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Gardeners quite often face the need to plant a pear. This method of vegetative propagation in some cases can become a full-fledged replacement for the traditional planting of seedlings. In addition, grafting is often the only way to save a tree in case of death or damage.
Why graft fruit trees
Vaccination is not a mandatory event in the year-round cycle of pear care. However, knowledge of the goals and objectives of this procedure, as well as the basics and methods of its implementation, can significantly expand the horizons of the gardener, improve his understanding of the metabolic and regenerative processes occurring inside the tree.
In addition, the vaccine allows the following:
- Propagate your favorite variety.
- To improve the characteristics of the plant, its winter hardiness, resistance to adverse natural factors.
- Diversify the species composition of the garden without resorting to planting new trees.
- Stretch or change harvest time by grafting varieties with different maturation dates.
- Save space in the garden.
- Turn the wild into a varietal tree.
- Change the taste characteristics of fruits.
- Save the variety in case of death or damage to the tree.
Trees are also grafted for research purposes to breed new varieties.
When can you graft a pear
Theoretically, a pear can be grafted at any time, since the life processes of a tree proceed year-round. However, practice shows that this procedure may not always end successfully. In autumn and winter, the recovery processes of the tree are very weak, so the likelihood that the scion will take root is almost zero. Therefore, a more favorable time is chosen for vaccination, namely spring and summer.
Pear grafting in spring
Spring pear grafting is usually the most successful. Subject to the deadlines and rules, it guarantees a survival rate close to 100%. The best time for grafting a pear is the period before bud break, that is, before the start of active sap flow. And also an important condition is the absence of return frosts and nighttime temperature drops to negative values. In the southern regions, this time comes in March, and in the more northern regions – in early or mid-April.
Pear grafting in the spring for beginners – on the video:
Summer pear grafting
In addition to spring time, you can plant a pear in the summer. The most suitable time for this is July. To protect the scion from direct sunlight, the grafting site must be shaded, otherwise the cutting may simply dry out. Pear grafting can also be carried out at a later time, for example, in August, but the likelihood of successful survival in this case is much lower.
Instructions for beginners about pear grafting in the summer:
Autumn pear grafting
In autumn, the processes in the trunk and branches of trees are greatly slowed down. The main part of the nutrients remains in the roots and is not directed to crown growth, as the plant prepares for winter. It is not advisable to vaccinate a pear in the fall at any time, since it will most likely be unsuccessful. Do not contribute to the survival of the scion and dramatically changing weather conditions at this time of the year.
Winter grafting pear
Winter vaccination can be successful only in those regions where the calendar winter does not last long and is rarely accompanied by severe frosts. Suitable conditions for grafting in such an area may come as early as the end of February. However, in most of our country, winter vaccinations are not carried out. The only exceptions are trees grown indoors. They can be vaccinated in January-February.
What tree can you graft a pear on?
As a rule, most vaccinations are done within one species, for example, a varietal pear is grafted onto a game. Interspecific vaccinations are less commonly used, when one seed crop is grafted onto another, for example, a pear on an apple tree. The resulting plants, as a rule, differ significantly in their performance from both the rootstock and the scion. However, not all species can be grafted among themselves, and a positive result is not always guaranteed.
Internatal vaccinations are the least frequently performed because they are the most difficult. Even if such a grafting is successful, and merging has occurred, the further development of the tree may be unpredictable due to the different growth rates of the rootstock and scion. However, experiments in this area are carried out constantly and the statistics of the results are regularly updated.
From the foregoing, we can conclude that the best rootstock for a pear will be another pear. However, there are several other crops that can be used as rootstock. The following trees can be used for pear grafting:
- chokeberry (chokeberry);
- hawthorn;
- irgu;
- cotoneaster;
- apple tree
- mountain ash.
What happens if you plant a pear on an apple tree
Both species belong to pome crops, so an attempt to graft a pear on an apple tree in the spring may well be successful. However, rootstock and scion are not always fully compatible. In this case, even with the initial fusion, the cutting may later be rejected. In some cases, the vaccination site may grow. Solve this problem in several ways. For example, by regrafting an already spliced cutting in a year. A rootstock that has grown during this time will have much greater compatibility.
