How to grow an apple tree from a branch: when to start harvesting cuttings, choosing a place

Beginner gardeners will be interested to learn how to grow an apple tree from a branch. This method of reproduction allows you to save all varietal characteristics. An aging fruit tree can be replaced with a young one using the air layering method.

Is it possible to propagate an apple tree with branches

Experienced gardeners grow own-rooted seedlings from branches. Their survival rate is high - from 80 to 90%. To germinate roots, choose annual shoots. They are bent to the ground, fixed with a hairpin in a shallow trench (10 cm), sprinkled with soil.

Layering is done in early spring. In summer, the soil is kept moist. A year later, at the beginning of summer, the seedlings are separated from the mother tree. Transplanted to a permanent place in the fall.

Take a broken or cut branch?

According to gardeners, a broken cutting takes root faster. The branch must be broken so that the “heel” remains at the bottom. To do this, a shallow incision is first made on the selected shoot, then a branch is broken off in this very place.

To form more roots, the “heel” is split into several parts with a sharp knife. Before that, it is shortened and trimmed a little.

Air layering or how to get seedlings from an old apple tree

In mid-March, a suitable fruit branch is found on an old apple tree. When choosing, adhere to the following requirements:

• rooting shoot is located on the south side, well lit;
• there are no branches on it;
• age 2-3 years old;
• thickness just over 5mm.

The selected branch is wrapped with a transparent film. A segment of 40 cm is closed. The lower and upper parts of the impromptu sleeve are fixed with electrical tape. Use this design so that by June the bark becomes softer. In the last decade of June, the sleeve is removed. From the beginning of last year's growth, 10 cm recede downward and make an annular incision. Carefully remove 1 cm of the bark. Several cuts are made at the top of the ring.

Over time, an outgrowth forms at the site of the wound, and roots will appear in the places of the notches. Certain conditions are necessary for their formation. At the first stage, the process of root formation is stimulated by Kornevin. To do this, the wound is covered with cotton pads, wrapped with a film, the lower part is fixed with electrical tape, the upper part is left open. "Kornevin" is bred according to the instructions, poured through the upper hole until the discs are completely moistened.The upper part of the film is fixed with electrical tape.

After a day, everything is removed, around the cut a structure is constructed from a plastic bottle and plastic film:

• cut off the bottom;
• make a longitudinal incision;
• put on a branch neck down;
• wrap the bottle with a transparent film, forming a bag;
• the bottom is wrapped with electrical tape.

Pour sawdust, sphagnum or peat into the container. Suitable for any moisture-absorbing substrate. It is well moisturized. The film is fixed with adhesive tape. Until the end of summer, sawdust is moistened (every 2 days). The structure is sheltered from the sun. By the end of summer, roots or their rudiments appear at the layer.

When to start harvesting cuttings

One-year branches are suitable for propagation. Cuttings cut near the base take root better. When cut correctly, the cut is just below the node (kidney).

Spring

For spring harvesting, cuttings are prepared in winter. The selected branch is slightly broken, making it a closed fracture, the bark is not damaged. The damaged area is wrapped with electrical tape. Take lignified branches. Around the end of March, the winding is removed, the cutting is cut off along the fracture line. By this time, the substances necessary for growth will accumulate in the damaged tissues. The cuttings harvested in this way take root perfectly.

Autumn

In late autumn, suitable branches are cut. Store them in a snowdrift, refrigerator or cellar. In the spring, cuttings are prepared, they are engaged in their germination. Shoots choose lignified, without mechanical damage, he althy.

How to prepare cuttings for propagation

The cutting should have 2 to 3 internodes. The bottom sheet is removed. The rest are shortened by ⅔ of the length. For 12 hours put in a solution of a root formation stimulator, use:

• "Kornerost";
• Kornevin;
• Zircon.

Choosing a seat

Own-owned apple seedlings (3-4 years old) are transplanted into the garden. When choosing a place, evaluate:

• light level;
• depth of groundwater (at least 2-2.5 meters);
• composition of the soil.

Soil preparation

A year before transplanting an apple seedling to a permanent place, they prepare the soil. Add to clay soil:

• river sand;
• sawdust;
• compost or humus;
• slaked lime.

If the soil is sandy, add clay, humus, mineral fertilizers. For loam, humus and fertilizers (superphosphate, potassium sulfate) are sufficient.

Dimensions and depth of landing pit

The size of the planting hole is determined by the type of apple tree.

Pit SizeTall0.81.2mSemi-dwarf0.51 m Dwarf Columnar 0.50.5 m

Variety
0.40.9 m

Technology for rooting apple cuttings

To get a self-rooted seedling from a branch, cuttings of an apple tree are germinated. Use water or earth.

In the water

Take a bottle of dark plastic. Cut off the top. The height of the germination container should be slightly lower than the cuttings. Pour some water (5 cm), it should cover the lower kidney. First, thickenings appear at the end, by the end of the 3rd week - roots.A germinated cutting is planted in the ground when the length reaches 7 cm. To speed up root formation, industrial or natural stimulants are added to the water (“Kornevin”, aloe juice).

In the ground

In the spring, a layer of soil mixture (20 cm) is poured into the container. It is prepared from peat, sand, black earth (1:1:1). Before planting, cuttings are placed in a solution of "Zircon" or "Kornevin". They are deepened into the soil by 5 cm. The soil is moistened, the container is covered with a film. With the onset of warm weather, they take it out into the street. After the roots appear, the cuttings are transplanted to the garden.

How to properly dig in an apple seedling

Dig in seedlings for the winter to plant them in a permanent place in the spring. Sequence of work:

• dig a trench 40 cm deep;
• on the south side the side is made inclined;
• the seedling is placed in water for a day, placed obliquely in a ditch;
• the roots are sprinkled with earth in layers;
• each layer is watered abundantly;
• The trench is covered with spruce branches, covered with spunbond.

How the rooting of green cuttings occurs

Green cuttings are rooted from May to the end of August. Choose he althy branches, cut them in the morning. For the cutting, use the middle part. The finished cutting should have 3 buds:

• lower cut is done right under the kidney;
• the top is cut off over the 3rd kidney.

Roots will form from the lower kidney. Prepared cuttings are planted on a separate bed. On top of the fertile soil, sand is poured with a layer of 4-5 cm. So that the moisture does not evaporate, they put arcs, cover the hotbed with a film.

Further care

For the winter, young seedlings shelter from frost.A layer of mulch is poured, covered with spruce branches, a non-woven covering material. In the spring, the shelter is removed. Caring for self-rooted seedlings of apple trees comes down to watering, weed removal, foliar and root dressing. After 2-3 years, the apple tree can be transplanted to a permanent place.

The result is influenced by the climate, the variety of the apple tree, the choice of propagation method, the accuracy of the operations performed, the degree of soil moisture.

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