting. The main conditions for this are the beginning of the movement of juice in the tree and the dormant bud of the scion.
Oksana SHAPOVAL
photo depositphotos
1. March, or rather the second half, is the right time to start pruning fruit trees. The sun is already quite high, the day has increased significantly, and severe frosts can no longer be expected. right time to go out into the garden with a pruner and a garden saw to tidy up the trees, which were fairly overgrown during the previous summer. Simultaneously with pruning, you can begin to harvest cuttings for spring grafting into the crown or onto the stock you have grown. During pruning, there is enough material to select suitable cuttings.
2. At this time, the trees are still at rest, the buds- they sleep, and there are enough plastic substances in the wood in order to remain in a viable state until the moment of grafting. The grafting operation is carried out at a time when the sap flow in the tree has already begun, on the grafted trees at this time the buds are already beginning to bloom. The rootstock stalk attached to them immediately receives nutrients, and the growth process is quite fast. However, if the cutting is taken from a tree on which the buds have already blossomed, then the probability of its drying out increases significantly, even if it was immediately grafted to a new place.
Rules for storing cuttings
So, the cuttings are prepared. Now you need to save them until the time of vaccination, that is, until the onset of sap flow (April-May). To do this, the cuttings are tied into bunches according to varieties, attaching labels to them.
Then the bundles are folded into dark plastic bags and cleaned in the basement. Before laying in plastic bag bundles can be wrapped with a damp cloth.
The temperature in the basement should be close to zero. However, not everyone has such a room, and not every gardener needs so many cuttings. In this situation, a small number of cuttings can be stored in the refrigerator in the fruit compartment. And if there are a lot of cuttings, you will have to bury them in the snow (in a snow pile).
To do this, make a snowdrift about a meter high with north side home or shed. Dig a recess in it almost to the ground, put bunches of cuttings there, cover with snow. To prevent the snow from melting, lay a layer of straw or sawdust on top of the entire surface of the snowdrift as long as possible. Thus, it is possible to save the cuttings until the onset of stable positive temperatures, when it will already be possible to start grafting.
Cuttings for grafting apple trees can be harvested in late autumn or in early spring. Many gardeners believe that cuttings are better preserved in the winter on a tree than in a cellar, and in the case of frosty winters, they are right. Therefore, already in March, when the time comes spring pruning fruit trees, cuttings can also be cut at the same time, after which they should be stored until the sap flow begins.
Harvesting apple cuttings for grafting in spring
Spring cutting of cuttings for grafting apple trees is possible after the end of severe frosts, which in most regions refers to mid-March, or even the end of February. Since this is the time when most gardeners carry out detailed pruning of trees, choosing the best cuttings is not a problem. Can this be done later? Yes, in principle it is possible, it is only important to be in time before the buds open: in this case, all the work will be useless.
For thirty years now I have been regrafting my trees from time to time, and quite successfully. I must say, I rarely harvest cuttings in advance. And although there is an opinion that the chopped material should first “lie down”, most often it is only in April (you can’t get to the dacha before), when the sap flow starts and the buds swell, cut off the necessary cuttings from one tree and immediately graft on another. It is right or not, to be judged by experts, but I have never experienced failure.
What cuttings to take for grafting an apple tree
Before choosing branches for harvesting cuttings, you need to correctly determine the donor apple tree. It is desirable that it was not yet an old tree, from 3 to 10 years old. It is during these years that the apple tree is the most powerful, healthy, and intensively growing. But since at the age of three years not every variety has time to bear fruit, it is better to wait to make sure that this tree is exactly the required variety.
Usually in March there is still snow, but at this time a well-groomed apple tree allows you to choose correct cuttings for vaccination
After all, how often does it happen that we buy something long conceived, and in the end we get another Melba or Northern synapse! Of course, good varieties, but the question is that even in nurseries, deliberate or accidental deception is possible. Therefore, buying seedlings fruit trees I am never sure that I will get what I want until I collect the first fruits.
So, the apple tree gave the first apples, they turned out to be tasty, beautiful, let's wait another year. If next year's harvest is already decent, you can definitely take cuttings from this tree for grafting. It is better to approach the apple tree from the most illuminated side: on it the branches ripen better, have greater growth power. Do not cut cuttings from the lowest and highest tiers. It is necessary to choose strong annual shoots, thick, with short internodes.
Do not use tops (strong fatty shoots growing almost vertically upwards) for cutting cuttings! The grafting will most likely succeed, but the yield may be low, and the first apples will have to wait many years.
