Preparations for finishing
In specialist shops you can purchase special growth documents such as the M9 in order to not only give the apple tree a stable base, but also a good supply of nutrients and water. As a beginner, you can also use cheaper seedlings for grafting, which you ideally grew from kernels yourself three or four years ago. For finishing you need:
- a suitable pad
- At least one branch of the desired crop variety per tree
- a clean pair of secateurs
- Wax, bast or plastic tape to fix the copulation
also read
- Copulate an apple tree yourself
- Propagate an apple tree yourself
- Cut a young apple tree yourself
The right time
The edible veins must be obtained during the hibernation between December and March. Ideally, with the winter pruning of a high-performance apple variety, there are enough usable branches for processing. These can be cut straight off, as they should be freshly cut at an angle anyway for copulation with the growth base. Shortly before budding in March, the crown of the tree used as a base is cut off with an oblique cut. The trimmings, which are also cut at an angle, are placed and fixed accordingly. When the juice is poured in in the spring, a connection can develop between the two, although there is no one hundred percent chance of success.
Refining with a bud
As an alternative to the noble veins, buds, which are also referred to as eyes in gardening language, can also be used for grafting. However, you should not be afraid to offer an experienced garden neighbor or someone from the regional horticultural association for practical guidance. The so-called inoculating requires a little more sensitivity than grafting with a spike. The bark at the bud and the base is cut in the shape of a tongue and inserted into one another.
Determine the growth form of an apple tree with the refinement level
Even with purchased apple trees, the amount of refinement carried out is usually clearly visible. A thickening on the trunk usually indicates whether it is a half trunk or a high trunk. If the thickening is to be found near the ground or is not visible and the tree branches start very deep, the specimen is called a bush. Even if you try to refine an apple tree with a desired variety yourself with instructions, you can regulate the height of growth by setting the height of the refinement on the base.
Tips & Tricks
With a trick you can use wildly grown seedlings and purchased apple trees to ensure that the tree becomes a quasi self-fertilizing specimen: You can refine one or more pollinating varieties on vital apple trees at the same time and thus also harvest several apple varieties from one tree.
