How to plant a plum in spring: step by step

Plum grafting is not a mandatory maintenance measure for this tree, unlike pruning or top dressing. It is carried out at the request of the gardener. However, do not neglect it, because with its help you can significantly improve the characteristics of the plum tree and make it easier to care for.

Do I need to graft a plum

Most of the seedlings sold in nurseries are already grafted. This can be determined by the characteristic thickening just above the root neck.

The vaccination itself is not mandatory.

Why plant a plum

Grafting allows you to save a lot of time when choosing the right variety or for quickly propagating the right one. With the help of grafting, you can quickly replace one plum variety with another, bypassing the seedling stage. Grafting on more hardy rootstocks can significantly increase the frost resistance of the tree, and the use of dwarf rootstocks reduces the height of the plant.

Plum Grafting in Spring: Tips for Beginners

Vaccination is a very responsible event, and its success largely depends on preparation. It is necessary to carry out this procedure only in the established time frame. Cuts on the stock and cuttings should be neat, even and accurate, so you can’t do without a good tool.

Vaccination is akin to a surgical operation, so you need to take care of preparatory and rehabilitation measures in advance, stock up on the necessary materials.

What tree can you graft a plum onto?

There is an opinion among gardeners that stone fruits can be grafted onto stone fruits, and pome trees can be grafted onto pome trees. The stone fruits include the following fruit crops:

• Apricot.
• Alycha.
• Felt cherry.
• Cherry ordinary.
• Steppe cherry.
• Dogwood.
• Plum homemade.
• Chinese plum.
• Tern.
• Ternosliva.
• Peach.
• Cherries.

Theoretically, you can graft a plum onto any tree from this list. However, in practice, everything is not so simple.

Plum grafting on a plum

Intraspecific vaccination has the best chance of being successful. Plum is grafted onto plum to improve fruiting, preserve the species or reproduce it. Many people graft several varieties on one plum tree.

Plum grafting on a turn

The turn is the closest relative of the plum. The wild blackthorn is an extremely hardy plant and an indispensable stock for gardeners who want to increase the frost resistance of their plum trees. Plum cuttings grafted onto the turn take root very well.

At the same time, frost resistance increases so much that even in the most severe frost they remain intact, while other plum varieties completely freeze out.

Is it possible to plant a plum on a wild

You can also use a wild plum (wild plum) as a rootstock for plums. As a rule, grafting of this kind is successful, and the result is an increased resistance of the tree to adverse weather conditions, temperature fluctuations and precipitation. Experienced gardeners recommend that novice gardeners use wild plums for stocking plums. It allows good practice and does not require perfect precision when grafting.

Is it possible to graft a plum on a bird cherry

You can graft a plum on a bird cherry. In most cases, the scion will take root and even release leaves. However, the bird cherry will not provide proper nutrition to the rootstock, so the leaves on the scion will turn yellow ahead of time, wither and fly around. There will be no full-fledged growth of plums on a bird cherry stock.

Plum grafting on cherry

Such a grafting is possible if, as a stock, we take not an ordinary, but a felted cherry. Work must be carried out quickly and accurately, since cherry slices oxidize very quickly and the survival rate drops sharply. The result will be a plum tree that will be about two times lower and more compact than usual, and it will begin to bear fruit a year or two earlier.

And also the tree will be more resistant to weather conditions and will grow better on heavy soil.

Plum grafting on apricot

Grafting a plum onto an apricot rootstock is difficult, but possible. The main problem is that not all varieties of plums get along with it. But if the grafting succeeds, the fruits of plums on the apricot rootstock will be more tasty and fragrant than ordinary ones.

Grafting a blue plum onto a yellow one

Since both the rootstock and the graft are plums, the grafting will certainly be successful if everything is done correctly. If the vaccination is not done on a seedling, but on the crown of an adult tree, the gardener will have a very interesting plum, with blue fruits on one side and yellow on the other.