All buds on cut branches should be large, healthy, well developed. The terminal bud should also be strong, although it will not necessarily remain in the composition of the cutting. If leaves or even petioles remain on the branch after winter, cuttings should not be taken from it: such a branch, most likely, has not matured well. The thickness of the cutting should be about 6-8 cm, cut sections from 30 cm long, with at least four buds (the excess will be cut off during grafting).
The main tool for cutting cuttings is a clean, sharp pruner; you can cut off a piece of a branch with a section of two-year-old wood, but only a one-year-old cutting can be used
When cutting cuttings, it is necessary to carefully examine their core: any darkening, brown blotches may indicate freezing of branches, such cuttings may not take root on a new tree. Naturally, there should be no damage to the bark, and the cuttings themselves should be almost straight, without strong bends.
Is it possible to take cuttings from an old tree, 25 years old or more? Most likely, they will take root, but the choice of branches for cuttings should be approached more responsibly, and more cuttings should be prepared. As a rule, the annual shoots themselves in this case are thinner and shorter, but their growth strength on a new tree will not always be lower. Therefore, if there is no other choice, and the old tree is quite healthy, you can take cuttings from it.
Let it be better that the stalk be thinner than optimal for grafting, it is still better than a thick top
Is it possible to take cuttings from two-year-old branches? Oddly enough, such vaccinations are sometimes obtained, although they are not recommended by specialists. Still, it’s better not to risk it: one-year growth can be found on any apple tree, and if there is practically none, then the tree is so weak that it’s better not to cut cuttings from it.
Despite the fact that when pruning fruit trees it is recommended to cover garden pitch only slices with a diameter of more than 2 cm, it would be useful to cover up even slices from cuttings, especially if they were produced a lot, and there was little time left before sap flow. The apple tree will more easily endure parting with its last year's gains.
Video: what should be the stalk for grafting
Do apple cuttings need to be soaked before grafting?
Regardless of when the cuttings were cut and how long they were stored before grafting, it is best to refresh them before carrying out a responsible operation. Although, ideally, properly preserved cuttings should be firm and retain their original moisture, they should be soaked in sweetened water before grafting. Usually, even for perfectly preserved cuttings, 10-12 hours of soaking are needed, and for dried ones, even more.
During soaking, the cuttings should be saturated with moisture. Indirect indicators that this happened are:
- flexibility of the cuttings when bent;
- lack of crunch or crackling during the same procedure;
- slight pushing of the bark when pressed with a fingernail;
- the appearance of microdroplets of moisture when a new cut is made on the handle.
Water for soaking should not be warm: it is better to use melted ice or snow water in general. Firstly, in the melt water there are certain substances that stimulate the growth of all living things, including the engraftment of grafts. Secondly, the cuttings must be saturated with water, but not cause early awakening of the kidneys, which can be stimulated by heating. Therefore, even for these 10-12 hours (in fact, at night), it is better to put the cuttings in sweet water in the refrigerator.
Some gardeners simply put the cuttings in a jar of water: this is possible, but it seems to be more accurate to bathe them whole in the nutrient solution.
Why sweet? Why sugar? Yes, you can do without it, but, firstly, this is some carbohydrate nourishment for the cutting, stimulating its further life. Secondly, sugar forms protective film on the cut of the cutting, preventing rapid drying and penetration of pathogenic microbes into the cutting. Therefore, adding 1-2 tablespoons per liter of water is still worth it.
Instead of sugar, you can use bee honey (1 tablespoon of flower honey per liter of water), which is even better because it contains biologically active substances. They stimulate the growth of grafts and protect the cuttings from pathological microorganisms.
How to store apple cuttings for grafting
If the cuttings are cut at the end of February or in March, before sap flow, and there are several weeks left before vaccination (in middle lane they are usually carried out in April), the cuttings must be properly preserved. This is not at all difficult: if there is a snow cover, they can be kept under the snow, specially throwing a larger pile so that they do not melt for a long time. You can save the cuttings in the cellar by wrapping them in damp burlap or placing them in a moist substrate (peat, sand, sawdust). But this is done most often during the autumn harvesting of cuttings. Cuttings cut in the spring are easiest to store in your home refrigerator.
How many days cuttings are stored
With proper harvesting and optimal storage conditions, the cuttings will not deteriorate for as long as necessary. At least, cuttings cut both in November and March (unless, of course, they froze in winter) survive perfectly until vaccination. And to lie for a month in a refrigerator or cellar at a low positive temperature and sufficient humidity, cuttings with unawakened buds should have no problems.
If several varieties are sent for storage at once, it would be useful to sign them
However, they should be removed periodically and checked for integrity. In particular, if necessary, add moisture, and if mold is noticed, wipe it off. soft cloth and hold the cuttings for 15–20 minutes in a light solution of potassium permanganate.
