Cherry grafting for beginners: in spring and summer, what to graft, video

Cherry is one of the traditional crops for gardens, as it has excellent resistance to stress, disease and unstable temperature conditions. There are many reasons to graft a cherry. Among them: improved taste, increased yields and accelerated ripening. Cherry grafting in the spring for beginners will not cause difficulties if you follow simple rules and recommendations.

Do I need to graft cherries

It is necessary to graft a culture so that the tree becomes immune to parasites and diseases, as well as to improve the taste of berries. Grafting in horticulture is the transfer of part of one tree to another for mutual splicing and obtaining a new crop. You can graft any variety you like, without the need to purchase a seedling in the market or in a nursery. If properly grafted, a tree will bear fruit for many years.

Cherry grafting methods

There are various ways to plant a cherry. The simplest and most accessible for people taking their first steps in gardening are split grafting, copulation and budding. The essence of budding is reduced to the relocation of axillary buds to the stock. The grafting material is given the name “eye”. It is necessary to carry out the operation with a special budding or sharpened disinfected blade. You will also need to stock up on PVC electrical tape. The algorithm for performing the procedure is as follows:

1. A good kidney is chosen and cut off along with the shield (part of the bark). The shield should be approximately 200 mm long and laid out on a layer of moistened cloth so that the cut surface does not dry out.
2. Part of the stock is provided with a T-shaped incision.
3. The peephole is inserted between the flaps of the incision and pressed so that only the kidney is visible from the outside.
4. The structure is wrapped with electrical tape, with the adhesive side outward so as not to damage the bark during removal.

The viability of the crop and a number of important indicators, such as fruit taste and yield, depend on the choice of the optimal grafting method.

Some gardeners recommend building small plastic sheet greenhouses around grafted cuttings. However, the sun’s rays can burn the vaccine, so it is worth weighing all the risks before making such a decision.

The “split” option is simple. Whole cuttings are used as grafting material. You will need the following tools: a knife with a sharp blade, a file and a garden pruner. To plant a cherry in a split, you need to follow the following sequence of actions:

1. Perform the preparation of the cutting, on which there are 2-3 normally developed kidneys. Processing of the lower end is performed with a knife until a double wedge appears. The thickness of the shoot should be several times less than the length of the cut.
2. If the rootstock diameter is too large, a cut is made at the required height. With an equal thickness of the stock with a scion, they resort to using a garden pruner.
3. At a depth of 4,5-5,5 cm, an incision is made along the saw cut diameter. To prevent the cleft from closing, a special peg is placed in it.
4. A cutting is inserted into the split with a cut to the maximum allowable depth. In the case of a too thick rootstock, the cutting is placed at the edge so that both cambium and bark coincide.
5. The rootstock is tightly wrapped with electrical tape (not the sticky side) in order to ensure a perfect fit between the rootstock and the scion.
6. The split from the end side is covered with garden pitch to achieve complete tightness.

It is possible to graft cherries from a shoot using a simple copulation method if the diameters of the scion and rootstock are identical. For this manipulation, you will need: a knife with a pointed blade or a special copulation knife, a garden pruner and adhesive tape. A piece of metal or plastic pipe of small diameter is used to make a tool designed to adjust the angle.

You can graft a cherry by the method of simple copulation according to the following algorithm:

1. The handle is inserted into the pipe until the lower end slightly peeks out.
2. Using a knife, make a cut along the line of the end of the pipe.
3. The stock is shortened at the required height with a garden pruner. Then a tube is put on it to perform an identical cut.
4. A cutting is applied to the rootstock using the “cut to cut” method so that the tissues match. The docking place is wrapped with adhesive tape.

The advantages of simple copulation are accessibility and a high survival rate. The disadvantage of this method is the lack of strength in the area of ​​fusion. Cherry has fragile wood, so the most reliable method that guarantees a decent result with proper execution is budding.

What is the best grafting cherry

You can graft cherries on different cultures, but not all experiments are successful

Gardeners are experimenting with various rootstocks: plum, cherry, blackthorn, sweet cherry, apricot. The wild cherry is considered the most popular and reliable rootstock tree.

Cherry grafting on cherry

Intraspecific grafting is quite common, and allows you to graft a varietal crop onto wild cherries. The tree becomes resistant to dry weather, coccomycosis and an increased content of carbonates in the soil.

Cherry grafting on bird cherry

Bird cherry is a crop resistant to parasites and unstable temperature conditions, so you can plant cherries on it in almost any garden plot. However, the vast majority of varieties are grafted exclusively on a variety called Antipka.

Cherry grafting on plum

Grafting a cherry on a wild plum means changing the taste of the fruits for the better, making them sweeter and increasing their size. The maturation time is significantly reduced, resistance to stress and immunity against a number of diseases inherent in stone fruits are increased. If plum is chosen as a rootstock, it improves growth and nutrition, and cherry, in turn, has the most favorable effect on the taste of berries.

Such crossing allows you to achieve an extraordinary taste and aroma of fruits and guarantees an early harvest.

Cherry grafting on mountain ash

Despite the fact that the mountain ash is part of the Pink family, it is unlikely that cherries will be grafted onto it. Experiments are not forbidden, but most likely time will be wasted.

Grafting cherry on a thorn

To graft a cherry on a blackthorn, you will have to thoroughly tinker, because. the stock is distinguished by a large number of root offspring, the fight against which is a very troublesome task.

