Hobbies And Interests
Grafting
Grafting is the method that is used most often to get fruit trees to reproduce asexually. In simple terms, grafting involves taking one part of a tree, usually a bud and a piece of bark, and inserting it into another tree. The inserted portion will grow naturally from its host, producing the fruit of its original plant. There are different varieties of grafting, but most of them occur in April or May when the trees are in blossom.
Types of Grafting
There are a different methods of grafting. Budding is the process of removing the bud shoots from the type of tree to be cultivated and inserting it into a branch of a host tree by making a slit in it, inserting the bud shoot, and binding them together. This is used on fruit trees, such as cherry trees, apricots and peach trees. A whip graft, commonly practiced on apple and pear trees, involves inserting a budded branch into the rootstock of another tree.
Rooting
Rooting is another method of tree propagation, commonly used on evergreens and hardwoods. Rooting involves taking a cutting from the stock plant and burying it in soil. If successful, the buried portion will develop roots and grow into another tree. Sometimes rooting hormones are used to increase its chances of taking root. Various factors affect the rooting process, such as the age and condition of the stock plant, the time of year the cuttings were taken and the rooting medium used.
Types of Cuttings
There are various kinds of cuttings that can be used to propagate evergreens and hardwoods grown for wood products. Cuttings to reproduce deciduous trees should be stem sections or tip cuttings that are less than 1 year old. Stem tips are generally used to propagate evergreen trees. Heel cuttings are sometimes used for evergreens, which are harvested from side shoots on the main trunk that are at least 2 years old.