A step-by-step guide for beginner gardeners: how to plant an apple tree in spring

Spring is the most favorable time for gardening. During this period, grafting of fruit trees begins. There is enough time for the scion to root, and even if the procedure fails, it can be repeated at the beginning of summer.

How to plant an apple tree in the spring step by step, following the recommendations of experienced gardeners, read the article.

When is the best time to graft an apple tree?

The most favorable period is spring. Grafting with cuttings begins in March - April. The apple tree is grafted with buds or eyes in April - early May.

The best period is when the buds have not yet blossomed, but sap flow has already begun. The procedure is performed on a cool, cloudy day.

Advantages of spring vaccination:

• the ability to repeat the procedure in the summer without wasting time until next spring if the scions did not take root for a number of reasons;
• elimination of cultural defects;
• correction of underdeveloped trunks;
• restoration of a one-sided crown;
• resuscitation of damaged trees;
• breeding hybrid and dwarf varieties;
• increasing plant immunity;
• preservation of taste and external characteristics of the variety.

Favorable time according to the lunar calendar

Grafting of fruit trees is carried out during the waxing moon. This improves varietal qualities and increases the endurance of the crop. Gardeners recommend carrying out the procedure on fruit days, closer to the full moon, when the Moon is in Aries, Leo and Taurus. The growing Moon directs the sap and strength of the plant into the new shoot, which helps it take root faster.

Apple tree grafting calendar for 2020:

• March - 1-4, 6, 8, 26, 29;
• April - 2, 5, 7, 24, 25, 30;
• May - 1, 2, 6, 15-17, 27, 29.

Apple tree grafting calendar for 2021:

• March - 4, 12-14;
• April - 1, 3-5, 8, 9, 13, 14, 19, 25, 26, 28;
• May - 2, 5-7, 12-17, 21, 22, 24-26.

Goals of the procedure

Apple tree grafting is performed for the following purposes:

• increasing productivity;
• replacing an old variety with a new one;
• conducting an experiment and growing several new varieties on an old rootstock;
• saving space on the plot (on one rootstock you can grow 2 varieties at once);
• refining wild apple trees;
• preserving wood damaged by rodents;
• increasing the frost resistance of “delicate” varieties;
• growing a dwarf apple tree.

How to prepare an apple tree

Experienced gardeners recommend following the basic rules for grafting apple trees:

1. An oblique cut 3-4 cm long is made on the lower part of the cutting, leaving the surface flat.
2. The buds of the cuttings should be directed straight up.
3. The contact between the inner bark of the cutting and the rootstock should be as tight as possible.
4. The scion is placed at a distance of 1-1.5 m above the ground surface.
5. Old branches must be preserved on the rootstock for better nutrition of the root system.
6. Trees with a lateral crown are grafted in several stages, spreading them over 2-3 years.
7. The rootstock must have higher frost resistance compared to the scion.
8. Trees with low frost resistance, damaged bark and wood cannot be grafted.
9. It is not recommended to plant the scion too deep into the crevice, as this will lead to rotting of the grafting site.
10. After joining the rootstock and scion, the branches are tied and only then covered with varnish so that it does not get on the cuts.
11. To get the correct bevel cut on the rootstock, it is recommended to practice on soft wood.

Rootstock selection

When choosing a rootstock, gardeners recommend taking into account the timing of ripening and fruiting. This is due to the fact that the coincidence of vegetation phases and growth rates increases the chance of survival and further development of plants. For example, a combination of winter and summer apple tree varieties leads to the fact that the first one experiences a clear nutritional deficiency at the time of ripening. As a result, the fruits ripen partially and fall prematurely.

Reference. The best rootstock for cultivated varieties of apple trees is seedlings of the Antonovka variety.

A high-quality rootstock combines the following qualities:

• maturity;
• strength of growth;
• winter hardiness;
• productivity;
• developed root system.

There are the following types of rootstock:

• cultural;
• wild;
• seed;
• vegetative;
• undersized;
• vigorous.

The following is used as a rootstock:

• young trees;
• wild growth;
• fruit-bearing apple trees with mediocre fruit taste;
• damaged trees;
• forest stumps or seedlings grown from wild game.

It is not recommended to use mature apple trees older than 10 years as a rootstock. In such trees, sap flow is weakened, and the risk of unsuccessful grafting increases significantly.

Preparing cuttings for grafting

As a scion, annual shoots of healthy apple tree branches no more than 3.5 cm long are used. The lower edge is cut at an angle of 45°. The length of the cut should be 3 times the diameter of the scion.

How to prepare cuttings:

1. The procedure is performed in late October - early November.
2. With the onset of the first frost, long annual shoots with 3-4 buds are cut from the middle part of the branches.
3. The material is tied in bunches and wrapped in damp cotton cloth or covered with damp sawdust or sand.

Optimal storage temperature is +2°C.Cuttings for grafting are placed in a cellar, basement, refrigerator or under the snow. If the grafting material has begun to grow, darkened or become moldy, it should not be used for grafting.

You can prepare cuttings in the spring before the buds swell, if this was not possible in the fall. Before the procedure, the instrument is disinfected with medical alcohol or a strong solution of potassium permanganate to prevent infection of fresh sections with fungi and bacteria.

48 hours before grafting, the branches are removed from storage and left in a warm room to warm up.

