December, the ideal time to take drupe grafts

In December, you should already have a large part of the garden prepared for the winter and if you do not, there’s not much you can do about it now – except for grafting. You should also know that not all trees are suitable for taking grafts in December. Apple trees still have to wait. On the other hand, you can take grafts from drupes such as sour cherries or cherries. The grafting itself is done in the spring, but you take the grafts now.

Why take grafts in winter?

You take grafts in winter because grafts cannot have any sprouts and that is important so, you do it in winter to be safe. Sprouted grafts are much more difficult to take so, you do that during the dormant period. Use gloves when taking grafts because you do not want to transfer the warmth of your hands to them. Take grafts when the temperature is above -5 °C.

Photo: Pixabay

Taking grafts

Take grafts from the top of the crown, which is where the one-year shoots are located. Those are the ones you need. So, if your cherry tree is tall you will need a ladder. Only take grafts from healthy and strong trees. Do not take branches from around the skeleton. You can tell one-year shoots as they only have leafy shoots, two-year shoots already have buds. This means that a one-year-old shoot will have leaves in the spring, but a two-year-old branch will produce fruit the next year.

Should you shorten grafts or not?

Professional literature says that you should remove the lower woody part from the grafts and then the upper, undeveloped tip. However, if you do not do this, the graft will work fine and you will reduce water loss. It is basically up to you to decide which method you will use. Put the cut grafts in a bag and then in your fridge. If you have too many, store them in a room where the temperature is around 3°C and stick them into moist (but not soggy) sand.

How many grafts should you take?

Well, that depends on the size of the tree you want to transplant. However, there is a general rule of thumb. Forone branch ten centimetres in diameter you will need approximately three grafts.

Preview photo: Pixabay