• Ask Mark
    • Search the Library
    • Mark’s Blog
    • eNewsletter / Subscribe
    • Books
    • Links
  • Cullen’s Foods
  • Trees For Life
  • Events
    • Gardening Communities
  • About Mark
    • Mark and Ben’s Bio
    • Book Mark as a Speaker
    • Mark in the Media
    • Contact Us
July 10, 2014

Give Grafting a Go

Have you ever tried to start an apple tree from seed? If so, and you were successful, you will know that the apples that come from that tree are not the same as the ones that seed came from. The apples that we get from grocery stores and farmers’ markets have all come from a particular rootstock that governs the size of the tree and how it handles drought, heat stress, pests, and disease.

Most apple trees need cross pollination; that is, they need another apple tree to bloom at the same time so they can be pollinated. Self-pollination occurs in some apple species (Golden Delicious and Granny Smith, for example) but the vast majority rely on bees to travel from tree to tree spreading that DNA-harbouring pollen between flowers on different trees.

What is Grafting?
Simply put, grafting is taking a part of one tree and “sewing” it to another. There are many benefits to this process, one stems (no pun intended) from my comment earlier about starting an apple tree from seed. Grafting allows you to reproduce the fruit’s characteristics; it allows you to keep producing the same fruit from a new tree if the old one has stopped producing enough; and it allows you to use a root system that is well established and adapted to the soil and climate.

The Terminology
This will be a two-part blog so understanding the terminology now will help you better understand next week when we get into the real deal.

Budding: a simple grafting style where one bud is inserted into a stock
Cambium: the actively growing part of the trunk and each stem; located beneath the bark on top of the wood
Cultivar: the type of tree; variety; an example would be MacIntosh or Red Delicious.
Rootstock: the root system that will determine the tree’s growing habits and abilities to withstand pests, disease, and tough conditions
Scion: last year’s growth which is removed from the tree with the intention of attaching it to another tree
Stock/Understock: the part of the new tree where the scion is inserted
Topworking: the process of grafting that involves removal of branches and unnecessary growth on an established tree and grafting the scion(s) to it
Union: the join made where the scion is attached to the stock

That should give you a good start. Come back next week when I’ll discuss the art of topworking, attaching multiple stems from one (or many) trees to an older, established tree.

Blog_grafting

← Previous post
Arctic Greenhouses

Next post →
The Art of Topworking

Search

Recent Posts

  • Signs of Spring March 27, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week February 2, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week January 11, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week December 9, 2020

Mark’s Blog by Month

Ask Mark

  • eNewsletter
  • Radio/Podcast
  • Magazine article
  • Newspaper column
  • TV

Recent Tweets

Mark CullenFollow

Best selling Canadian gardening author as seen on TV, radio, online and print.

Mark Cullen
16 Oct

Tune into @1059TheRegion to hear Ben talk fall colors today with Ann Rohmer or listen online at http://1059theregion.com/ and look for THE FEED

Reply on Twitter 1449275767133773824Retweet on Twitter 14492757671337738241Like on Twitter 14492757671337738244
8 Oct

Thank you so much to @globalnewsto for having @MarkCullen4 on the "Making a Difference" segment this week. Take a look at the broadcast here: https://globalnews.ca/video/8248858/national-charity-committed-to-inspiring-tree-planting-initiatives-across-canada

Reply on Twitter 1446542309101867034Retweet on Twitter 14465423091018670342Like on Twitter 14465423091018670343
29 Jun

Bird watching isn't just a hobby, it’s an opportunity to help. Gardening expert Mark Cullen explains.

https://nexthome.ca/news/bird-watching-isnt-just-a-hobby-its-an-opportunity-to-help/1284617/

@MarkCullen4

#garden #flowers #gardens #gardenlife #nature #gardenlove #birdwatching #birding #wildlife #birdlovers #birdlife #naturelovers #birdlover

Reply on Twitter 1409878268090716161Retweet on Twitter 14098782680907161615Like on Twitter 140987826809071616117
18 Jun

Written by @MarkCullen4 for @TorontoStar, check out the top eight picks for planting in hot spots.

#LandscapeOntario #GreenforLife #GardeningTips #GardeningTrends #TorontoGardens #SouthernOntarioGardening

https://www.thestar.com/life/homes/2021/06/15/these-8-plants-are-heat-loving-sun-worshippers.html

Reply on Twitter 1405955991699701762Retweet on Twitter 14059559916997017622Like on Twitter 140595599169970176210

Comments are closed.

About Mark and Ben


Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author & broadcaster and holds the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of Guelph and Dalhousie University.
More

Find Mark On

Sponsored Links

Highway of Heroes cullensfoods Share Agriculture Foundation Harrowsmith
© Mark Cullen. Go to top ↑