When to harvest apple cuttings for spring grafting: how to cut and where to store

In the life of every gardener, beginner or experienced, there comes a time when fruit trees have to be grafted. Apple trees are considered common inhabitants of gardens, which the owners of the site often have to deal with. Harvesting cuttings for grafting an apple tree has many subtleties, the knowledge of which will facilitate the process and allow you to stock up on good raw materials. Before you go to harvest the scion, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the features of the process, the rules, and the advice of experienced gardeners.

What you need to know before harvesting cuttings for grafting

Before harvesting cuttings, it is recommended to find out the features of these small parts of the branch, each of which hides a mysterious power that can give life to a full-fledged apple tree. The new tree will retain the maternal characteristics. A prerequisite is to stock up on vegetable raw materials from proven trees, after making sure of their varietal characteristics and yield.

Features to remember when stocking up shoots for vaccination:

use only annual shoots;
recommended to cut branches located in the outer parts of the crown - strong and well developed under the sun;
try to cut shoots from the southern part of the apple tree - they have short internodes and well developed eyes.

Vaccination will pass without hassle if you use shoots growing in the middle layer of an apple tree - they are considered the highest quality.

What a good scion cutting looks like

Good grafting cuttings have a few things in common that beginner gardeners should be aware of. Harvested vegetable raw materials of an apple tree should look like this:

length varies from 30cm to 40cm;
shoots cut from apple trees aged 3 to 10 years;
thickness - up to 10 mm (about the same as a regular pencil);
there are 3-7 pronounced buds.

Another feature of harvested cuttings is that the internodes should be short, it depends on them how quickly the scion will take root.

When and how cuttings are harvested

On the question of when cuttings are harvested, experienced gardeners will answer with confidence - it is recommended to engage in an exciting process twice.Go to the garden with the departure of winter, with the first days of spring or before the onset of winter cold - at the end of autumn. Most gardeners cut scion for apple trees in the fall.

Autumn benefits of cutting cuttings:

the first frosts managed to harden the shoot, destroy pests, decontaminated;
plants went into dormancy;
there is a guarantee that the shoots will not freeze out, because they successfully endured the first frosts;
for vaccination it is recommended to use only dormant shoots, and the retired scion will remain in this state until spring.

If it was not possible to make a stock in the fall, in the spring it will turn out to cut the cuttings just as well, the main thing is not to be late. The buds should be at rest, if they began to bloom, there is a risk that the scion will not take root.

Before harvesting shoots, it is recommended to disinfect the secateurs, prepare tags (if branches are cut from several varieties). The cuttings are cut obliquely, immediately knitted into bundles, they indicate which variety is harvested.

Storage of cuttings: where and how to store

Mandatory condition for successful storage - the cuttings must be at rest until the very use. The main tasks facing the gardener:

don't let the shoots freeze;
make sure they don't start to deteriorate;
prevent drying;
don't let rodents ruin your planting stock.

There are several good ways to preserve plant materials, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Residents of cool regions in which snow constantly lies in winter are recommended to use special piles:

Dig shallow (up to 30 cm) trenches, lay cuttings, first covering the bottom with conifer needles.
Cover the vegetable raw materials with spruce branches, chopped straw, a layer of soil.
Pour a high snowdrift (at least half a meter), compact with a shovel.
Lay a layer of sawdust (up to 20 cm).

The disadvantage of this method is that there is a risk of damage to the grafting blanks by rodents. You can prevent damage with a plastic or metal mesh with small cells.

It is also recommended to use a cellar for storage. It is enough to put the cuttings in burlap or tight bags (no need to tie) and send them to a container with moistened sawdust, peat, moss. Moisturize as needed.

If there are few cuttings, use a refrigerator. Place the plant material in a plastic bag, leave loosely tied, put on the bottom shelf. Check throughout storage.

When it's vaccination time

Despite the fact that the apple tree is well grafted throughout the year, it is best to do this in early spring. It is recommended that grafting be carried out with the beginning of the growing season - at this time, the juice is just beginning to actively move through the wood, and the bark is well behind.

If the vaccination is carried out in a split, then it is better to hurry up and carry out work even before the juice begins to move, during the dormant period. Usually this is the beginning of April, but in warm regions it is recommended to start the process earlier - from mid-March. If there is a risk of frost returning, reschedule by a few weeks.

Grafting, in which the graft is inserted into the side cut, is done in summer, spring, even winter, especially if the seedlings have already outgrown.

Helpful tips from experienced gardeners

There are some useful tips from experienced gardeners that beginners are recommended to listen to:

Before grafting, make sure the cuttings are suitable - lower them with a cut into the water, carefully inspect the liquid after half an hour. If it remains transparent, use the shoots, if it becomes cloudy or turns yellow - refuse to use - they are no longer suitable.
Use for harvesting vegetable raw materials from trees that are constantly pruned - it is much better stored and actively takes root.

When harvesting from young seedlings, try to cut only branches that will be removed during pruning so as not to injure the tree.
Use garden pitch - it will protect the cuts from infection, bacteria that can damage the shoots.
Cut more cuttings than needed - even if some of them deteriorate during storage, there will be enough plant material for grafting.

Another important tip - do not use thin, damaged or twisted branches - you will not be able to grow a good apple tree from them.

Cooking cuttings is a fascinating process, and after a little effort, it will certainly end with wonderful results. The apple tree will surely thank for the labors with a good harvest of juicy, fragrant and he althy fruits. The main thing is to follow the rules, the recommendations of experienced gardeners and not engage in experiments that can harm the tree.