The probability of successful vaccination can also be increased by using the so-called intercalary insert. In this case, one more link is added between the rootstock and the scion – the stalk, which has good splicing rates with both the first and the second tree.
How to plant a pear on a mountain ash
Grafting a pear on a mountain ash allows you to grow an orchard even in places not intended for this, for example, in wetlands. The pear will not grow there, but the mountain ash feels quite good under such conditions. Such a vaccination is done in the spring, and it is very important that the scion stalk is in a dormant state, and the growing season has already begun on the rootstock tree. To achieve this difference, you need to keep the pear cuttings for some time in the refrigerator. In the same way, you can graft a pear on chokeberry – chokeberry.
It must be remembered that the speed of growing the trunk of a mountain ash is less than that of a pear. Therefore, after 5-6 years, the tree may simply break under its own weight due to a too thin trunk at the base. The problem is solved by tying the seedling to a reliable support or by ablacking – by lateral splicing of several (usually 3) rowan seedlings used as a stock.
How to plant a dwarf pear on a tall one
There are no pure dwarf pear species. To reduce the height of the future tree, low-growing rootstocks are used: in the south it is quince, in the northern regions it is much more frost-resistant cotoneaster. Vigorous rootstocks are obtained, as a rule, from wild pear seedlings. They are grafted with cultivars. Such trees have a height of up to 15 m and actively bear fruit up to 100 years.
How to plant a pear on an irgu
Grafting a pear on an irgu is possible. The resulting trees are distinguished by their compact crown size (3-3,5 m) and friendly fruiting. It is also important that their frost resistance significantly increases. The pears grafted on the irga enter fruiting very early. Already in the second year after vaccination, the first harvest can be expected.
Grafting a pear on an irgu has its own characteristics. The rootstock trunk cannot be cut directly at the place of inoculation, it is necessary to leave a stump with 2-3 branches. These shoots, developing in parallel with the scion, will provide a normal forward and reverse flow of nutrients through the tree trunk. In this case, rejection and death of the scion, as a rule, does not occur. After 3-4 years, when the process normalizes, the left hemp can be removed.
Irgi trunks live for about 25 years. In addition, over time, the difference in the thickness of the stock and scion reaches a significant value. Therefore, for normal growth and development, it is recommended to regraft a pear on new trunks at least every 15 years.
What is a columnar pear grafted on
Columnar trees are becoming increasingly popular due to their compact size and decorative shape. As a rootstock for a columnar pear, you can use quince, shadberry or wild pear. Quince is considered the most suitable rootstock for dwarf plants, but its winter hardiness leaves much to be desired. Yes, and such a plant will grow well only on light fertile soils, which are quite rare in ordinary gardens.
When used as a wild pear rootstock, the plants are more powerful and unpretentious, with a good margin of frost resistance. However, pears on such a rootstock begin to bear fruit much later, 5-7 years after planting, while those grafted on quince give the first crop 2-3 years after grafting.
A feature of the columnar pears grafted onto a wild game is the tendency to thicken the crown. Such trees must be regularly thinned out, as well as trimmed side shoots, otherwise very soon the pear will cease to be columnar and turn into a dense lump of intertwined shoots.
Pear grafting on hawthorn
Hawthorn is a very common stock for grafting many fruit crops. He is winter-hardy and unpretentious. It is possible to graft a pear on a hawthorn, and with a high degree of probability the vaccination will be successful. Such a tree will quickly begin to bear fruit, and the harvest will be more abundant, larger and tastier.
However, such vaccinations are short-lived and live, as a rule, no more than 8 years. Therefore, it is recommended to graft 2-3 new shoots annually to constantly replace dying shoots.
Grafting wild pear
Grafting of wild pear with varietal cuttings is used very widely. Such a symbiosis is ideal in terms of compatibility. Wild pear seedlings have good frost resistance, they are unpretentious, develop a powerful root system. However, it must be remembered that the pear gives a powerful tap root, which can be buried 2 m or more into the ground. Therefore, the groundwater level at the site of future planting should not be higher than 2-2,5 m.
You can graft an old wild pear directly into the crown. If it is of considerable size, then it is recommended to graft the cultivar in this way. With the help of this procedure, over time, all skeletal branches can be replaced with varietal ones, and all of them may well be of different varieties.