What can be grafted on a plum

Plum can also be used as a rootstock. You can graft on it the same stone fruit trees, which include the plum itself.

Apricot grafting on a plum

Apricot is grafted onto plum quite often. Since the plum is more resistant to cold and weather disasters, such a grafting will significantly increase the endurance of the apricot, its frost resistance. At the same time, its entry into fruiting will occur 1-2 years earlier, and the yield will not decrease. Unfortunately, not all vaccinations are successful and the percentage of survival is much lower than intraspecific for both of these trees.

Grafting peach on plum

The unpretentiousness of the plum will help in this case. Peach cuttings grafted onto a plum are more likely to take root. A peach on a plum rootstock becomes resistant both to an unfavorable climate and to many diseases, is less often affected by pests, and its fruits become larger and tastier.

Grafting an apple tree on a plum

Cuttings of pome fruit crops, which include the apple tree, do not take root on stone fruits. With a probability of 99%, such a vaccination is doomed to failure. If this does happen, the result will be unpredictable. It is absolutely known that some gardeners managed to plant an apple tree on a plum tree, but there is no data on the results of such experiments.

Cherry plum grafting on plum

Cherry plum takes root well on a plum rootstock. If for some reason the plum does not grow well, cherry plum is often grafted onto it. It is much more stable, unpretentious and bears fruit more abundantly.

On a plum rootstock, cherry plum will begin to bear fruit 1-2 years earlier than when planted as a stone.

Cherry grafting on plum

Sweet cherries are grafted onto plums without any problems, if all the deadlines and rules are met, the survival rate will be very high. Such grafting significantly improves the quality of fruits, their size increases significantly, and the taste becomes much more intense and interesting.

Grafting a sloe on a plum

Absolutely, such a vaccination will take root, since the sloe and cherry plum are the parents of the plum. However, there is no reason to graft a tenacious frost-resistant thorn onto a plum that is more tender in all respects. This will not add winter hardiness, productivity either. Therefore, they usually do a reverse grafting, engrafting plum cuttings to a more resistant thorny stock.

Pear grafting on a plum

The pear belongs to the same family as the apple tree – pome fruits. Therefore, with regard to such a vaccination, everything that has already been said about the apple tree above will be true.

Cherry grafting on plum

Such a grafting is possible and with a certain degree of probability it will be successful, although it is quite difficult to achieve the fusion of the cutting with the stock because of the different woods. A rooted cherry on a plum rootstock will feel good, and if it is grafted into a crown, two types of fruits can be obtained on the tree at once. Such a hybrid will bear fruit earlier than ordinary cherries. The tree itself will grow larger and spreader, and when flowering will resemble sakura.

What can be grafted onto a wild plum

Wildlife is usually what grows from the root shoots of ungrafted trees or from a stone. They are characterized by increased resistance to weather changes, tolerate frosts well, and are undemanding to the composition of the soil. Often they are used as a rootstock, and quite successfully. On the wild can be grafted:

• Plum.
• cherry.
• Apricot.
• Peach.

Any of these grafts will increase the tree’s resistance to weather conditions and make it more unpretentious.

Plum grafting time

Graft the plum in the spring, during the period of intensive sap flow. At this time, the survival rate of the scion is the highest. If for some reason the vaccination fails, you can repeat it in June or July. In autumn, you can vaccinate only in the southern regions, otherwise there is a great chance that the stalk simply does not have time to grow together with the stock before the onset of cold weather.

Plum grafting dates in spring

The best period for grafting stone fruits is the end of March-beginning of April. This is the time of the beginning of the vegetative period and the chances of a positive result are much greater. May is also a suitable month for vaccination, however, with the onset of a warm period, the survival rate drops and not all vaccinations may be successful.

Plum grafting dates in summer

If for some reason it was not possible to plant the plum in the spring or the attempts were unsuccessful, you can repeat them in June-July. At this time, one can still hope for success, since the scion will have time to take root before the onset of cold weather. In August and later, plums can only be grafted in warm regions.

