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Mulberry (mulberry) is a fairly common fruit tree, often grown in the southern regions of Our Country. It gives tasty and healthy fruits with a number of healing properties, but requires good care. A planted tree does not always live up to the gardener’s expectations, often the berries turn out to be small, tasteless, or the plant grows into a wild game. The easiest way out in this situation is to plant a mulberry tree.
Pros and cons of mulberry propagation by grafting
Grafting is a special operation that allows you to change the characteristics of a plant by biologically merging another variety or species with it. It is widely used for many fruit trees. Planted apple trees, pears, plums, cherries and other crops. This technique allows:
- Quickly propagate the desired variety without planting seedlings.
- Increase the number of varieties grown without increasing the number of plantings.
- Change the characteristics of the plant, its winter hardiness, overall dimensions, the timing of the ripening of the crop.
- Change the taste of fruits.
- Save the species or variety you like in case of tree death.
Grafting mulberries in the spring allows you to reduce the time to get the first harvest by several years. This is very important when a crop is grown for the first time. Thanks to grafting, you can quickly evaluate the result and determine whether it is worth pursuing this variety in the future.
The disadvantages of vaccination include its relative complexity, especially for beginners. However, this problem is solved by independent study of the theoretical part and practical work, preferably under the guidance of an experienced mentor, especially if it is carried out for the first time.
What is mulberry grafted on
The mulberry tree has a significant drawback: its grafting is done, as a rule, only within the genus. Therefore, grafting a mulberry, for example, on a plum will not work. Different types of mulberry are grafted and re-grafted among themselves, for example, white mulberry is grafted onto black, black onto red, etc. Grafting of a cultivated variety onto a wild mulberry tree is also common. Other plants are not used as rootstock. Grafting mulberry on plum, apricot, peach and other fruit crops is unlikely to succeed; such attempts have been made by experimental gardeners repeatedly and invariably ended in failure.
What can be grafted onto mulberry
In the vast majority of cases, only another mulberry tree can be grafted onto a mulberry tree. Mulberry is an independent genus of plants, uniting 17 species of deciduous trees. They can be grafted onto each other. Other cultures on mulberry, as a rule, are not grafted. However, experienced gardeners sometimes succeed in grafting figs on mulberries, and also, paradoxically, grapes. To do this, use a rather original method. A hole is drilled in a mulberry tree in such a way that a vine can be passed through it. If fusion occurs over time, then the mother shoot of the grapes is cut off, and the vine continues to grow on a mulberry rootstock.
Preparing for mulberry grafting
Preparation for grafting a mulberry tree begins in the fall. It was at this time that cutting and harvesting of cuttings were made. A suitable period for this is the period from the end of leaf fall to the onset of the first frost. For cutting cuttings, one-year-old mulberry shoots growing from the sunny side are used. The length of the cuttings should be 30-40 cm, thickness – 5-7 mm.
After harvesting, the cuttings are tied into bundles and put away for storage in the basement or cellar. Store them in an upright position, in the direction of natural growth, placing the cut in a moist substrate of sawdust or sand. The optimum temperature for this is + 2 °C.
Silk cuttings can also be stored outdoors. For this, an ordinary hole in the ground is suitable. It is usually done on the north side of the house to avoid temperature fluctuations caused by the sun. A layer of wet sawdust is poured at the bottom, then the cuttings are laid out, filling them on top with the same moistened material. In this form, the pit is left for an hour, so that the sawdust has time to cool. After that, a layer of dry sawdust is poured on top and covered with plastic wrap.
If the time for harvesting is missed in the fall, cutting cuttings can be done at the end of winter or at the beginning of spring, at this time the frosts have already stopped, but the buds on the shoots are still in a dormant state. Cuttings cut at this time can be stored in the refrigerator, on the top shelf. To do this, they are wrapped in a clean, damp cloth, and then placed in a plastic bag.
Before vaccination, you need to prepare the necessary tools and materials. To carry out the work you will need:
- copulation knife;
- okulirovochny knife;
- secateurs or garden shears;
- polyethylene tape;
- fixing material;
- garden var.
All cutting edges must be properly sharpened. The sharper they are, the smoother the cut will be, the faster the wounds will heal and the tree will recover.
Before carrying out work, the tool must be disinfected so as not to introduce an infection into the wound.
How to graft a mulberry tree
For grafting mulberries in the spring, you can use all the same methods as for other fruit trees. Most often, mulberry is grafted using the following methods:
- budding;
- copulation;
- into cleavage;
- for the bark.
Budding and copulation are the most common methods of mulberry grafting. Other methods are used less frequently.
