Time for grafting

One of the activities I look forward to most on spring seeding. Nine years ago I attended a ympningskurs and since then there will be more new trees every year. So far this year I have grafted almost 200 trees and is still not finished. Good thing there was so much room for new plants in the forest garden after the harsh winter (more on that in the next post). Grafting is the most fun for me propagation technology and with this, I want to begin a small series that will span over a year or two to describe the graft of game species and torque. This first post is about what is sometimes called bänkympning, Thus, the type of graft can be done indoors at the kitchen table waiting for winter to release its grip and the growing season can launch. Besides malic- and pear grafts I with this method also apricot, peach, aronia, Rowan and various rönnhybrider. Cherries and plums I've managed worse with and have begun to switch to a method called inoculation that I will describe in a future post.

Whoever came up with that one could tie together the pieces of two different plants and make them grow together is shrouded in history mystery, but the technique has been known for at least 4 500 years [1]. The purpose of inoculation is the first to clone a variety of plant, forest garden connection, usually a fruit or nut, for preserving its specific characteristics. It might be good apples with good storage capacity or extra hardy walnuts. As a rule, seeding, so that the graft, Thus, a branch of the sort that we want to multiply, attached to what is called the rootstock. If all goes well grow scions and rootstock together, forming a plant individual that has two different sets of genes, Because the stem and ymprisets.

More on how to take scions, which rootstocks available and what characteristics they have, I will write about in a later post. If you have neither the scions and rootstocks at hand now, you can still prepare for the upcoming season by practicing the different sections in advance. I recommend that you take last year's shoots of rowan, pear or apple and practice your skills on these. Especially skarvympen as I describe below takes some practice to succeed.

Gear

For inoculation indoors you need the following materials and tools:

• A wading knife with plan eggs, preferably a so called ympkniv
• SEKAT is
• Ymptejp (Commercially available, it is semi-transparent and very stretchable)
• rubber cords (for skarvympning)
• Ympvax (Organic)
• Methylated spirits and a glass, you can dip the tools in, alternatively hand rub
• labels
• pencil
• Paper towels or a clean towel.

Choosing the right cut

There are countless variations on average used to join the rootstock and ympriset (is [1] for an overview), but all have a single task: To create as much contact as possible between the base of the stem and ympkvistens cambium, Thus, the thin layer green tissue between the bark and the wood. The cambium, there are a lot of cells can help heal wounds (called parenchyma). These are easily fooled to grow together with the cells from a different plant to form a common organism with a shared access tissue to transport nutrients and fro.

That said, there are many different cuts, but I stuck to two of them: Skarvympning and klyvympning. At skarvympning should rootstock and ympriset be as thick and spliced ​​together by making long and equally large cut on both parts:

Klyvympning I use instead when the graft is pretty much thinner than the rootstock. When cleaved carefully rootstock, the bottom of the scion is cut into wedge shape and gently pressed into the opening of the rootstock:

The procedures at bänkympning

The graft is a real craft that requires quite a lot of precision and accuracy. Self careless I was pretty much in the early years (with poor survival of my grafted trees as a result), but today I'm sure the various stages and last year took the whole 98% apple- and pear trees which I grafted. This is how the working time out:

1. Clean all tools with methylated spirits or hand disinfectant before each time you change the type and wiping disinfectant with a clean cloth.
2. Make-section because the stem first, and then a corresponding section of the graft. Remember to never touch the cut surface of either the rootstock or scion!
3. Snip of the graft to length (above the third knob)
4. Dip ympkvistens peak in ympvaxet (Super important, otherwise dry branch out and there will be no new tree!).
5. Attach the scion on the rootstock by tying together the two tightly with rubber band (at skarvympning) or by inserting it into the opening of the rootstock at klyvympning. Here it is important to ensure that the contact between ympkvistens and because the tribe cambium maximized.
6. Sno ymptejp around the inoculation site to protect the wound during the healing process.
7. Type a label for specifying the date, Because the strain name and kind name.
8. Set the finished tree gently in a bucket of water.

after treatment

Equally important to be careful when the inoculation is to give the trees the right after treatment, so that the rootstock and scion can grow together properly. Once you have grafted trees you can pour the water out of the bucket and replace it with damp sand or sawdust. Make sure that all the roots are covered, and store the bucket in 10-15 degrees for one to two weeks, This is necessary for the best possible the healing of rootstock and scion [2]. It will be warmer than that, the buds on the scion begin to open, with fluid loss because, which can dry out the graft before it has grown together with the rootstock. The same healing stops almost at 4 degrees or colder [3]. After the two-week period, it is best to store the trees in 0-5 degrees until it is time to take them out. You can bring up the trees again when the trees where you live begins to knock out. I usually put them in pots and overwinter them in cellar first winter, but often, it is good to plant them on their final growing site at one time also.

Remember that it is very important to never access the graft in the handling of the trees! Throughout the first season's inoculation site is very sensitive and the slightest mechanical damage can destroy the connection between the rootstock and the graft forever. You will also notice that the rootstock to send out new shoots all around. Remove all of these as soon as you see them.

Good luck with inoculation!

References

[1] Garner, R. J. and Steve Bradley. The grafter’s handbook. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 2013.
[2] Hartmann, Hudson T., Dale E. Kester, Fred T. Davies and R. L. Geneve. Hartmann & Kester’s plant propagation: principles and practices. Eighth Edition ed.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011.
[3] Kumar, G.N.M, Propagation of Plants by Grafting and Budding, i A PACIFIC NORTHWEST EXTENSION PUBLICATION. Washington State University, 2011.