According to the Lunar calendar, November is the best time to prepare cuttings that will be used in the grafting process fruit crops in the spring. While they are waiting in the wings, placed in the snow, we have time to understand the intricacies of the procedure itself. IN general outline“Family. Info” has already talked about it in an article. Now we’ll talk more specifically about the most common method and, under the guidance of agronomist Boris Alekseev, we’ll learn how to carry out copulation.

- This is a type of grafting when part of a branch of another is grafted onto the stem of one plant. The advantage of this method is that since the scion is a cutting that contains storage substances, while fusion occurs, it spends own strength for nutrition and continued growth.

We will need:

• grafting knife;
• pruner;
• clean cotton fabric to clean the vaccination site;
• polyethylene tape for fixing the graft.

“Kitchen or stationery knives are not suitable for grafting,” the agronomist emphasizes. “They are not sharp enough and not only leave hangnails on the cut, but also compress the plant tissue. You can make the most smooth and even cut possible only with a special copulating knife. It is straight and sharpened on one side very sharply - to the point of a dangerous razor. It is better if the knife is made of black, hardened metal, because shiny knives are made of of stainless steel sharpening does not hold well.

Regarding the grafting tape, best material than usual plastic bag can not found. Unlike garden film, which is difficult to use due to its rigidity and inhibits the growth of the branch at the grafting site, excessively compressing it, packaging polyethylene is more elastic. And most importantly, it quickly breaks down under the influence of the sun. Even if you forget to remove it, the vaccine will not be damaged due to heating. To obtain a ribbon, twist the bag lengthwise into a tube and, stepping back 2 cm from the edge, cut it off with a knife. We cut the resulting circle - the material for fixation is ready.

To make improved copulation, use pruning shears to cut a branch 15-20 cm long, for example, from a varietal apple tree. We remove the leaves, leaving the petioles, which will serve as an indicator of fusion.

When choosing a scion branch, do not take mature, fruit-bearing specimens, otherwise, instead of growth, you will get unnecessary, depleting fruiting. A suitable branch has:

• diameter at the thickest part is 7-8 mm;
• shiny bark.

In any case, the thickness of the scion (what we graft) should not exceed the diameter of the rootstock (what we graft onto).

1. Wipe the stem of the rootstock at the grafting site until it shines with a cloth.
2. Using a grafting knife, make an oblique cut. Its length should be equal to 3-4 diameters of the stem.

3. Place a grafting knife on the cut at a distance of 1/3 from the sharp tip and, holding the blade with your finger, make a shallow longitudinal cut - up to about half the blast furnace of the cut - - a split.

4. We shorten the scion on both sides, cutting it at a right angle with pruning shears. The thickest part of the branch, approximately 10 cm long, should remain.

5. Then, just like the rootstock, we cut the scion cuttings diagonally and incise it by 1/3. It is desirable that both splits be the same in depth.

6. Using a scion cutting, carefully spread the cut on the rootstock and insert it all the way so that the bark layers completely coincide. If the rootstock turns out to be thicker, and it is not possible to do it as it should, slightly shift the scion to the side so that the edges meet at least on one side.

7. Wrap the tape around the grafting site, starting just below and ending above it. At the same time, we do not apply significant effort and do not stretch the film so that the scion does not move. The number of revolutions should not be large. As soon as the stem stops showing through the film, you need to stop, roll the tape into a loop, thread the end into it from below, tighten it slightly and cut off the excess. We try to ensure that the loop falls in the middle of the graft or below, otherwise we risk displacing the graft and all the work will be in vain.

You don’t have to do anything with the tip of the scion - the wound will dry out on its own. If, for disinfection, which is not bad, you want to cover the cut with garden varnish, do this before connecting it to the rootstock, so as not to disturb the joint.

If the graft is exposed to direct sunlight, it must be shaded with something. Keep in mind that a bare tree without leaves is very attractive to birds, as they find it comfortable to perch on, as if on a perch. So take steps to protect your vaccination.

The results of the efforts can be assessed in two weeks. They will say that the vaccination was successful

• shiny bark;
• easily detachable leaf petiole;
• emerging leaves if grafting was carried out in the spring.

After about a month, the film can be loosened and left until it is completely destroyed.