How to save plum cuttings for grafting

For cuttings, lignified shoots of the first or second year of life are chosen. Preference is given to side branches located on the sunny side of the tree. Cuttings are cut at the end of autumn, after the first frost. At this time, the plant is in a dormant state and the cuttings will tolerate winter storage well.

There are several ways to keep cut cuttings until spring. The easiest of them is in the snow. To do this, you need to dig a small hole, the bottom of which must be lined with spruce branches. Then the cuttings connected in bunches are laid and covered from above with the same spruce branches. Then a layer of earth or straw is thrown on top, after which everything is covered with a thick layer of snow.

Other methods can be used to save plum cuttings. The main thing is to provide a temperature of about 0 ° C and a humidity of about 70%. At a lower temperature, the cuttings may freeze slightly, at a higher temperature, they may wake up ahead of time. Many people store cuttings in the refrigerator, on the balcony or in a cold cellar.

Spring grafting methods

There are several ways to graft a plum. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Which one to use – the gardener himself decides based on the conditions of vaccination and the available materials.

Copulation method

Many fruit trees can be grafted using this method. In order to graft using the copulation method, the thickness of the rootstock and scion must be the same. The stalk and stock are cut with an even oblique cut so that its length is approximately three times the diameter. After that, the cutting is applied to the rootstock so that the layers of the cambium coincide as much as possible. Then the grafting site is fixed with tape.

There is also improved copulation (Figure b). In this case, the cut is made zigzag. This allows you to more securely fix the stalk, as well as increase the boundaries of contact between the cambium of the rootstock and the scion and increase the survival rate.

Grafting a plum into a split

Split grafting allows you to graft 1, 2 or 4 cuttings at the same time on one rootstock. For grafting several cuttings, its thickness must be several times greater than that of the scion. The branch intended for the rootstock is cut with a straight cut, after which it is carefully cleaned with a sharp garden knife. Then a straight split is made in the middle (if 4 cuttings are grafted – cruciform). The graft is cut from the bottom to the wedge so that the cuts are about three times longer than the thickness of the cutting. After that, the cuttings are inserted into the split, while the outer side layer of the cambium at the rootstock and scion must match.

After the vaccination, all cuttings are fixed with a special or insulating tape, and all open cuts are treated with garden pitch.

Plum grafting by bud (budding)

With this method of vaccination, the scion is one kidney. Gardeners often call it “peephole”, hence the name of the method (okulus (lat) – eye). The kidney is taken from the cutting of the desired variety. If it is harvested in the fall, then this is budding with a germinating eye, such a shoot after vaccination will begin to grow this spring. If the kidney is taken from a green tree, then the vaccination is carried out in the summer, and the shoot will begin to grow from it only next spring. This method is called sleeping eye budding.

 For vaccination “in the butt”, a recess is cut out on the stock in a semicircle and a shield of the same shape is inserted into it, in which there is a healthy bud of the scion. After that, the shield with the eye is securely fixed with a special tape, while the kidney should remain open. After about 2 weeks, you can evaluate the result of the vaccination.

Budding can also be done in a T-shaped incision. For this, the rootstock bark at the grafting site is incised with the letter “T”. The bark layer is folded over, and a shield with a grafted kidney is placed behind it. The bark returns to its place, closing the shield. After that, the vaccination site is rigidly fixed with a special tape.

The result of the vaccination can be checked after 15-20 days. If the spring bud germinates, the vaccination was successful.

Inoculation by the bridge

Bridge grafting is used for circular lesions of the cortex. Often this problem arises due to the fact that hares gnaw around the bark of a young plum in a circle in winter. So that the tree does not die, a kind of “bridge” is thrown over the wound, along which the juices move.