Pear grafting on quince
Grafting a pear on a quince is quite simple. Most dwarf pear varieties have just such a stock. The tree grows low and compact, so it is very convenient to work with its crown. The yield of pear grafted on quince is quite high. Its biggest drawback is poor frost resistance. A pear on a quince rootstock cannot withstand temperatures below -7 ° C, which is why it is planted only in the southern regions of the country.
Selection and preparation of rootstock and scion
Autumn is the best time to harvest cuttings. Quite often, they are cut during pear trimming, while saving time. Harvesting is done with a margin, taking into account the fact that part of the grafting material may not survive the winter.
The choice and preparation of the rootstock depends on its thickness and the method of operation. The most commonly used pear grafting methods are:
- budding (vaccination with a sleeping or awakening eye);
- copulation (simple and improved);
- into cleavage;
- into the side cut;
- for the bark.
What material to harvest for grafting pears
After leaf fall, annual shoots are cut, cutting them into segments 10-15 cm long. Their thickness should be within 5-6 mm. Each cutting should contain 3-4 healthy, developed buds, with the top cut passing directly over the bud.
Cut cuttings are tied into bundles. Store them in a container with wet sand or sawdust at a temperature of about + 2 °C. If there is no cellar in which such a temperature is maintained, cuttings can also be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in a damp cloth and packed in a plastic bag.
How to plant a pear
Vaccination is a rather complicated procedure, and it must be carried out as carefully as possible. To perform the vaccination, you will need the following tools and materials:
- copulation knife;
- okulirovochny knife;
- gardening scissors;
- hacksaw;
- strapping material;
- garden var.
All cutting tools need to be perfectly sharpened, since smooth cuts splice much faster and better. In order not to infect, knives must be sterilized or disinfected with any alcohol-containing liquid.
Grafting a pear with a kidney (budding)
Budding is a very common method of grafting. The grafting material (graft) is only one kidney, the eye, as gardeners often call it. From here came the name of the method – budding (from the Latin oculus – eye). If the inoculation is made by a kidney taken from the autumn cuttings of the previous year, then it will start to grow and sprout in the same year. This method is called budding with a germinating eye. If the pear is grafted in the summer, then the kidney is taken from fresh cuttings of the current year. It will overwinter and germinate only the next year, so this method is called budding with a sleeping eye.
Budding can be done in two ways:
- appropriate;
- into a T-shaped incision.
When budding, a rectangular section of the bark is cut out on the rootstock – a shield, which is replaced by an exactly the same size shield with a scion bud. Having achieved maximum alignment of the layers of the cambium, the shield is fixed with a special tape.
The second method of budding is done as follows. A T-shaped incision is made on the rootstock bark. The lateral sides of the bark are folded over, leading a scion shield with a kidney behind them. Then the vaccination site is wrapped with tape, while the kidney remains open.
As a rule, the results of the vaccination become clear after 2 weeks. If the kidney confidently starts growing, then everything is done correctly. If germination is not observed, and the bud itself has turned black and dried up, it means that invaluable experience has been gained and next time everything will definitely work out.
Grafting a pear into a split
Split grafting is used if the thickness of the rootstock significantly exceeds the thickness of the cuttings of the scion. Such a situation may arise, for example, when the crown of the tree is badly damaged, but the root system is in good condition. In this case, the damaged tree is cut down, and several cuttings are grafted onto the stump (usually 2 or 4, depending on the thickness of the stump).
Before grafting, the stock is split in two or in a cross. Scion cuttings are inserted into the split, the lower part of which is sharpened with a sharp wedge. Having achieved the connection of the outer layers of the cambium, the cuttings are fixed with tape, and the open cut is covered with garden pitch or natural-based oil paint.
Inoculation per bark
Pear grafting by the bark can be used in the same cases as split grafting. It is done in the following way. The stump or even cut of the stock is cleaned with a knife, removing all surface irregularities. On its bark, even cuts are made about 4 cm long. The lower part of the handle is cut with an oblique cut so that its length is 3-4 cm.
The graft is inserted behind the bark at the cut points so that the cut is directed inside the tree and protrudes 1-2 mm beyond the saw cut surface. The vaccination site is fixed with tape, and the open areas are smeared.
