METHODS: grafting

Fruitful Durham
Station Masters Garden, 2015

Grafting is a horticultural technique which joins together the tissue of the lower rootstock with an upper scion through to create a hybrid cultivar. This technique is most commonly used in fruit production.

Apple Tree grafting

Most apple trees are not self-fertile and therefore another different apple tree nearby to pollinate the blossoms for fruit with the help of bees, insects or wind. Majority of times there is not a another variety close by so grafting is a used to help this situation.

Apple rootstock used are: M27 (very dwarfing), M9 (dwarfing), MM106 (semi-vigorous or “normal”) and M25 (vigorous which produces the largest apples trees)  dependent on space and ground conditions.

Apple varieties grafted: Pine Apple & Jupiter onto M26 rootstock

Graft types: 

  • Whip graft
  • Cleft graft
  • Side graft
  • Budding
  • Bridge graft