Fruit tree cultivation is inseparable from grafting. How can the grafting survival rate be improved?

Summary: Grafting fruit trees has many benefits. How can fruit tree grafting achieve a higher survival rate?

Grafting is a form of asexual propagation. The principle is to select a scion and rootstock with good compatibility and bind them tightly together to ensure the scion survives. Using grafting has many advantages. It can both maintain the excellent traits of the scion variety itself and make use of the favorable characteristics of the rootstock, achieving earlier seedling formation, earlier flowering, and enhanced drought resistance and resistance to pests and diseases. For some plants and flowers, grafting can significantly increase economic value and ornamental value.

Although grafting has so many benefits, it is not the case that any two species can be grafted together. Even for those suitable for grafting together, without good grafting technique, they may not necessarily survive.

So what issues should be paid attention to during grafting in order to improve survival?

The first is to choose two suitable materials. For example, cucumber can be grafted onto black-seeded pumpkin, peach, plum, apple, and kiwifruit can be grafted onto each other, different tomato species can be grafted, and basically all flowers can be grafted. The basis for selection is that the two are best varieties of the same family and genus, and it is best if their thickness is basically the same, which can improve the survival rate.

The second is that grafting requires attention to timing, and different crops require choosing a suitable grafting time. Fruit trees generally have early spring grafting, summer grafting, and autumn grafting. Early spring grafting is carried out before the fruit tree buds sprout, summer grafting is carried out after the scion buds mature, and autumn grafting is carried out in late summer and early autumn. For variety improvement of fruit trees, grafting can be carried out in early spring, except for grapes, which need to be grafted in summer. The persimmon trees commonly grown at home are generally grafted by branch grafting from mid-March to early April. The overall selection principle is that it is best when both the rootstock and scion are in the budding or growing period.

The third is to choose a suitable grafting method. For cucumber, the approach grafting method and the insertion grafting method are generally chosen; they are easy to perform and have a high survival rate. The insertion grafting method has two types: oblique insertion and straight insertion. When grafting with the insertion grafting method, no roots are attached, so wilting is likely to occur, and the requirements for grafting technique are relatively high. The approach grafting method is easy to survive, but the wound area needs to be handled well to avoid infection by bacteria and the like.

Finally, there are some details and management points to note in grafting. The blades, scissors, and other tools used for grafting, as well as the rootstock and bud scions to be grafted, must first be disinfected. After disinfection, the rootstock and bud scions can be soaked in naphthaleneacetic acid at 200-3000PPM, which can improve the survival rate. After the grafted scion buds and rootstock have merged into one, unbinding should be carried out in a timely manner. Grafted branches that grow too vigorously should also be pinch-topped to ensure balanced growth.

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