What is the purpose of grafting trees?

A graft can be a bit complicated to explain because, let's say, it is better understood if you see it. It is one of those activities that is better understood in practice. However, we will try to pass on this wisdom, straight from the field, using images and words. Luckily, we have Eduardo, farmer and founder of Campos del Abuelo, to better understand what a graft is and what they are used for.

Trees have always been grafted…

Grafting has existed since the time of nomadic man . Since men and women traveled from one place to another, looking for food and carrying seeds. Sometimes, even if the seed was transported from one place to another intact and then planted, a plant different from the mother tree from which it came was born...

Our species was paying attention to this constant movement. Thus, it realized that there were plants that merged with each other naturally . Some joined together through their branches, others through their roots.

From there, humans copied this gesture from nature to cultivate plants with certain characteristics, taking into account the quality of the fruit, the size or the flavour. Citrus trees, for example, must be grafted to produce fruit of a certain variety.

In China at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC there are records of this technique of plant propagation being used. Aristotle mentions grafting in his writings, and it is also associated with the Greeks and the Romans.

This technique has advanced at the same pace as humans . It is still used in crop fields today and grafting varieties is second nature to farmers.

Through this article, we are going to explore this ancient technique to learn: what grafts are, how to make one, the tools needed, and the types that exist.

What is a graft?

Eduardo explains it in a very simple way: A graft is a small piece of trunk of a variety that is placed on another tree, to change the variety for that of the first one. The purpose of the graft is nothing more than to change the variety of a tree that has a type of fruit that, for whatever reason, we are not interested in having and change it for another.

That is to say, grafting is a method of vegetative propagation . What is done is to manually join one plant with another so that they grow together as a single plant , as a single organism.

In order to make a graft we have two different parts of plants. On the one hand, the tree without variety , to which we are going to add a piece of the plant that contains the variety. This tree is known by several names: border, foot, pattern or rootstock.

Cherry trees are another type of fruit tree that needs to be grafted to produce fruit of a particular variety.

On the other hand, we have the plant that contains a variety . From this we will take a stick or a piece of bark to attach to the border tree. This plant is the one that will provide us with the fruit with certain characteristics, as the farmer explained to us.

Once the two parts begin to fuse, the rootstock or border tree provides the grafted branch with the nutrients to live until they end up transforming into a single organism .

What is grafting for?

From a technical point of view, when we join one plant to another, nature gives us some benefits . By grafting, we achieve the propagation of species in a simple way , and new species can also be born. For example, the Hass avocado variety was born from a graft of a border tree with two other varieties.

Another benefit is that the rootstock tree can provide the grafted variety with the possibility of surviving in a certain environment that it might not otherwise survive on its own. Likewise, the grafted variety plant can also provide strength to the rootstock tree. By all accounts, it serves both purposes .

In the field, where we constantly have to adapt to the needs of the market and our clients, grafting gives us the possibility of changing varieties. The same tree can be grafted with different varieties from one season to the next.

Like any ancient technique, it must be carried out with knowledge to give us results…

Conditions for grafting

In order to make a successful graft, that is, one that takes root and produces quality fruit, certain important points must be taken into account:

1. The variety and the rootstock must be compatible, as Eduardo explains very well: All trees can be grafted. It must be taken into account that certain varieties cannot be grafted onto different trees or rootstocks, that is, citrus trees cannot be grafted onto a plum tree . So, within the citrus family, all can be changed: between orange trees, lemon trees and grapefruit, they all have the same rootstock family, trunks and they do allow the change of variety. But not between citrus and stone fruit, for example. They have to be from the same family.
2. Both trees, both the foot and the one containing the variety, must come from healthy plants , this is important so that they are strong and can carry out the union.
3. Grafting should be done at the right time . Eduardo tells us that although it can be done at any time of the year, there are two moments when it is best: The best time to graft coincides with spring , which is in the months of April and May and in September and October. During these months is when the trees somehow sprout and have more sap.

Types of grafts

There are different ways of grafting, as we said at the beginning, it is a very old technique. But like everything, it changes and adapts to new times… Eduardo tells us about it:

There are various grafting techniques. In the past, two were used: the veneer graft and the shield graft . However, over time, new grafting techniques have been developed.

Previously, the tree was prepared by cutting off certain branches below it and leaving only a portion of the wood clear so that it could be grafted.

However, new techniques have emerged and what is done now is that the tree is completely cut down, leaving only the trunk and inserting a cutting of another variety , and it seems to give good results because this graft grows more quickly as it does not have competition from the higher branches.

Grafting tools

Grafting is a manual technique, but to perform it accurately, some tools are also needed . In Eduardo's case, he uses the following:

Depending on the type of graft, it can be done either with a chainsaw, since if we cut the whole tree, it is done with a chainsaw. And if not, grafters are used , which is a half-moon-shaped tool used to make cuts in the wood and to be able to insert the graft.

Sometimes he also uses a knife or a pair of scissors, as we can see in the image. It is very important that the tools are disinfected. What we recommend from the field is to carry out the disinfection with alcohol just before starting to work.

How is a graft done?

As our experienced farmer explains, to carry out a graft you must first prepare the tree . Eduardo gives us an example:

If we were to do a classic graft , we would cut certain branches below and leave part of the trunk clear. Then we would let the tree recover its sap because when you cut branches from the tree, it stops circulating sap. Let's say it gets scared and stops, but after a few days it recovers its sap and we proceed to graft.

We are going to give another example because we know that grafting is not easy to understand. We are going to look at a type of graft called shield bud grafting or T-graft grafting.

So called because a T-shaped cut is made on the tree to be grafted . And once done, the veneer (that is, the little green piece of stem) that contains the variety is placed inside . You will see it more clearly in the images, let's go step by step.

Step 1: A cut must be made in the brown part of the trunk . Some slits are made and the white part is accessed, which is where the graft is placed.
Look, in this image you can see how the T-shaped cut is made:

Step 2 : Once we make the cut, we are going to lift that part of the bark to get to the white part :

Step 3 : We take the branch to be grafted. It is cut from the tree of the variety we want, only the green part is removed . We must pay special attention to this: not all of it, but the green part. And we make the cut.

That little plate that we have removed from the rod is the one that we will place on the white part of the tree that we are going to graft.

Step 4 : Once the bud is placed on the tree stem, a strip of plastic is placed around it. Before it was done with esparto grass, it was much more expensive because the esparto grass had to be prepared, but now the plastic strip is used and is placed like this:

Step 5: It is important to wrap the graft tightly with plastic strips so that air does not get in and it can dry . Only the graft bud is left and the rest is covered well and tied.

Then, as Eduardo says, it's a matter of waiting.

After about 20 days we can examine the graft. If the sheet metal is still green, then the plastic is removed because it has already stuck to the trunk where we placed it.

And from there, if everything goes well, in a few days it will start to sprout from the new bud. From this new bud that the tree has, the new variety is generated. In turn, as it grows, the branches of the previous variety are cut and the new ones are allowed to grow until the tree is covered by the new variety.

Sounds incredible, doesn't it? After grafting, the rootstock and the grafted bud become a single unit, a single tree that will bear new fruit.

We hope that this information is new to you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask us. Remember to visit our online fruit and vegetable store. You can personalize your box with the products you want and receive it at home directly from the field.

Until next time and thanks for reading!

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