How to plant mulberries in spring
You can graft a mulberry tree in the spring, about 1-2 weeks before flowering. To do this, it is recommended to use the following methods:
- occlusion in application;
- budding in a T-shaped incision;
- simple copying;
- improved copying.
Budding in the butt is a fairly simple way. Its essence lies in the fact that a cut is made on the stock of the so-called shield – part of the bark. In place of the cutout, a shield with a kidney, exactly the same in shape and size, taken from the middle part of the handle, is placed. After combining the layers of the cambium, the shield is fixed with a special tape.
Budding in a T-shaped incision is performed as follows. The bark of the stock at the site of the future vaccination is cut in the form of a capital letter T. The layers of the bark are folded over, and a scion shield with a kidney is inserted behind it. After that, the shield is fixed with tape, while the kidney remains open.
Both methods of budding are shown in the figure below.
Another common way to graft mulberries in the spring is copulation. This method is used in the case when the thickness of the rootstock and the cuttings of the scion are the same. The shoot of the stock and the bottom of the cutting are cut obliquely, so that the length of the cut is approximately 3 times its diameter. After that, the stock and scion are combined, achieving the maximum coincidence of the layers of the cambium. The vaccination site is fixed with a special tape.
Survival can be increased with improved copulation. In this case, the oblique cut of the cutting and rootstock is not made straight, but zigzag. This makes it possible to fix the stalk more rigidly at the grafting site, and also increases the contact area of the cambium on the rootstock and scion.
The figure shows both copulation methods:
You can find out if the vaccination was successful in about 10-14 days. The accustomed shoot will release leaves and confidently start to grow.
How to plant mulberries in summer
In addition to the spring period, you can plant mulberries in the summer, from the end of July to the beginning of the 3rd decade of August. To do this, use the method of budding, the so-called sleeping eye. Summer mulberry grafting in this way does not differ from the usual spring budding. As a scion, a shield with a sleeping bud is used, which is taken from annual shoots of the desired mulberry variety. The survival rate is determined after 1,5-2 weeks, if the kidney has not turned black and has retained a fresh appearance, then the vaccination was successful. It will start growing only next spring.
How to prepare a mulberry graft for winter
The vaccination site is quite vulnerable. Until complete fusion occurs, the cuttings may move due to wind, precipitation, or other reasons. Therefore, for the first few months, the fixing tape is not removed, but only loosened so as not to disturb the flow of sap. It is completely removed only after the tree has wintered. You can also increase the survival rate quantitatively by making several vaccinations in different places on the tree.
Winter is a good time to graft wild mulberry seedlings with cultivated cuttings if they are growing in a greenhouse or indoors. Often such a vaccination is called a desktop one, since it is produced in comfortable conditions. It is recommended to spend it from the end of December to the beginning of March. At home, very neat, clean cuts can be made, so the survival rate of such vaccinations is consistently high.
How to find out if the mulberry has taken root or not
The result of vaccination can be assessed visually after 10-15 days. If the vaccination was successful, the stalk will remain healthy, and the buds will start to grow. To improve survival, all shoots should be cut below the grafting site so that the tree does not waste energy on their growth. The fixing tape must be left, it can be loosened no earlier than 3 months after the vaccination.
Spring vaccination should be considered unsuccessful if, 2 weeks after the procedure, the bud with the kidney or the stalk did not sprout, turned black and withered. However, do not despair, since budding with a sleeping eye can be repeated in the summer. In any case, the result, even if unsuccessful, is useful in terms of gaining experience.
Tips from experienced gardeners
Here are some tips that can be given to beginning gardeners before grafting a mulberry tree. Following them will avoid many mistakes and increase the number of positive results.
- It must be remembered that the mulberry tree is a dioecious plant. By grafting a stalk from a female tree onto a male tree, you can get a crop for 4-5 years.
- If you graft a mulberry on an adult tree, it will begin to bear fruit 2-3 years earlier.
- Grafting onto a low-growing stem of weeping or globular varieties can significantly reduce the height of an adult tree, while facilitating harvesting and working with the crown.
- Several varieties of mulberry can be grafted onto one tree without any problems, while obtaining fruits of different colors.
- In summer, for budding, you can use a kidney from a growth shoot.
- Do not vaccinate on a rainy day.
- The best time for vaccination is early morning or evening.
- The better the tool, the better the survival rate.
- Do not touch the cuts with your hands.
Conclusion
It is not difficult to plant a mulberry tree if all work is carried out on time and with proper quality. You can avoid common mistakes if you carry out this work under the guidance of an experienced gardener. A mulberry tree can grow up to 200 years, so with the right approach, you can grow a real mulberry platter on one tree.
