Vaccination is an agrotechnical technique used in gardening to solve a whole range of problems. This method of selection allows you to increase the yield of fruit trees, rejuvenate them, strengthen the crown, to breed new varieties.
Features of grafting apple trees in spring
Inoculation of cuttings can be done at any time of the year, but it is spring that is considered the most favorable time for this agrotechnical manipulation. They start work when frosts subside and sap flow begins.
Why is vaccination needed?
Vaccination is the engraftment of cuttings of one tree on another. Thanks to the grafting of apple trees, several agrotechnical effects can be achieved at once:
- Old trees are rejuvenated.
- Fertility is increasing.
- Apples of different varieties grow on one trunk.
- Frost resistance increases. On the local stock - resistant to frost, grafts of a more heat-loving variety are grafted.
- Saves garden area. If the gardener does not need many apples of one variety, he grows fruits of different varieties on the same trunk.
- On one tree, apples of different tastes ripen at different times - harvesting is stretched for a long time.
- The appearance of the tree is changing - it can be made more accessible for picking fruits.
The grafted cuttings bear fruit 2-4 years after grafting.
Vaccination is practiced by both large fruit nurseries and ordinary amateur gardeners. Thanks to this agrotechnical method, it is possible to reanimate a dying tree by planting its stem on a stock.
Optimal timing
For spring vaccination, only cuttings without swollen buds are used. If you miss the time, you will have to postpone the vaccination for the summer.
Before manipulation, the tree is abundantly watered and the soil loosened near it - in order to enhance air circulation and moisture absorption.
Spring is the time of sap flow, at this time the scion and stock are better able to tolerate injury. In Russia, spring is considered the best time for vaccination. Moreover, the timing in each region is different. Choosing the time for vaccination, focus on the following points:
- Kidney condition - You need to be in time before the start of sap flow.
- The position of the moon. It is believed that the best thing is to plant trees on a growing moon.
- Weather. Desirable - warm and cloudy, without rain and wind.
- Times of Day - morning or evening.
The ideal lunar calendar vaccination time is when the moon is in Scorpio, Cancer or Pisces.
The difference in the implementation of vaccination work in different regions is associated with the timing:
- In the south of the Russian Federation, the growing season is the longest; vaccination work begins in early March. But in the south there is more danger of frost. There is high humidity, so frosts are more dangerous than in the north.
- In the middle lane, spring vaccinations are started at the end of April or early May - depending on the weather.
- In Siberia and the Urals, the time of spring vaccination is determined by the state of the soil. When it can be dug up on two bayonet shovels, you can begin work.
The timing of vaccination also depends on its type:
- Grafting by cuttings it is better to spend in late March or early April - after the establishment of positive temperatures. The earlier the procedure is completed, the greater the chance of survival.
- Eye Inoculation it is advisable to do later - in late April or early May. This period is characterized by active saponification, which will ensure good coalescence of the kidney with the tree.
Benefits of Spring Vaccination
Vaccinations in the spring, in addition to the above advantages characteristic of this agrotechnical manipulation, have special advantages:
- A greater percentage of survival is due to sap cultivation.
- An opportunity to save a tree affected by the cold.
- You can take a double vaccination - in the summer or autumn season, if for some reason the stalk does not grow together with the stock.
Preparation of tools and materials
To carry out vaccination work you will need a set of tools, the composition of which has not changed since the beginning of selection. It:
- Sharp knife and hacksaw - they make incisions. If necessary, hacksaw cut down thick branches. Before use, they will grind and treat with antiseptics - this will reduce injury and the risk of infection.
- Garden Var. The grafted stalk is treated with this composition - in order to increase the chances of survival.
- Insulating tape or polyethylene - needed for strapping and fixing the handle. With their help, the drive also protects against bacterial infections and environmental aggression.
- Drying oil or paintSuitable for wood processing. Paint the stalk at the very end of the work.