Copulation
Copulation is a fairly common method of grafting, used in the case of a slight difference in thickness between the stock and scion. In this case, the upper part of the rootstock and the lower part of the cutting are cut with an oblique cut, the length of which should be approximately 3 times its diameter. After that, they are combined with each other, achieving maximum coincidence of the layers of the cambium. Then the place of inoculation of the pear is fixed with a tape.
The method of improved copulation allows to increase the probability of a positive result. In this case, the oblique cut is not made straight, but zigzag. This fixes the shoot much more densely, and also increases the boundaries of contact between the layers of the cambium.
Currently, there are tools that allow you to achieve almost perfect contact between the layers of the cambium. This is the so-called grafting secateurs. With its help, the cutting and stock are cut, while the shape of the cut matches perfectly.
However, these tools have a number of significant drawbacks. They are applicable only on shoots of a certain thickness, in addition, the stock and scion should be almost the same in diameter. Another important factor is their high price.
Ablactation
Ablactation, or proximity grafting, is quite rarely used for a pear. More often it is used to create hedges or to graft poorly rooted grape varieties. However, for a pear, this method will work. Its essence lies in the fact that two shoots growing in constant direct contact with each other grow together into one over time.
You can speed up this process by cutting off shields of the same shape from both shoots and fixing them. After about 2-3 months, the shoots will grow together at the point of contact.
bridge
A bridge is one of the types of grafting used in a critical situation, for example, in case of ring damage to the bark by rodents. In this case, it is necessary to use pre-prepared cuttings, which will be a kind of bridge between the root system and the crown of the tree. Make a bridge as follows. Mirror T-shaped incisions are made above and below the damaged area on the bark. Obliquely cut cuttings are planted in them, if possible, achieving the most accurate alignment of the layers of the cambium. Their length should be slightly greater than the distance between the cuts, the stalk after installation should be slightly curved.
The number of bridges depends on the thickness of the damaged tree. For a young seedling, one is enough; for an adult tree, you can put 6 or 8 bridges. After installation, they must be fixed with tape or nailed with thin nails. All damaged areas must be covered with garden pitch or other material.
General rules for the performance of work
Vaccination is akin to a surgical operation, so its result directly depends on accuracy. All cuts must be made evenly and clearly. The tool must be perfectly sharpened and sterilized. It must be remembered that there are no exact established dates for vaccinations; all work must be carried out based on weather conditions and your experience.
Care after vaccination
2 weeks after the vaccination, you can evaluate its success. If the vaccination site did not turn black, the kidneys swelled and started to grow, then all the efforts were not in vain. If the result is negative, the vaccination can be repeated in another way at another suitable time. It is also worth checking if the rootstock and scion are compatible.
After a successful vaccination, it is necessary to observe the growth of the shoot. Too rapid growth is useless, it is advisable to slow it down by pinching the top. In this case, the tree will spend more energy on healing the grafting site, and not on forcing the shoot. All shoots below the vaccination site must be removed for the same purpose.
After about 3 months, the fixing bandages can be loosened. They can be completely removed in a year, when the tree has overwintered and it will be possible to admit with full confidence that the graft has taken root.
Tips from experienced gardeners
To avoid unnecessary mistakes, it is recommended that the following rules be followed when vaccinating:
- Before grafting, make sure that the rootstock and scion are compatible, including the timing of fruit ripening. Grafting a late pear for summer can lead to the fact that the crop simply will not have time to ripen due to the early departure of the tree into hibernation.
- All work must be carried out only on time, with high-quality and clean tools.
- The rootstock and scion must be absolutely healthy so that the plant does not waste energy on recovery.
- If you plan to use a recently planted tree as a rootstock, you must give it the opportunity to first grow its own full-fledged root system. Therefore, it is possible to instill something on it only after 2-3 years.
- Do not plant several different varieties at once. The tree gets used to one faster.
- At least one branch of its own must remain on the grafted pear. If it is not varietal, then its growth can be slowed down by constriction.
- As a rootstock, it is better to use trees older than 3 and younger than 10 years. Grafting something on an old pear will be much more difficult.
The success of vaccination largely depends on experience. Therefore, it is better for novice gardeners to carry out this operation for the first time under the guidance of a more experienced friend.
Conclusion
It is not difficult to plant a pear subject to all the recommendations. This tree has a good survival rate and feels good on many rootstocks. Therefore, this opportunity must be used for the species diversity of the garden.