What is copulation and budding?
Copulation and budding are indirect vegetative propagation, which consists in connecting a branch (cutting) of a scion or its bud (eye) with a rootstock for the purpose of propagating a species that is difficult or even impossible to propagate in any other way.

Copulation (grafting with cuttings) is most often done in the spring, when the buds have not yet swelled and the movement of juices in the rootstock has not begun. If the thickness of the scion and rootstock is the same, use the mating method (copulation) or reed mating (English copulation). When the rootstock is thicker than the scion, they resort to joining at the butt, splitting, or behind the bark, or on a “goat’s leg”. Such methods are most often used for grafting in stone fruits. fruit trees. This is discussed in more detail below.

Principles of successful copulation:

The cut surface of both the rootstock and the scion should be smooth, clean and of the same length. A scion with a larger cut surface takes root better.

The scion should be placed on the rootstock in such a way that the cambium (tissue at the border between wood and bark) of both parts matches as closely as possible. If the cut on the rootstock is wider, then the scion should be applied so that the cambium coincides on at least one side.

At the end of the rootstock, on the opposite side from the cut site, you need to leave a bud so that it attracts plant juices to the junction. On the scion, the lower bud should be opposite the cut surface (in its upper part).

The scion should be firmly tied to the rootstock, but tying (as opposed to budding) should be sparse. This is necessary so that the scion and rootstock can thicken due to the gaps between the bast. They start tying from the middle of the cut up, and then move down, where the band ends with a knot.

A carved wound on plants, especially at the junction of the scion and rootstock, must be carefully covered with a continuous layer of good garden varnish.

For work, you should use a sharp copulating knife.

After the scion and rootstock have fused well, the bast on the opposite side from the cut to the rootstock needs to be loosened by making an incision with a knife.

If all the buds give rise to new shoots, then it is advisable to leave only the necessary branches, tying them to a support so that they do not break off, and cut off the rest.

Scion cuttings are cut from annual shoots of healthy fruit-bearing trees, preferably from the southern side of the crown, where they have matured properly. Lush long shoots growing steeply upward (so-called wolf shoots) are not suitable for copulation. You cannot use shoots that are more than a year old.

Seedlings with a good root ball grow better.

Budding (grafting with an eye) is carried out at a time when summer sap is circulating through the tree and the cut bark is easily separated from the wood. Some rootstocks quickly lose their juice, and therefore they must be grafted as early as possible. As a rule, seedlings of stone fruits such as plum, Hungarian plum, apricot and peach are the first to bud, followed by pome trees, and finally mirabelle and cherry.

If there is dry weather for a long time before starting budding, then the rootstock should be thoroughly watered so that it has enough juice. Fourteen days before the start of budding, all side shoots are cut off, the trunk of the rootstock is cleaned to a height of 20 cm. Shortly before the grafting itself, the soil is raked from the tree and its trunk is cleaned with a soft rag.

Bud-eyes are taken from mature branches of cultivated species. In this case, you need to choose trees that are healthy and have good properties. You should especially beware of viral diseases, which can be transferred to the rootstock during grafting.

Shield vaccination. The tongue of bark on the rootstock is cut off to the same width and length as the prepared shield with an eye. Then the tongue is cut in half and the shield is inserted behind it.

Cuttings with eyes are cut the day before budding, or even better, immediately before it, choosing branches from the south side of the tree. The branches must be mature. This is determined when they are bent: such branches crack. The leaves of the scion are immediately removed so that they do not evaporate the water and cause the eyes to wither. Only leaf petioles about a centimeter in length are left. The grafting material obtained in this way is wrapped in a damp cloth and stored in the dark and cool until the budding itself.

Budding begins by cutting out the eyes from the middle part of the scion cutting, where they are best developed. The graft is held in the left hand with the tip facing towards you. Then, applying a sharp budding knife to the handle about one and a half centimeters below the eye, cut off a shield of bark with an eye approximately three and a half centimeters in length with a hand movement towards you, so that as little wood as possible remains on the shield.

If the wood is too layered, the eyelet is more difficult to remove, especially in some species. In some cases, it is better to carefully pick it out, but this must be done very carefully so as not to damage the cone of the eye itself.

To prevent the scion from being damaged by birds that may land on it, a shoot bent in a semicircle or two sticks are attached to the rootstock or grafted branch so that they rise above the grafted part.

