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Grafting is one of the most common horticultural techniques, allowing fruit to be produced several years earlier or in an area that is usually unacceptable for a particular type of fruit. There is grafting by cuttings and grafting by buds, and gardeners have long wondered which method is more reliable and how to increase the effectiveness of vaccinations. It is not surprising that recently a special garden tool, the grafting pruner, appeared in specialized stores and almost immediately became popular.
Device description
Like any other tool of this kind, the grafting pruner consists of a working knife, handles, springs, and a stopper. Often, as a nice addition, this pruner also has a standard cutting blade. But what makes this garden knife unusual is the shape of the main blade. This is a high-quality steel plate, bent in a special way to obtain a figured cut.
Depending on the shape of the knife, the cutout can be sharp (V-shaped), rounded at the end and elongated upwards (parabolic), round with a narrow entrance, forming a kind of “lock” (omega-shaped). All forms of cuts allow us to solve a common problem – to expose the cambium layer of the scion and rootstock as much as possible and to combine the two branches with each other as best as possible. With the help of a grafting pruner, you can vaccinate all types of fruit trees, grapes with your own hands, even graft watermelon lashes on a pumpkin.
Visible benefits
The grafting tool is easy to use and well suited for beginners. The cuts on the scion and rootstock are made in one movement, they do not have time to dry out and are combined quickly and tightly, which ensures the best survival of the scion.
This is important if the grower has little experience with grafting and is not very confident in using the grafting knife. The grafting pruner allows you to automate and speed up the process as much as possible, in addition, it is impossible to cut yourself with a pruner.
However, experienced gardeners should also pay attention to this tool. The speed of the process allows you to make several inoculations in the same time that you need to spend on one inoculation with a knife. In this way, the gardener’s personal time is saved, or many more trees can be grafted than usual.
Knives have a long service life – up to three thousand cuts. Knives are easy to change with your own hands, and disassembly is as safe as possible for the user, since the knife is closed with a special plastic casing until the last moment. Thus, we get a useful garden tool that can be used on all types of fruit trees, from apple to cherry and rowan.
Video “Grafting Tool”
What are the disadvantages
The grafting pruner is designed primarily for grafting trees with cuttings (copulation). At the same time, there are certain requirements for scion and rootstock, and they must be adhered to for the success of the entire operation. The thickness of cuttings for grafting is limited to a range of 4-12 mm, depending on the shape of the knife. In addition, the diameters of the rootstock and scion should be as close as possible, even a discrepancy of three millimeters can be critical.
In addition, this tool also requires some skill – in order to get a neat, even cut without kinks, and not damage either the handle or the knife, the blade must completely return to its original position after making the cut.
Due to the shape of the knife, it can be difficult to sharpen it with your own hands. Moreover, knives in Chinese-made secateurs simply cannot be sharpened, they need to be changed regularly. And to buy a grafting pruner with a quality knife, you will have to spend a lot of money.
Choose from an assortment
The price of a quality pruner with good knives ranges from a thousand to one and a half thousand rubles and, in fact, to infinity. There are a wide variety of models on the market, both unnamed Chinese and branded ones. The most common model is the Professional Grafting Tool grafting pruner. This is a professional tool, the best in its line. It comes in different configurations, with one, two or three knives, as well as in a gift version, with a screwdriver for changing knives and in a case. The main advantage of the Professional Grafting Tool secateurs is high-quality materials.
The blades are made from SK5 high carbon steel and are chrome plated for wear and corrosion resistance. Pruner handles are made of reinforced plastic. The tool is the most massive and widespread, on the Internet there are a lot of reviews and videos about the use of the grafting pruner of this particular brand. Now an analogue of this Belarusian-made secateurs has appeared on sale.
Artitec 3T (Artitec Manual Grafting 3T AR-INN3T) – differs from the previous model in a special knife that allows grafting with a kidney (budding). The knives for this secateurs are forged, made of high carbon steel. The pruner is made in Italy, which immediately affects its price.
The same manufacturer offers the Artitec Complementary Gtafter model – for grafting cuttings up to 4,5 mm in diameter. As mentioned in the name of the tool, the grafting pruner of this model serves as an additional tool. They can only make cuts on the rootstock – when grafting into a split. Scion cuts should be made with other secateurs such as the Artitec 3T. Which grafting pruner is better is up to the buyers to decide.
How to make yourself
Some gardeners, having gained experience with purchased pruners, prefer to make a pruner with their own hands, taking into account the comments on the factory tool and their own requirements. The manufacture of grafting pruners from garlic is popular, but here the main problem is knives. They will have to be machined on their own or ordered from familiar master locksmiths. Another way, rather the manufacture of a grafting vise.
For the basics, a small vise is taken, which can be found in the household of every amateur locksmith. A sharp curved blade is attached to the pin, and the cut itself is made not by pressing, but by turning the handle. This procedure takes a little longer than working with a factory pruner, but allows you to feel the satisfaction of a job well done by your own hands.
Video “Overview of grafting pruners”
To understand which of the selected garden tools is most suitable for working with tree grafting, we suggest watching the following video review.