The market offers gardeners a new toolkit - grafting secateurs. It is used by both professionals and novice gardeners. This secateurs reduces the risk of injury to plants. Thanks to the special shape of the blade, the grafting pruner can make curly cuts that improve the pairing of the handle with the stock. The tool is designed for three different operations:
- making a cut with a groove for installing the handle;
- cutting the handle, ensuring its accurate entry into the groove;
- doing budding.
Gardeners use electrical tape, plastic strips, twine, and grafting tape to tie the vaccine. But the best material is cotton fabric soaked in garden var. It is recommended to use such a winding for the inner layer, and wind the old bandage on the outside.
Spring Vaccination Code
Vaccination of the cuttings on the stock does not always lead to the desired effect. So that the result of the efforts pleased the gardener, he should observe the following rules:
- Use a sharp and disinfected tool.
- Select a portion of the stem for vaccination, taking into account the purpose of the procedure:
- with a complete replacement of the stock variety, vaccination is done at a distance of 30 cm from the ground;
- if only 1-2 branches of the apple tree are to be replaced, all branches that prevent the sun from falling on the stalk should be shortened.
- During the vaccination period, the stock should be in the active phase of development, and the scion should be in a cool place, at rest.
- Immediately before vaccination, the stalk is transferred to a warm, dry place - the twig should “wake up”.
- All slices are made so that they have a clear outline, curvature or indentations are not allowed.
- When working, you must comply with sanitation, act only with gloves.
- The graft is quickly inserted into the stock — in the vaccination place, without touching the slices with your hands and in no case dropping the stalk to the ground.
- If tape is taken for strapping, it is applied with the sticky side out.
What trees can an apple tree be planted on?
It is recommended to plant an apple tree on trees that are similar in appearance. Fit:
- low-cultural analogues of local origin;
- seedlings of Antonovka;
- zoned varieties.
Game vaccination
This is the best option, its advantages are in the properties transmitted by the scion:
- frost resistance;
- durability;
- high yields;
- disease resistance.
For grafting, seedlings of a wild game no older than 4 years old are suitable.
What else can an apple tree be planted on?
In addition to wild and zoned varieties of apple trees, as a stock can fit:
- Pear. It is known that a pear grafts well on an apple tree, but you can’t say the same about an apple tree on a pear. You can plant several varieties of pears and an apple tree on one tree. Sometimes a tree gives quite tolerable yields.
- Plum. Vaccinated on her often and a lot. But to meet an apple tree on a plum is a rare event. But the subtilative apple tree (Chinese), which has a developed root system and frost resistance - is often used as a stock for the apple tree. Both trees are rosaceous, so they can take root during splicing. But purposefully drain is not used as a stock. Plum lives less than an apple tree, in addition, its shoots are thinner than an apple tree - this ends with breaking off the vaccine. There are no data on the yields of such experiments.
- Cherry. Another representative of the family Rosaceae. Vaccination of the apple tree is quite possible, but, as in the case of plums, there are problems with the development of the scion. The likelihood of rejection is too high. Cherry is simply not able to withstand heavy branches of the apple tree.
- Rowan. Red rowan is preferable to chokeberry. It has higher frost resistance. Causes the chopping of the fruits of apples.
- Hawthorn. Attractive by its short stature. You can plant an apple tree on a hawthorn with cuttings 50 cm long. The grafting height is 50-60 cm from the ground. Crossbreeding can accelerate fruiting for at least a year. The stock and scion grow together quite firmly. The advantage of hawthorn - the root system is located close to the surface of the earth. This quality is advantageous with a high level of groundwater.
- Irga. This is a dwarf rootstock, on which apple trees are often grafted. The vaccination height is 15-20 cm. Irgi have long and thin branches - this must be taken into account when choosing a place for splicing.
- Quince. An apple tree vaccination can be performed on it except as an experiment. There is little chance of success. Privoy dies after a few years.
