Plum Tree Grafting Time and Methods Explained
Plum trees are a deep memory from our childhood, because our grandmother grew them at home, and every year when the plums ripened, a group of us kids would climb the trees to pick plums, which was the joy of childhood. At first we were puzzled that the same kind of tree could produce plums with different flavors, and only later did we learn that this was because they used the technique of grafting.
Plum Tree Grafting Time and Methods
Grafting time:
About one week before the rootstock sprouts in spring, in late March on the solar calendar, grafting plum trees by single-bud side-veneer grafting or bark grafting gives a relatively high survival rate. In addition, grafting by budding with a wood chip in September also gives a very high survival rate.
Grafting methods:
1. Rootstock treatment: After wild peach, plum, cherry and other tree stumps are transplanted and survive, cut or saw them off 6-10 cm above the ground, or according to the tree shape, to serve as the rootstock.
2. Scion treatment: Select well-developed 1-year-old, thick, plump-budded, pest-free semi-lignified branches as scion wood, take sections about 7 cm long, and keep 5-7 buds as the scion. Wrap the collected scions in a damp cloth and use them as soon as they are taken.
3. Method selection: Generally carried out before the rootstock buds swell or when they begin to swell but before leaves unfold. The cleft grafting method is commonly used, mainly suitable for thicker rootstocks; this method is easy to master, the graft union heals quickly and firmly, and the survival rate is high.
4. Grafting method: Water the rootstock once the day before grafting. When grafting, pare the cut surface of the rootstock flat with a knife, then use a grafting knife or blade to make a straight cleft about 3 cm long. Pare the lower end of the prepared scion into a wedge-shaped cut about 3 cm long, with one side slightly thicker and the other thinner, keeping only 2-3 buds. Then insert the scion into the cleft with the slightly thicker side facing outward and the thin side facing inward, aligning the cambium layers, and bind tightly and wrap completely with wide plastic strips. Bind the cut end at the top of the scion firmly with plastic film to prevent water loss and pest damage. In dry or windy weather, a transparent plastic bag must be used, with a small cotton ball soaked with enough water placed inside, then cover the part above the graft union and tie the bag opening tightly.
Management After Plum Grafting
After grafting plum trees, attention must be paid to management. Generally, cutting the rootstock promotes earlier sprouting than bending the rootstock. But in summer, when cutting the rootstock, be sure to cut 3-5 cm away from the grafted bud, leave a few leaves on the rootstock, and after the grafted bud sprouts, cut the rootstock 1 cm above the grafted bud. After cutting the rootstock, remove sprouts promptly, wiping out all buds growing from the rootstock and keeping only the grafted bud. Water the seedlings timely in the later stage. When the grafted bud grows to 70-100 cm by the end of September, pinch off all growing tips and stop watering, to promote thickening growth of the seedling, help it mature, and improve its overwintering ability.
Conditions Suitable for Plum Tree Survival
1. Water: Plum trees have strong drought resistance but are not very tolerant of wet waterlogging, especially when peach or apricot is used as the rootstock, when their tolerance for wet waterlogging is relatively poor. Therefore, plum trees are suitable for cultivation on hilly land, and when planting plum trees on plains, attention must be paid to drainage and waterlogging prevention. In rainy seasons and rainy areas, it not only easily causes excessive vegetative growth, but also causes pre-harvest fruit drop and fruit cracking, so special attention must be paid to waterlogging prevention in cultivation. In warm and humid areas, ridge cultivation can both resist drought and prevent waterlogging, and should be actively promoted and applied. Different variety types also have different requirements for water conditions; for example, northern plums are more drought-tolerant and suitable for cultivation under relatively dry conditions, while southern plums are more tolerant of shade and moisture and adapted to cultivation under warm and humid conditions. When choosing varieties, local conditions should be taken into account so as to match the right tree to the right site.
2. Soil: Plum trees are not very strict about soil conditions and can grow and develop normally in various soil types. The suitable soil pH is 6.2-7.4.
3. Light: Plums have no special requirements for light. The fruit requires good light conditions to improve coloring and quality. Sunny weather during the flowering period is beneficial for pollination and fruit set.
Benefits of Plum Tree Grafting
1. Improve the plant's low-temperature tolerance. Because the rootstock root system is well developed and has strong stress resistance, grafted seedlings are noticeably more tolerant of low temperatures.
2. It helps overcome the harm of continuous cropping and can greatly reduce the damage from soil salt accumulation and harmful substances.
3. It expands the range and capacity of root absorption. The root system of grafted plants grows several times more than that of own-root seedlings, and in the same area can absorb about 30% more nitrogen and potassium and more than 80% more phosphorus than own-root seedlings, and can also utilize phosphorus in deeper soil layers.
4. It helps increase yield. Grafted seedlings have thicker stems and larger leaves, which can increase yield by more than 40%.
Early spring is the best time to graft plum trees, and when grafting, be sure to pay attention to the amount of watering. After grafting, tie the graft union tightly, and loosen the binding in time after a period to ensure its growth. Grafted plum trees will have certain benefits for increasing plum yield and improving taste.