Immediately before grafting, taking the cuttings from storage, they must be carefully examined. They should have a fresh and even bark, the kidneys should be as lively as during the March harvest (perhaps slightly more swollen). The cuttings should bend a little even without pre-soaking. More than a day before vaccination, it is not worth getting the cuttings from the storage.
How to store apple cuttings in the refrigerator
You can store cuttings in the refrigerator at least all winter, and after spring harvesting, this is quite easy to do. It is important to place them on the shelf where the temperature will be in the range from +1 to +4 °C. The most important thing is to properly prepare the substrate in which to put the cuttings. They are best stored in wet sawdust: so wet that if you squeeze them in your fist, the water from the sawdust will not pour out, but your hand will feel the water. Actually, if it is possible to periodically revise the cuttings, sawdust is not necessary.
The easiest way is to place the cuttings in a plastic bag and tie it tightly, so they will last for several days. For more long-term storage cuttings tied in a bundle are wrapped with a damp coarse cloth, then thick paper(possible with several newspapers), and only then put in a plastic bag. For long-term storage, the bag does not need to be tightly tied, but once every 3-4 days the fabric should be moistened with water if it dries out.
Video: harvesting cuttings in February and storing them in the snow
If there are no very frosty winters in the region, the harvesting of cuttings for grafting apple trees can be planned not for November, but for the beginning of spring. If you cut them according to all the rules, it will be very easy to save them until the vaccination itself is done, since the cuttings will lie perfectly in the refrigerator for several weeks.
The cutting of any fruit tree is not just a piece of twig, but a real shoot with several buds, which has a truly amazing ability to grow into a full-fledged tree. But in order to achieve such a result, you should know certain nuances associated with the choice and proper preparation of cuttings. Further details on how to choose and implement the harvesting of apple cuttings for grafting in the spring (detailed photo and video instructions are attached).
Insofar as we are talking about creating a full-fledged tree, it is necessary to approach the issue of choosing a suitable cutting very seriously. It is important to observe one simple condition: the mother tree must be productive and steadily fruiting. It is worth choosing annual shoots (it is important that they ripen well) from that part of the crown that is located on outside and actively heated by the sun.
Advice. Shoots located on the south side of the tree take root better. Such cuttings are distinguished by the presence of small internodes and well-developed eyes in the leaf axils.
Try to cut cuttings from the middle tier of the crown, as the upper ones will be too thick and massive for grafting, and the lower ones will not give the desired growth.
As for the timing of the correct harvesting of apple cuttings for spring scion, the opinions of gardeners differ. So, some people think that preparatory process carried out at the beginning of winter, and always before mid-January: shoots cut later are unlikely to take root well.
Other gardeners believe that the end of winter and even the beginning of spring can be safely considered the optimal period for cutting cuttings from an apple tree. It is important to take into account the weather conditions: for example, the air temperature should not be lower than -10 degrees. This is - optimal conditions for hardening annual shoots.
You can also prepare young shoots almost before grafting, but at the same time, the plant should not yet have blossomed buds. According to reviews experienced gardeners, the best result is achieved when using cuttings harvested at the beginning of winter.
A cutting that is optimally suitable for harvesting as a scion must have the following external characteristics:
- shoot length should be within 30-40 cm;
- internodes should be short;
- the thickness of the shoot should be about 6-7 mm (like a simple pencil);
- the kidneys should not bloom, but at the same time they should be pronounced;
- for cutting cuttings, it is better to use a fruit-bearing young tree, whose age does not exceed 10 years.
If you're new to gardening and want to try grafting a new plant from an apple cutting, you might want to take note of a few useful tips from experienced gardeners:
- Shoots should be cut so as to capture a piece of two-year-old wood (at least a couple of centimeters). This will help preserve the cuttings and improve their survival rate.
- If you plan to cut cuttings with young tree, which has not yet developed a crown, it is best to cut the shoots from the upper branches, which will be removed in the spring (thus, you minimize harm to the tree).
- When choosing suitable tree for pruning cuttings, it is better to give preference to one that is regularly pruned. The fact is that such trees give very strong and healthy shoots with good buds.
- Too thin shoots with underdeveloped buds should not be used for grafting. In the absence of others, it is better to use last year's "stocks", or refrain from growing a new tree for the current season.
- Immediately after cutting, treat the cut points at the shoots with garden pitch. Thus, you will increase their safety.