Plum, cherry and other unusual stocks look original - this is the pride of the gardener. But apple grafts live on them less than on their own trunks or on a wild game.
How to choose a scion and stock for spring vaccination?
It is advisable for a novice gardener to choose a rootstock under the guidance of an experienced college. The first step is to choose a stock - a seedling on which the cuttings will be grafted.
Rules for choosing a stock:
- A healthy tree, with intact bark and without dry branches.
- High frost resistance.
- If the purpose of the vaccination is to change the appearance of the tree, take a young seedling - up to 3 years.
- For each region - its own list of the best stocked apple trees.
Scion selection rules:
- The cuttings are taken from an adult tree, which gave at least two crops. During this time, you can verify the endurance of the variety and understand what its fruits taste like.
- The best option to increase compatibility is when the graft and stock are related, related varieties. This condition is not mandatory - you can safely plant an apple tree and on a wild game.
How to prepare cuttings?
Usually, grafts are bought for vaccination, but if desired, and opportunities, they can be prepared independently. The rules for harvesting cuttings are in table 1.
Table 1
Index | Characteristic |
Age of donor branches | older than 1 year |
Optimum harvesting time | at the beginning of winter, at a temperature of -10 ° C |
Storage temperature | -2 ° С |
Storage |
|
Donor branches should not show signs of disease or damage to the cortex. After grafting snow, grafts for grafting are buried in the snow, previously placed in a container filled with sawdust or peat.
Vaccination Methods
There are many ways to plant trees. Firstly, the methods differ in vaccination material, you can vaccinate:
- cuttings;
- kidney.
Secondly, several vaccination techniques are distinguished:
- in the cleavage;
- a bridge;
- in a side section;
- on a stump;
- under the bark.
Let’s take a closer look at grafting the apple tree in different ways.
Classic copulation
Copulation is a word of Latin origin. Copulo is a mix. In gardening, it means splicing of scion with stock, having the same thickness.
There are 2 types of copying:
- Simple. Use on young trees. Take rootstock 1-2 years old. The maximum thickness is 1.5 cm. The graft is selected according to the thickness. The cut on the scion and stock is done at the same angle. A slice is performed in one motion.
- Superior. It differs from simple copulation by performing an additional incision - the tongue. It is made on a shank and rootstock.
Technique for performing improved copying:
- On the cuttings and stock, oblique sections of the same length are performed - 2-4 cm.
- Make cuts - tongues. The longer the cut, the stronger the adhesion will be.
- The handle is inserted into the tongues, tightly pressing with your fingers.
- Wrap the scion with plastic wrap. The place of vaccination is treated with garden var.
Fig. 1. Standard and improved copying
Split vaccine
The best vaccination option for seedlings 3-5 years. As long as possible, it will rot. The vaccination site is 20-25 cm from the ground. Vaccination is done on a skeletal branch.
Procedure:
- The stock is split with an ax. Depth - 8-10 cm.
- A scion at the lower end is cut at an angle so that its length coincides with the depth of the splitting. Using a sharp knife, a cut is made - one- or two-sided.
- Putting the spacer into the slice, increase it to insert a stock in it. In one cleavage, you can put up to four scions - then they make a cross-shaped cleavage.
- Taking out the spacer, wrap the vaccine place. You can use twine, then a plastic film is not needed.
- Having processed the place of vaccination with garden var, plasticine or clay is stuck on the gap.
Split vaccine
In side cut
This method of vaccination is considered the simplest. To implement it, you only need a garden knife. Procedure:
- The bottom end of the handle is cut at an angle of 45 degrees.
- On the rootstock, they choose a branch - where the stalk will be grafted, and retreat from its base by about 20 cm.
- Putting the knife at an angle of 20 degrees, cut the bark to cut wood a few millimeters deep.
- In the slice made on the stock, put the bottom edge of the handle, achieving perfect pairing.
- The vaccination site is tied with polyethylene and coated with var.
