Grafting Guide - Apples

A communal grafting lesson

Now is a great time to start grafting your fruit trees, a particularly useful skill to master to preserve your trees or even introduce new varieties onto your existing trees.

At this time of year signs of new buds swelling up on trees will be apparent, this is a great indicator that the tree is ready for grafting.

I'll be grafting some apple trees onto new root stock which is currently in transit and have cut some 'scions' (fruiting stems from an existing tree, usually 6-12 inches in length and about 1/2 inch in diameter). These scions are bound together in a plastic bag and are kept in the back of the fridge until I need them. This ensures that the stems are kept dormant whilst I await the late rootstock delivery - darn snow!

These will be MM106 sized root stocks which will give a particular sized tree at maturity. What's MM106 I hear you ask? Well, fret not - take a look at this guide to grafting which I have produced to learn an effective and simple way to ensure you can continue the lineage of your favourite fruit trees. (or as I sometimes do, 'borrow' a cutting from a neighbours tree!)

CLICK LINK FOR FULL GRAFTING GUIDE:

http://www.eucan.org.uk/docs/200910Be/Wayne_Farrell.pdf

TWO SHORT VIDEO GUIDES:

Grafting Guide - Apples

Country Smallholding Magazine feature.

The January 2011 edition of Country Smallholding magazine printed one of my photographs of the flock of chickens I managed in my gardening job. I had sent a few of to the publishers and hope to see some more featured over the next few weeks. There is a brand new magazine enclosed with this months magazine called 'Your Chickens'. Pretty cool.

Country Smallholding Magazine feature.