Rules for storing cuttings for spring vaccination
Some gardeners do not understand: why is it necessary to make cuttings so early and store them for a long time? And this is necessary in order to be able to wake up the kidneys left in a state of "rest" on the shoots at the right time. That is why you should know certain subtleties in order for the cuttings to remain viable by the time of spring vaccination.
To your attention the most simple and at the same time effective ways storage of cuttings until spring:
- In the snow. snow pile - great option for residents of those regions in which winters are very snowy and long. Dig a small trench (depth no more than 35 cm) on a flat, flood-free area, lay it out with spruce branches and put the cuttings on top. From above, cover them with spruce branches, and then with foliage, earth or sawdust. Cover the entire structure from above with a solid layer of snow and make sure that its level does not fall below 0.5 m until spring.
Advice. So that rodents do not get used to your “good”, wrap the twigs metal mesh, nylon stockings or plastic mesh.
- In sawdust (on the street). In those regions where winter thaws are normal, and snow is often wet, this method of storing cuttings is quite suitable. Prepare sawdust in advance (wet it thoroughly and lay it on the north side of the yard). Put the cutting bundles on the sawdust and cover them with the same top (the sawdust layer should be about 20 cm). Leave the prepared “wintering” place in the cold. When the sawdust is frozen, sprinkle more sawdust on top with a layer of about half a meter. Finished construction cover up plastic wrap to protect from getting wet. A few days before the start of grafting the cuttings, it will be enough just to bring the sawdust construction into the house.
- In the cellar. A cold cellar is a good place for storage, which was used by our grandfathers. You can place the cuttings in burlap, sawdust, peat, sand, etc. The substrate in which the cuttings will be stored must be periodically moistened.
- In the fridge. AT cold store the cuttings will feel comfortable enough. You just need to tie them, sign them and place them in a plastic bag (two are possible). The storage temperature must be strictly regulated (it should not be higher than 2 degrees Celsius). And remember that a refrigerator and a freezer are not the same thing. The cuttings should be chilled, not frozen.
Well, and finally, one piece of advice that should be taken into account by those who plan to store cuttings in a moist substrate. Beginner gardeners often have a question about optimal indicator humidity of the substrate for storing cuttings. Checking this is quite simple: you need to pick up a little substrate with your hand and squeeze it in your fist. If you feel moisture, but the water does not flow, then the humidity is optimal.
That's all the subtleties that you should know in order to plant healthy and fully viable apple cuttings in the spring. Good luck!
Harvesting apple cuttings: video
Every gardener dreams that the crops are always good, new varieties that they like take root easily, and “old” favorite trees remain productive as long as possible. But this is quite possible. Vaccination! Many are afraid to graft trees on their own, believing that this process is too complicated. In fact, everything is easier than it seems. Subject to certain rules.
Want to figure out how to harvest cuttings for grafting an apple tree? Read this article more carefully and find out everything about which shoots should be cut, where to store them and how to check for “professional suitability” later.
To begin with, briefly about what a vaccine is and why it is needed. Grafting - joining parts different plants through their growth. The result is a tree with the desired characteristics. What is it for? Vaccination allows you to:
- Approach the time of the first fruiting. So, trees grown from seeds give the first harvest only for 6 years, some - for 8-10 years. From grafted varieties, you can expect a harvest for 2-3 years.
- Get the variety you've been dreaming of. You do not have to look for seedlings of the plant you like, you just need to get its cuttings.
- Increase the number of fruit trees without taking up extra territory. Now from one apple tree you will collect fruits of 3 or even 4 varieties.
- Save your favorite variety if, for one reason or another, it is threatened with death (invasion of rodents and pests, diseases, burns, consequences of illiterate care).
- "Tame" varieties that are not adapted to your conditions. That is, you can easily grow southern varieties if you graft them onto local hardy crops.
Is it worth giving up such amazing opportunities? Unlikely. So let's learn how to graft trees on our own!
Rules for cutting cuttings
Cuttings should be cut from apple trees that give a stable harvest for 15-20 years. Choose annual, matured branches. They are good if they are from the outer part of the deciduous "cap", well lit by the sun's rays. It is recommended to cut the cuttings from the south side.
It is believed that the best cuttings are from the middle tier.
The upper shoots for the scion are too powerful, the lower ones are too weak. When harvesting, try to choose shoots with the least number of flower buds.
If you try to make a "portrait" of an ideal cutting, then it should look like this:
- length - 50-60 cm;
- thickness - about 8 mm;
- developed growth buds in the amount of 5 pieces.
Experts advise cutting off shoots from trees that are constantly pruned. They give good growth with clear lateral buds. Cuttings cut together with a small part of the two-year-old bark are better stored and take root faster.