Then a T-shaped cut is made on the north or west side of the rootstock, in a place where its trunk is completely smooth. First, cut the bark crosswise by about 1 cm, and then make a longitudinal cut about 3 cm long from bottom to top. The bark of the rootstock needs to be pulled apart with a knife and a shield inserted under it so that the peephole is about 1 cm below the transverse cut. After this, the bark of the rootstock is pressed tightly against the shield, and the protruding part of the shield at the site of the cross-section is cut off with a knife. The grafting site is tightly and tightly tied, starting from the bottom, with soft bast or vinyl chloride insulating tape. From the very first turn, you need to secure the end of the tape, for which the short end is placed under the long one.

When carrying out budding, try not to touch the cut areas with your fingers. After grafting, the soil is again raked up to the rootstock right up to the eye, which will help better implantation of the scion and protect it from pests.

To prevent the scion from being damaged by birds that may land on it, a shoot bent in a semicircle or two sticks are attached to the rootstock or grafted branch so that they rise above the grafted part.

Tomato bushes should be tied to pegs and pinched properly. This is the only way to grow a high-quality crop

Grafting with apical buds is sometimes carried out on cherry trees. The apical buds are always deciduous. To do this, the shoot is cut off at the very tip of the bud, as is done during copulation, and then, inserting it into a T-shaped cut on the rootstock, the grafting site is tightly tied.

Grafting using the Forkert method is carried out when there is a lack of sap in stone fruit trees. In these cases, a tongue of bark is cut on the rootstock (the knife is drawn from top to bottom) of the same length and width as the shield with the eye is prepared. Then the tongue of bark is shortened by about half, a shield with an eye is inserted behind it, and the scion and rootstock are tied.

Caring for a grafted tree. After two weeks, you should check the results of the vaccination. If the leaf petiole left on the scion falls off with a light touch, then this is a sure sign that the grafting was successful. In this case, the shield should be fresh (slightly shiny), and the established bud should increase slightly in size. If the petiole does not fall off, then the operation was unsuccessful and should be repeated, provided that the rootstock still has enough juice. Re-grafting is done on the opposite side of the rootstock.

Three weeks after grafting, the bast must be removed by cutting it on the side opposite the eye so that it does not dig into the growing tree. Belated removal of vinyl chloride tape will not cause much harm, since it weakens on its own and does not cut into the bark of the rootstock.

For the winter, you need to rake earth to the grafted tree, spud it up, what will happen? better protection eyes (especially in apricot and peach trees) from freezing.

In the spring, rootstocks with established buds are pruned, and during the growing season, new branches under the grafting site are also removed. In the fall, the shields are also removed, then covering the cut areas with garden varnish.

On rootstocks where the eyes have not taken root or have frozen out, the grafting will need to be repeated again. In this case, budding is done on the opposite side of the dead kidney.

Division is the simplest way vegetative propagation. Mother bushes of those plant species whose shoots themselves produce new roots or form root shoots can be dug out of the ground, broken or cut into separate parts, after which daughter plants planted in a new place.

Reproduction by root shoots is practiced in those plant species that form them directly from the root or root collar. In such cases, it is enough to separate, by carefully breaking off or cutting off, the rooted shoot. After this, the mother plant must be covered with soil again.

Hilling is carried out in the spring, when young shoots reach the required height. The earth is raked and added to the shoots so that several “floors” of new roots are formed around them, and therefore this operation is performed once or twice during the growing season. In autumn, and sometimes next spring the earth from such bushes is raked away, exposing the young plants that have appeared - shoots that can be cut off. For the winter, the mother plant is again well covered with soil.

Propagation by layering means that a branch or shoot is not separated from the mother plant until it has taken root properly.

To do this, annual shoots are bent in the spring and placed in a furrow. They need to be fixed in the ground, sprinkled with earth and watered, and after the appearance of young shoots, spud up. In autumn, it is already possible to separate the rooted young daughter shoots from the mother plant.