Before grafting the plum with a bridge (in the middle lane this is May), you need to paint over or cover up all damaged areas in advance, otherwise the tree will begin to dry. For “bridges” cuttings harvested last year are suitable, and they may be of a different variety or even species. If the trunk of the damaged tree is small, only 2 cuttings will be required, if it is large, up to 8.

On the cuttings, you need to break off all the buds so that they do not start growing, and also make oblique cuts 2–3 cm long. The edges of the damaged section of the stock are cut in a T-shape, the edges of the bark are bent and the edges of the cutting are brought there. “Bridges” are tightly fixed, and then wrapped with a film, forming a natural greenhouse.

Plum grafting by bark

Bark grafting is somewhat similar to split grafting. The rootstock branch is cut down with an even cut and cleaned with a knife. An incision 2–4 mm long is made on the edge of the bark (if several cuttings are grafted, several incisions are made). The bark must be carefully folded over and a cutting is inserted into it, on which an oblique cut is made.

To prevent the cuttings from falling out, they must be tightly fixed with tape. All open sections must be covered with garden pitch.

Ablactation

This method of grafting splices two shoots growing side by side. Ablactation, or proximity grafting, is rarely used for garden trees. Its main purpose is to create hedges. And also ablactation helps to save a damaged tree if there is another one nearby.

For vaccination, the time is from May to August. On two shoots growing side by side, it is necessary to remove the bark at the point of convergence and make identical cuts. Then fold the stock and scion, aligning the cambium layers as much as possible. After that, the vaccination site is tightly fixed with tape.

How to graft a plum into a side cut

Grafting into the lateral incision is very simple. The rootstock branch is cut in the right place with an oblique cut so as to cut both the bark and the wood. The cutting is cut from below so that a double-sided wedge is formed. It is inserted into the resulting notch on the rootstock. The layers of the cambium are combined as much as possible, then the scion and stock are fixed with a tape.

 All open sections are smeared with garden pitch.

How to Graft a Broken Plum in Spring

In winter, a tree can suffer from many factors. Basically, large branches that break under the weight of adhering wet snow suffer. Sometimes the central conductor also suffers, mainly on young trees. Broken branches will have to be removed. This must be done carefully to avoid scuffing the bark. All creases must be cleaned and covered with garden pitch.

If the trunk is not damaged, the tree will most likely continue to grow normally and will soon replace the lost branches. If the central conductor is broken, but the bark at the broken point remains intact, you can try to put a tire on the broken place and fix the trunk. If the trunk is completely broken, the only way out is to cut it down and graft several cuttings onto a stump into a split or behind the bark.

Plum care after vaccination

After vaccination, the condition of the scion should be checked regularly. If there is no doubt that it has taken root, there are no (green leaves have blossomed on the handle), you can weaken, and then completely remove the tape and film that wrapped the vaccination site. If a large shoot was grafted, the strapping can be kept until next spring.

The emerging shoots on the scion should be removed so that the tree does not waste energy on its growth. The emerging inflorescences are also removed so as not to weaken the scion by fruiting. You can leave only a few pieces to assess the quality of the resulting fruit.

What mistakes gardeners often make when grafting plums

The vaccination procedure is not complicated only at first glance. For vaccinations to be successful, it will take hours of hard training. Here are the most common mistakes beginner gardeners make:

1. The vaccination is carried out at a considerable distance from the bole.
2. The vaccination site is contaminated or not treated with var after the procedure.
3. When the scion is fixed, the layers of the cambium are shifted relative to the rootstock.
4. Slices do not match in shape and size.
5. Too weak fixation of the scion, because of which it is loosened by the wind.
6. Too short stems.
7. Cuttings improperly harvested in autumn or frozen in winter.

The most common mistakes when grafting a plum are in the video at the link below.

Conclusion

Plum grafting helps to avoid many problems. This is both a fast breeding method, and a means of improving varietal qualities, and a method of increasing resistance to the climatic features of the growing region. In addition, grafting may well turn a fruit tree into a unique one, since the result often exceeds all the gardener’s expectations.