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How to plant an apple tree in spring

There are many ways to graft apple trees; just choose 2-3 and try each of them in action.

Budding method

Budding is the grafting of young apple trees with a germinating “eye” (bud). The procedure is performed at the end of March - beginning of April, taking into account weather conditions. The air should warm up to +7...+10°C, and the first leaves should appear on the trees.

A bud with adjacent tissues is cut out from an annual shoot. Insert it into a T-shaped cut on the trunk of the rootstock.

Into the cleft

This method is used for regrafting rootstocks. Skeletal branches should reach 2-5 cm in diameter. These usually grow on trees for 3-6 years. The procedure is performed in March - April, when the threat of return frosts has passed, or in July - August, during the period of the second sap flow.

During the grafting process, a rootstock cutting is inserted into the scion split. If its circumference is 2 times the diameter of the scion, 2-4 rootstocks are fixed in the cleft.To graft 4 cuttings, a cross-shaped cut is made on the rootstock.

Copulation method

This method is used if the rootstock and scion are of the same thickness. Copulation is practiced for grafting young apple trees with a diameter of skeletal branches of 2.5-5 cm.

During the copulation process, the scion and rootstock are combined into one branch. Success depends on the matching of the cambium layers of the two branches. Experienced gardeners recommend using the improved copulation method if a simple experiment does not bring the expected result.

With simple copulation, oblique cuts are made on the rootstock and scion; with improved copulation, longitudinal cuts up to 1 cm deep are made. The scion and rootstock are connected so that the sections catch on each other.

Important! The grafting procedure should take no more than 1 minute to prevent the cut area from drying out.

For the bark

This method is particularly popular because it guarantees a high degree of fusion between the scion and rootstock. The cutting is cut with a stump, which secures it to the branch. The cut is made perfectly even. The bark on the scion is cut vertically and carefully pushed aside with a tool. The scion is fixed under the bark, the junction is covered with garden varnish and wrapped with electrical tape.

Side cut

This method is reminiscent of grafting into a cleft, with the difference that the cleft is made on a cut branch and a cutting is inserted into it. In a lateral cut, the mother branch is not removed, but the scion and rootstock are attached to each other so that a spear is formed.

Before grafting an apple tree into a side cut, 2 oblique cuts are made on the cutting and connected at the bottom. An incision is made on the rootstock, it is bent and the scion is inserted until the cambium is completely in contact. The grafting site is treated with varnish and wrapped with strips of fabric or electrical tape.

Tying and further processing

After grafting the apple tree, the joints are lubricated with garden varnish. This is an ideal remedy for healing incisions. To securely fix the scion, the following materials are used:

• black electrical tape - enhances heating of the junction and stimulates the restoration of plant tissues;
• blue electrical tape - it is more durable than black tape and reliably fixes the scion to the rootstock;
• dense polyethylene film - most convenient to use;
• fabric strips are an environmentally friendly material that reliably fixes the graft and absorbs disinfectants.

To protect the grafting site from fungal infections and insects, the strapping is treated with drying oil.

Features of vaccination depending on the region

In the southern regions of Russia it is recommended to use the budding method. Here the climate is mild, and the air temperature changes smoothly, without sudden changes. In the middle zone, budding is used only in the second half of summer - at the end of July - beginning of August.

The cleft grafting method is practiced in the south in spring and autumn - September - October. The remaining methods are used equally often in all regions of the country.

Apple tree care after grafting

Regardless of the grafting method, after 10-15 days the graft is checked for survival: the buds on the cuttings and the place of fixation are examined. In the case of budding, it is determined whether the petiole is separated from the scutellum.

If the graft does not take root well, the wound is lubricated with garden pitch, and the graft is repeated in the summer.

When caring for grafted trees, it is important to loosen the tie in time so that it does not damage the branches. In most cases, the bandage is removed after 2-3 months.

Shoots appearing below the grafting site are removed with a sharp knife. Otherwise, they will inhibit the feeding of the grafted cuttings.The shoots cannot be broken off manually, as they will grow with renewed vigor.

Grafted apple trees must be protected from direct sunlight, namely, the side of the graft must be shaded.

After the buds awaken, the first pruning will be performed. If buds and shoots appear on the cutting, only the strongest of them, which grew from the top bud, is left. The lower shoot is shortened, and the side shoots are cut into a ring to the level of the skeletal branch.

The garter of young shoots from grafted cuttings is performed as soon as they reach 20-25 cm in length, and the procedure is repeated when the branches stretch up to 45 cm. In the first 2-3 years after grafting, the connection between the scion and the rootstock is weak.

For 2 years after grafting, trees are watered abundantly in dry weather and fed with organic matter and minerals. After grafting, a tree needs intensive care - in this case, plant tissues take root and recover faster.

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Conclusion

Spring grafting of apple trees is carried out with the aim of increasing productivity, replacing an old variety with a new one, growing several varieties on one rootstock, saving space on a plot, cultivating game trees, resuscitating damaged trees, increasing frost resistance and immunity of plants. The procedure is performed in March - May, focusing on weather conditions in the regions. The most popular grafting methods are budding, copulation, splitting, behind the bark and into a side cut. In the southern regions, the split budding method is used; in the middle zone, budding is used in mid-summer.