Grafting old apple varieties
It’s easier than you might think and can be very cost effective
The astronomical start of spring is just days away, and meteorologically it began on March 1, yet with the weather over the last few weeks you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s still December!
One thing you can do now is graft apple trees while plants are still dormant. It may seem a little daunting, but it’s quite simple when you get the hang of it, and us gardeners have been doing it for hundreds of years.
I want to graft a few apple trees. There are varieties that aren’t that well known or easy to find in a nursery, so grafting is a good option, plus it works out a lot cheaper to graft your own than buy plants.
When grafting, it’s best to decide what size you want the tree; this will determine which rootstock you use. I don’t want huge trees, so I’m using M26 rootstock, which should produce a 2½m (8ft 2in) tree, perfect for a garden or allotment. Next you need your chosen variety of apple. I’m using an old Yorkshire variety of cooker called ‘Nancy Jackson’.
Before you start cutting, clean and sterilise your tools. Cut the rootstock down to 15-30cm (6-12in) tall; then make a 3cm (1¼in) sloping cut inwards about 3cm (1¼in) below the top of your rootstock. Within that cut make a 5mm (¼in) vertical cut to make a ‘tongue’ in the wood. Now take your scion (the wood from the apple variety you want to graft) and do the same as you did with the rootstock, but at the bottom of it instead of the top so it fits snugly. You should be able to see the cambiums of both parts – this is the lightercoloured layer under the bark which you want to match together along with your homemade tongue and groove, and this allows the graft to fix together. Bind the graft with an elastic band tightly so the wood is firmly touching, then wrap with grafting tape to cover all wounds.
Plant your new trees in pots in a sheltered location. In April you’ll know if the graft has taken as the plants will start to break bud. Always graft more than you need as success for amateurs is around 50 per cent.
Grafting rootstock is available from www.walcotnursery.co.uk.