If cuttings are harvested from young plants whose crown is not fully formed, they are cut from branches that need to be eliminated in the spring. Thin shoots with poorly developed growth buds are not suitable for grafting.
If possible, prepare more cuttings than originally planned (in case some specimens do not survive the winter).
When are cuttings harvested?
Cuttings are harvested in late autumn or early spring. Autumn collection is carried out after the plants shed their leaves. The first frost brings with it many benefits. During this period, the branches harden, the trees prepare for "sleep", many pathogens die. The advantages of harvesting cuttings in the fall also lie in the fact that the cut shoots will remain at rest.
If it was not possible to cut the cuttings in winter, you can do it in the spring. If the winter was very cold, it is necessary to check if the branches are frozen. In addition, blanks can be cut in the summer, immediately before the grafting procedure.
Secrets of Proper Storage
There are several storage methods. Everyone is free to choose for themselves the most acceptable.
In the snow
In areas with cold snowy winters, cuttings are stored outdoors. To do this, in a dry place, they dig a hole 25 cm deep, the bottom of which is covered with needles. Cuttings are laid on such a “pillow” and covered with spruce branches, dry foliage or straw. If the depth of the snow cover is 50 cm, you can not dig a trench. Shoots are stored in a snowdrift, which is sprinkled with straw. To prevent rodents from spoiling the grafting material, it can be wrapped with a metal mesh.
in sawdust
If there is little snow in winter, the shoots are stored in sawdust. Cuttings placed in plastic bottles or propylene pipes, laid on a layer of wet sawdust, covered with another layer of the same sawdust (20 cm) on top. When a kind of “bed” freezes, dry sawdust is poured on top, and a film is laid on top. If you want to protect the contents of the "sandwich" from the encroachment of pests, then moisten the sawdust not with water, but with carbolic acid or creolin.
in the cellar 
The old proven way. The substrate for storage can be anything - sawdust, sand, peat, moss. Most often stored in sawdust and sand. In the first case, the cuttings are placed in dark bags, and then covered with sawdust. In the second case, the shoots in a horizontal position are placed in wooden boxes with holes for ventilation, and sand is poured on top. Any substrate needs to be moistened from time to time. It is important to maintain the following indicators: temperature: from -2 to +1 degrees, air humidity - 65%.
In the fridge
The shoots are wrapped in a damp cloth, placed in a bag and placed in the refrigerator. Well, if there is a temperature setting up to +2 degrees. Please note that the shoots are stored in the refrigerator, not in the freezer. Do not tie the bag too tight - leave some space for air.
If something went wrong...
With cuttings for long time storage, anything can happen. Most often, gardeners face such problems as:
- freezing. Reason is too low temperature. To avoid trouble will allow careful control of the thickness of the substrate. Sawdust, foliage or sand should be sprinkled if necessary;
- drying. It occurs most often due to the defeat of the twigs by a fungal infection. This is why it is important to cut cuttings only from healthy plants;
- the appearance of mold. Grafting material becomes moldy when condensation accumulates. From time to time, inspect the "wards" for its identification. If mold is found, the cuttings are washed with an aqueous 1% iodine solution;
- germination. This happens if the temperature rises to +4 degrees. The cuttings will have to be thrown away - they are no longer suitable for grafting.
Remember, frozen, germinated, dried up and rotten shoots cannot be used for grafting. Approximately once every 3 weeks, check their condition and, if necessary, correct the environmental conditions (moisten the substrate, change temperature regime, remove mold, disinfect).
Planting trees begins at the time of active sap flow - in late April-early May. For a positive result, the scion (stalk) must still “sleep”, and the stock (the plant on which the shoot takes root) must “keep awake”. That is why the cuttings are pulled out of the shelter 2-3 days before grafting, not earlier. And here comes important point- you must make sure that the cuttings are suitable for subsequent work. So how 
should healthy shoots look like?
The bark is smooth and even. Dry and wrinkled "skin" indicates death. Shank - elastic. If, when bent, it crunches and breaks, then, alas, it did not pass the “safety test”. On a cross section, the wood is light green. If it is brown, then the grafting material is damaged.
Kidneys - fit snugly to the handle. Their scales are smooth. When cut, the kidney is green, without dark blotches. It is easy to determine if the branches are frozen or not. Make a cut from the bottom and place the cuttings in the water. If they are healthy, then the water will not change color, but if they are frozen, the water will turn yellow.
That's all. Now you know how to collect cuttings, where to store them, and how to determine if they survived the winter, which means that the vaccination will be successful. Try!
Video tips for harvesting cuttings for grafting fruit trees