Beans are grown using supports

Arched layering is also practiced. For this in early spring choose annual, and in exceptional cases, biennial shoots. Then, at some distance from the mother plant (depending on the length of the shoot), a wedge-shaped hole with a depth of 15-20 and a width of 5-8 cm is made with a shovel. After this, the shoot is twisted in a circular motion around its own axis by approximately 180°, and then bent straight angle (the angle can even be acute) and in this form is quickly inserted into the prepared hole. The arch from the shoot coming from the mother plant should be as short and low as possible. The part of the shoot bent at an angle is buried in the ground so that the bend rests on the far edge of the hole, and the end goes steeply upward. The buried shoot must be covered with earth, compacted, and you can move on to the next shoots. No locking hooks are needed for this operation. If the shoot does not stay in the ground, then the soil is not suitable for this method of plant propagation. In the fall, rooted cuttings can be cut off from the mother plant and dug up. For those plant species that take root with difficulty (this applies, for example, to magnolia), this process lasts two years.

Wave-like, or serpentine, propagation by layering is also called immersion. This method is most often used for reproduction climbing plants and in general breeds with long flexible shoots. Such shoots are buried many times, and then they are divided into as many seedlings as the resulting cuttings.

Cuttings are direct vegetative propagation using cuttings taken from healthy plant specimens.

Cuttings are in this case parts of the vegetative organs of plants, for example, soft spring shoots, leaves, rosettes of woody stepsons, mature shoots, roots, etc. After appropriate treatment, they are planted in nutrient substrate so that they take root there, giving new shoots and forming roots.

Propagation by soft spring and green cuttings. Such material cannot be allowed to wither, so it must be immediately placed in clean water, processing with a knife or sharp scissors. The cuttings are cut slightly obliquely, and if it is known that this type of plant takes root with difficulty, then the cut should first be immersed in a special growth stimulator. In this case, the sheet plates must be shortened by one third. Then, using a peg, make a depression in the substrate slightly wider than the diameter of the cutting, deepen it by 1-2.5 cm and lightly press the substrate at the planting site.

Propagation by hard tree cuttings. Usually they are cut from the bottom of the shoots and left for the winter in a not too wet substrate. In spring they are planted in open ground, and in the fall, already rooted, they are dug up, placed in a suitable room for the winter, and next spring they are planted in a nursery.

Propagation by root cuttings. In the fall, before frost, the root is cut into several parts, each of which should be approximately 5-8 cm in length and up to 3 cm in width. During the winter, such cuttings are kept in the basement, underground, cellar or other room where they are not threatened by frost; You can bury them in the ground for the winter. In March-April they are transplanted into pots and allowed to germinate in moderate temperatures. warm greenhouse. You can plant them directly in a warm greenhouse. In the spring, after hardening, the pots with plants should be moved to the garden bed.

Cuttings of evergreen deciduous plants are carried out after the shoots have reached maturity, but have not yet become completely woody. Mature cuttings take longer to take root. Therefore, they are usually placed in a greenhouse nursery, which is slightly heated after the onset of cold autumn, thereby facilitating faster rooting of the cuttings.

Almost all evergreen trees can be propagated from cuttings in a greenhouse. It takes more time. Caring for such seedlings and wintering them is very labor-intensive for the gardener.

Reproduction by cuttings of coniferous trees. Physiologically young material is best grafted. Coniferous trees can be propagated by cuttings almost throughout the year, excluding only two months: March and April. There are many ways and techniques for processing such cuttings, but the rooting itself is the same as for cuttings deciduous trees. Rooted cuttings are transplanted into pots or directly onto permanent place in the garden.

Structures for propagation by cuttings. Greenhouses, greenhouses, hotbeds or insulated beds can serve as nurseries, depending on the growth conditions of a particular type of plant. For gardening purposes, it is quite sufficient to have a small greenhouse covered with plastic film and a recessed path, easily accessible and well ventilated.

The substrate for the nursery is prepared from two parts of lowland peat sifted through a fine sieve and one part of fine peat, preferably river sand. This composition is suitable for breeding almost all perennial plants and tree crops. The substrate is poured in a layer of 10 cm onto the nursery bed and watered abundantly with water.

Grapes should be harvested in warm and dry weather, cutting off the bunches with scissors or a sharp knife and placing them in wooden or plastic boxes

At home, boxes and bowls are most often used to propagate plants, which must be clean and well disinfected. They are filled with the same substrate that is used in the nursery beds. You can propagate plants in pots made of baked clay, as well as plastic. Peat pots are also suitable, and instead of the substrate described above, various other special compositions can be used.