What is grafting?
Splicing scions of one cultivar (cultivated variety of plant) onto another plant. Generally, you graft the same species together. Apple with apple. Pomegranate with Pomegranate. But some are more flexible...an almond scion can be grafted onto an apricot tree. And pluots and apriums on either plum or apricot trees.
Grafting is done in the dormant season (mostly). You want to graft before the new buds start forming.
Read Missouri Extension publication for more in-depth information.
Splicing scions of one cultivar (cultivated variety of plant) onto another plant. Generally, you graft the same species together. Apple with apple. Pomegranate with Pomegranate. But some are more flexible...an almond scion can be grafted onto an apricot tree. And pluots and apriums on either plum or apricot trees.
Grafting is done in the dormant season (mostly). You want to graft before the new buds start forming.
Read Missouri Extension publication for more in-depth information.
Why Graft?
- Add varieties. Have an apple tree with 40 different kinds of apples. A medley of different flavors.
- Extend the harvesting season. Some varieties bear fruit early and some late. You can pick fruit for many more months with multiple grafts.
- Get fruit earlier. Maybe your tree is young and not yet bearing its own fruit. Grafting scions from a more mature fruiting tree can produce fruit off those introduced branches even if the original tree is too young.
- Change the tree to something else. You may have a variety that you don't care for. Don't chop down the tree, change it. It already has an established root system in place. Perhaps you bought a flowering ornamental plum and now want fruit. Graft fruiting scions and change it. Change a Bradford pear to a fruiting pear.
- Most plants, even when self-fertile, produce more fruit or flowers with another variety as a pollinator. With grafting, you can have two varieties or more on the same plant.
- A squirrel broke off a great branch. Graft it back on.
- Rootstock took over a plant and you let it get big and now it is fruitless but big. Graft onto it, taking advantage of the established root system.
- To try different chill hour varieties.
- It's fun! You feel like a mad scientist.