Side vaccination
Grafting secateurs
Suitable for cuttings 4-16 mm. The procedure for copying secateurs:
- Secateurs cut the bark in a scion so that the slice has the shape of a letter U.
- On a rootstock, a secateurs make a notch of a similar shape.
- After inserting the scion into the stock, the structure is fixed using polyethylene or electrical tape.
Vaccination with vaccination secateurs
Over bark
This option is the best for adult trees who want to make them more hardy and hardy. Suitable for acclimatization of the variety. The procedure is quite complicated - precise execution of movements is necessary. The task is complicated by the fact that it is not possible to achieve high-quality pairing of the stock. The method is implemented exclusively in the spring, during sap flow - at this time it is easier to separate the bark from the wood. Operating procedure:
- You can plant four cuttings at once on a stock. Then three are removed, leaving the strongest.
- The height of the incision is 100 cm from the soil.
- A sharp knife makes an incision 4-5 cm long.
- Having moved the bark, they bare the wood a little.
- In the lower part of the scion, an oblique slice is performed - its length must correspond to the 3 diameters of the scion. The cut should be smooth, and the kidney should look up.
- Having got the handle over the bark, press it tightly.
- Having tied the vaccination site with electrical tape or polyethylene, they lubricate it with garden var.
Vaccination of apple trees for bark
The bridge
It is used to save trees that have been bitten by mice or hares during the winter. The procedure for copying the bridge:
- The damaged area is cleaned.
- Above and below the damage, longitudinal cuts are made.
- Cut small cuttings. Kidneys are cut off from them.
- On rootstocks make cuts in one plane.
- Insert the cuttings with the lower part in the lower incision, the upper part in the upper incision.
- The place of vaccination is wrapped with a film.
Bridge grafting
On a stump
A hemp can be both a part of a skeletal branch, and the lower part of a seedling or a young tree. Operating procedure:
- Stump preparation - a new cut or update of an old cut. Stripping with a knife.
- The choice of method is split or bark.
- Insert the prepared stalk into a slot or incision.
- Wrapping film.
To the trunk of an apple tree
On the apple tree there are many large gaps along the trunk - and it seems that there are not enough branches. The order of vaccination on the trunk:
- Make a T-shaped incision.
- On the cut, an oblique cut is performed.
- Insert the handle into the incision.
- They wrap the place of vaccination with film and cover it with garden var.
An experienced gardener shows how to plant an apple and pear in the spring. The specialist talks about the technical nuances of the process:
T-shaped budding
As a scion, use a single kidney (eye) from the cuttings of the desired variety. A stock is a branch or trunk of an apple tree or a game.
Benefits of budding:
- small vaccination area - minimal injury;
- the possibility of reusing the stock - if the kidney does not take root;
- several grafts can be given from one graft of a valuable variety at once - by the number of buds on it;
- a high percentage of survival of the scion;
- quick job completion.
Stages of T-shaped budding:
- On a level ground, rootstocks perform confident and accurate movements to cut the bark. Form - T-shaped. Transverse incision - 2 cm, longitudinal - 3-4 cm.
- A kidney is cut out on the handle, capturing tissue adjacent to the top and bottom.
- Having spread the bark on the rootstock with a knife, the kidney is placed inside the T-shaped incision. The peephole is placed in the very middle of the incision.
- Pressing the cortex to the kidney, they wrap the oculation site with the banding material. The peephole is not wrapped - it must remain free.
With the successful development of events, in a couple of weeks the kidney will swell and begin to grow. Sowing is usually used for grafting several varieties of apple trees on one trunk.
It is not recommended to plant on one rootstock varieties that differ in maturity. Otherwise, the tree will lose frost resistance and will often hurt.
Apple tree
Butchering in the butt
The method does not depend on how the bark is separated - easily or with difficulty. Operating procedure:
- The bark is cut on a rootstock - from top to bottom, grabbing some wood. The length of the strip is 2.5-3 cm, the width is 0.4-0.7 cm.
