Apple tree is our most popular garden tree. But beginner gardeners sometimes have a lot of questions regarding caring for her. Many problems are caused by how to plant an apple tree in the fall. We will try to answer this question as detailed as possible.
Why do I need a vaccine at all?
This is done in several cases at once:
- When you need a new tree, but don't want to lose varietal properties. The fact is that all modern apple trees, after being propagated by seeds, become similar to their wild ancestors, but not at all to cultivated trees. But after vaccination, it is possible to completely preserve all the best that was lovingly nurtured by breeders.
- The same method can be used when there is not enough space in your garden, but there is a ready-made "platform" in the form of a low-value tree.
- Vaccination makes it easy to restore a damaged plant.
Can an apple tree be grafted in autumn?
Actually, the best time for this action is spring, when heavy traffic has not yet begunjuice in the stem. That is, they do it most often at the end of April, when the temperature reaches +7+9 degrees Celsius.
Since it is possible to graft an apple tree in autumn at exactly this temperature, if you strictly follow the methods, you will succeed. However, there is one "but"! Since the vegetation processes stop in the fall, it is not recommended to conduct such an experiment with a cutting or a tree that is already growing in the soil. You can ruin both the scion and the rootstock itself.
So how, to graft an apple tree in the fall or not? Of course! You just have to "dodge" a little. This requires a large and relatively warm basement. We drag the required number of seedlings into it, plant them, and then plant them in a container of a suitable size.
Maintaining a constant and not too high temperature (15-17 degrees) in such a “bomb shelter”, we keep our grafted apple trees throughout the winter. After the onset of favorable spring days, you can pull them out and plant them in the ground.
The method of the process is no different from the spring one. Of course, before that, you need to have a ready-made cutting, “equipped” with at least a pair of buds. Dirt from the bark must be removed carefully and completely. All tools, as well as the grafting site and stock, are washed with clean boiled water.
However, before properly grafting an apple tree in the fall, it does not hurt to treat the tools with alcohol or other antiseptic.
The knife must be taken with the maximumhigh sharpness. If possible, it is better to use a straight razor. Cuts made with a sharp instrument heal much faster.
Let's analyze the simplest vaccination, "for the bark":
- The main branch is cut so that at least 0.7m remains to the trunk.
- The cut itself is carefully cleaned with a sharp knife.
- A cut up to 6 cm long is made on the branch, and you need to make sure that the knife goes into the wood.
- Spread the bark of the rootstock.
- The stalk of the scion is cut, and the cut should be oblique.
- After that, the scion is inserted behind the rootstock bark.
- The vaccination site is smeared with pitch and bandaged with electrical tape or similar material.
Here's how to graft an apple tree in the fall! You can see that there is nothing extremely difficult in this process.
