Cuttings for grafting apple trees can be harvested in late autumn or early spring. Many gardeners believe that cuttings will be better preserved in the winter on a tree than in the cellar, and in the case of non-frosty winters are right. Therefore, already in March, when the time comes for spring pruning of fruit trees, cuttings can be cut at the same time, after which they should be preserved until the sap flow begins.
Harvesting cuttings of apple trees for vaccination in spring
Spring cutting of cuttings for grafting apple trees is possible after severe frosts, which in most regions refers to mid-March, or even to the end of February. Since it is at this time that most gardeners carry out detailed pruning of trees, choosing the best cuttings is not a problem. Is it possible to do this later? Yes, in principle, it is possible, it is only important to catch the buds: in this case, all the work will be useless.
For thirty years now, from time to time, I re-repeat my trees, and quite successfully. I must say, I rarely harvest cuttings in advance. And although there is an opinion that the chopped material should first “lie down”, most often it is only in April (you can’t get to the cottage before), when sap flow has begun and the buds are swollen, cut the necessary cuttings from one tree and plant them on the other. Whether it is right or wrong, is to be judged by specialists, but I have never experienced failure.
What cuttings to take for grafting an apple tree
Before choosing the branches for harvesting the cuttings, one must correctly determine the donor apple tree. It is desirable that this was not yet an old tree, aged from 3 to 10 years. It was during these years that the apple tree was the most powerful, healthy, and intensively growing. But since at the age of three not every variety has time to bear fruit, it is better to wait to make sure that this tree is of the required variety.
Usually in March there is still snow, but at this time, a well-groomed apple tree allows you to choose the right cuttings for vaccination
After all, how often it happens that we buy something we have long conceived, but in the end we get another Melba or the Northern Synap! These, of course, are good varieties, but the question is that even in nurseries, deliberate or accidental deception is possible. Therefore, buying seedlings of fruit trees, I am never sure that I will get what I want until I collect the first fruits.
So, the apple tree gave the first apples, they turned out to be tasty, beautiful, wait another year. If the next year’s harvest is already decent, you can definitely take grafts from this tree for grafting. It is better to approach the apple tree from the most lighted side: on it, the branches ripen better, have greater growth power. Do not cut the cuttings from the lowest and highest tiers. You need to choose strong annual shoots, thick, with short internodes.
Do not use tops for cutting cuttings (strong fatty shoots growing almost vertically upwards)! The vaccination is likely to succeed, but the yield may be low, and the first apples will have to wait for many years.
All buds on cut branches should be large, healthy, well developed. The end kidney should also be strong, although it does not necessarily remain in the cuttings. If leaves or even petioles remained on the branch after winter, you should not take cuttings from it: such a branch is likely to have matured poorly. The thickness of the handle should be about 6-8 cm, cut sections of a length of 30 cm, with the number of kidneys at least four (excess cut off when vaccinated).
The main tool when cutting cuttings is a clean sharp secateurs; you can cut a piece of branch with a plot of two-year-old wood, but only one-year-old cuttings can be used
When cutting the cuttings, it is necessary to carefully examine their core: any darkening, brown blotches may indicate freezing of the branches, such cuttings may not take root on a new tree. Naturally, there should not be any damage on the bark, and the cuttings themselves should be practically straight, without strong bends.
Is it possible to take cuttings from an old tree, aged 25 years or more? Most likely, they will take root, but the choice of branches for cuttings should be approached more responsibly, and prepare more cuttings. As a rule, the annual shoots themselves are thinner and shorter in this case, but their growth power on the new tree will not always be lower. Therefore, if there is no other choice, and the old tree is quite healthy, you can take cuttings from it.
It’s better if the stalk is thinner than optimal for grafting, it’s better than a thick top
Is it possible to take cuttings from two-year-old branches? Oddly enough, such vaccinations are sometimes obtained, although not recommended by specialists. Still, it’s better not to risk it: one-year growth can be found on any apple tree, and if it is practically absent, then the tree is so weak that it is better not to cut the cuttings from it.
Despite the fact that when pruning fruit trees it is recommended to cover only cuts with a diameter of more than 2 cm with garden varieties, it will be useful to cover even cuts from cuttings, especially if they have been produced a lot, and there is not much time left before sap flow. Apple is easier to bear parting with its last year’s growth.