Grafting cherry on cherry tree

Even a novice gardener will be able to plant a cherry on a sweet cherry. It is worth doing this to increase the indicators of frost resistance and get rid of a number of problems inherent in stone fruits. The place for intraspecific vaccination should be located at a level of 15-22 cm from the ground. The best method is reinforced copulation with a cut of about 40mm.

Cherry grafting on cherry plum

There are different opinions about what the consequences will be if you plant a cherry on a cherry plum. Some gardeners believe that such manipulation significantly increases yield and stress resistance. Cherry plum is known as ” plum”. It received this name due to its high tolerance of negative temperatures. However, cherry cuttings do not take root on it in the best way, so the operation requires certain knowledge and practical skills from the gardener.

Vaccination for pear and apple

Planting a cherry on a pear or apple tree is not the best idea. It is very difficult to achieve positive results, most likely the harvest will be small, and the tree will become very vulnerable to parasites, diseases and temperature deviations. Attempts to combine stone fruits and pome fruits usually lead to negative results.

Cherry grafting on apricot

Apricot is not the best suited as a rootstock for cherry crops. This combination is characterized by a low percentage of intergrowth, and the resulting tree will have fragile branches.

When can cherries be planted

The best time of the year for grafting cherries is the spring period, when sap flow is most active.

The difficulty is that it is very difficult to achieve their safety until spring. It is necessary to create ideal conditions under which the branches will be able to maintain moderate humidity, but at the same time they will not rot and freeze, and will not wake up ahead of time. The deadline for grafting cherries in the Moscow Region is the last days of April. It is better to graft cherries using the advanced copulation method.

How to graft a cherry

There are various methods to properly graft cherries.

Budding involves grafting with an eye (one kidney), and copulation with a cutting, when the stock and scion have an identical thickness.

Both options can be implemented through a side cut behind the bark or in the butt. For beginners, split grafting is considered the best method. This method is the simplest, and does not allow you to make serious mistakes. To plant cherries in the spring step by step, you will need cuttings up to 16 cm in length with a couple of buds and the following algorithm of actions:

1. They take a stock (the diameter of a branch is up to 6 cm) and make a cut, after which they clean it with a sharpened blade.
2. A split is made with an ax or a sharp blade in the center of the rootstock branch, the depth of which should vary between 9-10,5 cm.
3. On one side of the handle, you will need to make a couple of cuts on the side to get a wedge. The depth must be identical to the length of the cut.
4. After removing the hatchet, instead of it, it is necessary to insert a small chop made of wood or a screwdriver, which will prevent the sides of the stock from closing. The stalk is placed in the splitting area so that the cambial layers coincide.
5. The screwdriver must be removed without moving the scion. If the scion is thinner than the stock, a couple more cuttings are placed in the split.

The top of the stock is tied with adhesive tape. The area of ​​​​the upper even cut on the grafted cutting and the place of grafting is covered with a special pitch. Then they take a plastic bag and build a small greenhouse, in which the grafted cutting is placed. Thus, the maintenance of the required level of humidity in the grafting area is ensured. It takes root after 11-15 days, after which you can get rid of the package that acts as a greenhouse. Adhesive tape is not recommended to be removed until the scion and rootstock are completely fused.

How to graft cherries in spring

Cherry grafting into a split in spring is carried out using material purchased on the market or cut independently in spring.

cherry cuttings

The harvesting of cherry cuttings in the spring is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. The mother tree is examined for the presence of normal shoots that appeared in last year’s growth. They are distinguished by a shiny, glossy, thin and reddish bark.
2. You need to make sure that the shoot contains only buds with sharp tips. For the fruiting of a cherry crop, last year’s growths with rounded buds are best suited.
3. To cut the shoot, you need to use a secateurs, which remove the buds from the tops and cut the sticks up to 31 cm in length. Each cutting should have 4 buds.

You can not carry out the procedure in too hot or rainy weather. The most preferred time to plant the crop is on a cool overcast day. It is not recommended to graft cherries with buds, it is better to carefully remove most of them before splicing.

How to graft cherries in summer

Cherry grafting in summer with green cuttings is considered more problematic and difficult than spring grafting. It is possible to graft a cherry in a hot period only on a culture without defects with a trunk of 6 cm in diameter and above.

Cherry care after grafting

The grafting site is wrapped with electrical tape or plastic wrap, making a couple of turns with a rope on top. Do not wrap tightly, as this can harm the tree.

After the first buds bloom, it is worth getting rid of the strapping material, leaving only a layer of electrical tape

Remove it when the first leaves begin to fall off. After swelling of the kidneys, the weakest are pinched off, leaving 2-3 of the strongest. Thanks to this trick, the tree will not lose juice, which will have the best effect on its development.

Tips from experienced gardeners

When harvesting cuttings, it must be borne in mind that annual shoots are strewn with buds. They prefer long shoots with a small number of flower buds.

If a rootstock candidate has been found in the forest, then the transplanted tree should be able to take root and adapt to the new location. It will be able to turn into a full-fledged stock only after a few years. Planting cherries during flowering is possible only if you have certain experience and skills.

Conclusion

Cherry grafting in the spring for beginners will not cause difficulties if you follow a certain technology. You need to graft the cherry without delay so that the sections do not have time to oxidize. When grafting with a cutting, it is important to monitor the correct alignment of the cambial layers. Knives, secateurs and other tools must be disinfected to minimize the risk of fungal infection.