- The knife is placed at an angle of 30 degrees. The notch depth is 4-5 mm. A wedge-shaped incision is made - a shield with a kidney will be inserted into it.
- The flap is cut as well as in the first case - with a T-shaped budding.
- They put a shield under the bark. It must be combined with the stock in such a way as to achieve maximum contact.
- The grafted place is tied with a film. Shift of the shield must not be allowed. In the presence of open sections of sections, grease them with garden var.
The gardener talks about grafting adult apple trees using the “split” and “behind the bark” methods:
How to care for the apple after vaccination?
In order for the scion to take root, and the injured tree not to be hurt, he needs to provide appropriate care:
- The first few days after copulation or budding, you need to water the place of vaccination with garden var or other protective means.
- Protect the tree from pests, birds, rodents. Inspect the vaccination site daily, if you notice insects, immediately get rid of the tree.
- Provide the grafted tree with top dressing and timely watering.
- Loosen the locking winding in time.
- Tie the shoots.
Care after vaccination involves pruning root shoots:
- All shoots that appear below the graft site are removed completely.
- The shoots are carefully trimmed at the very base, and not break off.
- Breaking off a shoot, you stimulate its growth.
Pruning the grafted apple tree next spring is done as follows:
- Only one shoot is left for each vaccine - the strongest is chosen.
- All other shoots are removed.
- All growth that has grown below the vaccination site is cut off.
- With good growth, the branches are shortened by 1/3 of the length.
When to remove the harness?
The fixing strapping of a plastic film or electrical tape must first be loosened, and then completely removed. This is done gradually:
- 10-15 days after vaccination, the binding is loosened or renewed. To do this, make a cut along the film with a knife.
- Remove the binding 2-3 months after vaccination.
If you do not loosen the winding in time, you can transfer the branch.
Apple tree vaccination questions
1Can spring vaccination be possible if the tree is planted in autumn?
Answer: Annual seedlings grafted with a new variety must be strengthened - budding by the kidney is recommended. If we are talking about specially prepared stocks - you can safely vaccinate. The best vaccinations for apple trees 3-4 years.
2How to plant an apple tree on an old tree?
Answer: In any garden there is an old apple tree - about 20 years old. They need to be vaccinated for new varieties and for rejuvenation. The latter makes sense if the tree gives quality fruit. Features of vaccination of the old apple tree:
- Skeletal branches are chosen for grafting.
- Vaccination is done at a distance of 30 cm from the trunk.
- On branches with a diameter of less than 3 cm, 2-4 cuttings are inoculated, from 3 cm - 4-5 cuttings.
- If the apple tree is more than 25 years old, it is not vaccinated.
3 Is it possible to plant dwarf apple trees in the wild?
Answer: It is possible, but according to a special scheme. It is pretty simple:
- first plant a bonsai on a wild game;
- a year later, a valuable variety is grafted onto a dwarf tree - vaccination is done with an insert.
After the work done, receive:
- tree with root system of vigorous seedlings;
- insert of a dwarf stock - about 20 cm;
- above - a cultivar.
Common mistakes novice gardeners
Inexperienced gardeners often make such mistakes:
- Wrongly choose a kidney for budding. An open kidney is not suitable for vaccination. The best choice is eyes formed last season.
- Sanitation violation - use of dirty tool.
- Making a copulation on a side cut, beginners often take a stalk with an insufficient number of kidneys needed - 3-4 pieces.
- They conduct budding on the south side - the sun can interfere with engraftment.
- Inoculate cuttings in the rain.
- Fresh grafts are taken, and cuttings cut during the rest period are needed.
- They forget to loosen and remove the strapping on time.
- Leaves sprouted below the vaccination site.
If you have never been vaccinated before, you should try out this effective agronomic technique. If everything is done correctly, you can rejuvenate your garden, clone varieties, engage in selection - the life of your garden will become much more interesting!
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