why do we graft?

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=443

 

I ask myself this every time I have to get up and go to work.

 

Grafting is one gardening task I have never attempted - I guess I should give it a whirl at least onece. Any suggestions as to easy subjects to try?

 

I found budding more successful than grafting, I think its slightly easier to get a good bond.

 

Apple? Make a family tree perhaps? (Scions readily available for purchase if you already have an apply tree to graft onto)

Or Tomatoes, as JWK has done this year (although, personally, I have that in the labour-of-love category!)

Or perhaps something like Wisteria. I wonder if you can make something snazzy by grafting White and Purple onto the same rootstock ?

 

Grafting goes back thousands of years. Originally developed by the Chinese, (along with most other things), it was mainly used by the ancient Geeks for asexual propagation of commercial fruit trees and the like by fusing part of a male or female Scion (tree) onto female or male rootstock. I think that's about right anyway.

 

If anybody wants to see a grafting demonstration and live near Buckingham (13m west of Milton Keynes) there's a free Apple & Bee Weekend on Sat/Sun 6/7th Oct. http://www.hedging.co.uk/newsletter.html

Only trouble is that it's the wrong time of year for grafting apples. The previous demo was late in late winter so you could take along your own scions, buy some rootstock and do it there and then if you wanted to.

I found it easiest to start practicing on some soft willow twigs and then something a bit harder before attempting grafts using much harder rootstock and apple scions, but had a 90% success rate on my first attempt.

Next project is using bought rootstock @£1.99 (less 10% discount) each to propagate my own, so free apple trees from now on hopefully.

 

Please. Definitely not boring