A detailed guide to peach tree bud grafting: teaching you how to graft peach trees correctly

Peach tree bud grafting: grafted in the same year, bears fruit the following year, and enters full bearing period in 3~4 years. The key technical points of grafting are as follows: 

1. Choosing rootstock The rootstock should be a wild peach seedling with vigorous growth, no pests or diseases, and a stem diameter of more than 0.5 cm. 

2. Selecting scions well The scions should be new shoots grown the previous year from superior peach trees 3 years or older, with smooth and tender bark, vigorous growth, no pests or diseases, plump and full flower buds, and a stem diameter consistent with that of the rootstock. 

3. Grafting time Grafting is generally carried out from late March to early April. However, because temperatures vary from place to place, to accurately judge the grafting timing, it can be determined according to the growth conditions of the peach tree: when the peach tree's sap is flowing abundantly, 3-5 days before the flower buds are about to open, and when the bud scales have grown about 1 cm, this is the best grafting period. 

4. Grafting method Prepare plastic strips and a grafting knife. Choose a plump bud eye on the rootstock; first use the knife to make a ring cut around the bud eye 1 cm above and below it, deep enough to reach the xylem, then make a vertical cut on the opposite side of the bud scale, so that the cut bark and bud can be gently peeled off together. When ring-cutting, the movements must be quick and gentle, and the wood core at the bud scale must not be damaged; then use the same method on the scion to ring-cut a bud scale of the same size, and be sure not to damage the bud scale. At this point, gently align the bud scale peeled from the scion in its original direction and press it tightly onto the rootstock, so that the joint area fits perfectly, and immediately bind it firmly with a plastic strip. At the same time, the bud scales on the rootstock must also be removed. 

5. Aftercare① After grafting, promptly remove the sprouts growing on the rootstock to concentrate nutrients and promote vigorous growth of the grafted buds; generally check once every 7~10 days.② After the new grafted shoot has grown to 20 cm, tie a wooden stick or bamboo pole to the rootstock, and tie the new shoot to the support with a loose knot to prevent it from being broken by wind.③ After the wound at the grafting site has completely healed, the plastic binding strip can be removed to prevent constriction damage.④ Because the grafted branch grows tender and green, it is susceptible to pest attack, such as fruit borers, caterpillars, and slug moths; 20 g of 20% fenvalerate EC can be used, diluted in 50 kg of water for spraying; at the same time, use a lime-sulfur mixture made by boiling 1 part quicklime, 2 parts sulfur, and 10 parts water, and apply it evenly on the rootstock to prevent pathogens from invading.⑤ Because the grafted plant grows vigorously and has a high fertilizer requirement, an appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer should be applied in a timely manner, mainly nitrogen fertilizer; foliar feeding can also be done, spraying 2~3 times with a 0.5% urea solution in the early stage, and then filtering and spraying 1~2 times with a 1% phosphate fertilizer extract in the later stage. After topdressing, a thorough watering must be given.