Video: what should be the stalk for vaccination
Do I need to soak apple cuttings before vaccination
Regardless of the time of cutting the cuttings and how long they were stored before vaccination, it is better to refresh them before carrying out a critical operation. Although, ideally, properly stored cuttings should be resilient, retaining their original moisture content, they should be soaked in sweetened water before grafting. Usually, even for perfectly preserved cuttings, 10-12 hours of soaking are needed, and for dried ones more.
During the soaking, the cuttings should be saturated with moisture. Indirect indicators of what happened are:
- flexibility of cuttings during bending;
- the absence of a crunch or cod in the same procedure;
- easy crushing of the cortex when pressed with a fingernail;
- the appearance of moisture microdroplets when performing a new cut on the handle.
Soaking water should not be warm: it is better to use the melted ice or snow water in general. Firstly, there are some substances in melt water that stimulate the growth of all living things, including the inoculation of vaccinations. Secondly, it is necessary to saturate the cuttings with water, but do not cause early spillage of the kidneys, which can be stimulated by heating. Therefore, even for these 10-12 hours (in fact, at night), cuttings in sweet water are best removed in the refrigerator.
Some gardeners simply put the cuttings in a jar of water: it can be so, but it seems more true to bathe them in the whole nutrient solution
Why sweet? Why sugar? Yes, you can do without it, but, firstly, it’s some carbohydrate feed for the cuttings, stimulation of its further life activity. Secondly, sugar forms a protective film on the cut of the stalk, preventing the quick drying and penetration of pathogenic microbes into the stalk. Therefore, adding 1-2 tablespoons per liter of water is still worth it.
Instead of sugar, you can use bee honey (1 tbsp.spoon of flower honey per liter of water), which is even better, since it contains biologically active substances. They stimulate the growth of vaccinations and protect cuttings from pathological microorganisms.
How to store apple grafts for vaccination
If the cuttings are cut at the end of February or in March, before sap flow, and several weeks remain before the vaccination (they are usually carried out in the middle lane in April), the cuttings must be properly preserved. This is not at all difficult: in the presence of snow cover, they can be stored under the snow, having specially thrown a large pile so that it does not melt for a long time. You can save cuttings in the cellar by wrapping them in a moist burlap or putting them in a moist substrate (peat, sand, sawdust). But this is most often done in the autumn harvesting of cuttings. Cuttings cut in the spring are easiest to keep in a home refrigerator.
How many days are stored cuttings
With proper harvesting and optimal storage conditions, the cuttings will not deteriorate as much time as necessary. At least, cuttings, cut both in November and in March (if, of course, they did not freeze in winter), perfectly live up to the vaccination. And to lie for a month in a refrigerator or cellar at a low plus temperature and sufficient humidity, cuttings with unbroken buds should be no problem.
If several varieties are sent for storage at once, it will be useful to sign them
However, they should be periodically removed and checked for integrity. In particular, if necessary, add moisture, and if mold is noticed, wipe it with a soft cloth and hold the cuttings for 15-20 minutes in a light solution of potassium permanganate.
Immediately before vaccination, after removing the cuttings from the store, they must be carefully examined. They should have a fresh and even bark, the kidneys should be as lively as during the March harvest (possibly slightly more swollen). Shanks should bend a little even without preliminary soaking. More than a day before vaccination, getting cuttings from the store is not worth it.
How to store apple cuttings in the refrigerator
You can store cuttings in the refrigerator at least all winter, and after spring harvesting this is very simple. It is important to place them on the shelf where the temperature will be in the range from +1 to +4 ° C. The most important thing is to properly prepare the substrate in which to put the cuttings. They are best stored in wet sawdust: so wet that if you squeeze them in a fist, the water from the sawdust will not flow, but your hand will feel the water. Actually, if there is the possibility of a periodic audit of cuttings, sawdust is optional.
The easiest way to place the cuttings in a plastic bag and tie it tightly, so they will remain for several days. For longer storage, the cuttings tied in a bundle are wrapped with a damp, rough cloth, then with thick paper (several newspapers can be used), and only then they are put in a plastic bag. For long-term storage, the package does not need to be tied tightly, but once every 3-4 days the fabric should be moistened with water if it dries.
Video: harvesting cuttings in February and storing them in the snow
If the region does not have very frosty winters, the harvesting of cuttings for grafting apple trees can be planned not in November, but at the beginning of spring. If you cut them in accordance with all the rules, it will be very simple to save until the vaccination itself, since the cuttings will lie perfectly in the refrigerator for several weeks.
