What Tree Species Are Used for Grafting Peach Trees? A Detailed Guide to Timing and Techniques

Peach trees generally refer to the peach, a plant in the rose family (Rosaceae), a deciduous small tree whose fruit can be eaten. It is widely cultivated in our country.So what trees can be grafted with peach trees? When to graft? What are the techniques?

1. What trees can be grafted with peach trees?

Peach trees can be grafted with trees of the same family. The most common species among them are wild peach, flat peach, nectarine, apricot, pear tree, cherry tree, and so on.

2. When are peach trees grafted?

Peach trees are generally grafted in spring from April to June, or chosen to be grafted in late summer and early autumn from August to September. The survival rate of grafting in these two time periods will be much higher. Among them, spring is suitable for whip and cleft grafting using one- to two-year-old seedling rootstocks, while late summer and early autumn are suitable for bud grafting using one-year-old well-developed seedling rootstocks.

3. What grafting techniques are there for peach trees?

Peach tree grafting generally uses the method of branch grafting or bud grafting. The specific practices are as follows:

1. Branch grafting

(1) First treat the branch. Before flowering in spring, choose a peach tree with relatively good growth, and cut a branch of more than 20 cm, with as many buds as possible on the branch. Cut the lower part of the branch into a wedge shape to facilitate grafting.

(2) For the rootstock, mostly choose a one-year-old seedling, and find a branch on it similar in thickness to the scion. Cut it off and split it open in the middle of the cut, with a depth close to the length of the scion wedge.

(3) Insert the wedge-shaped part of the scion into the cut of the rootstock, then tie them firmly with rope. After tying firmly, completely wrap the wound with a plastic bag to prevent it from drying out due to bacterial invasion. You can also apply disinfectant to the wound.

2. Bud grafting

(1) Trim the rootstock first. The part to be bud grafted is generally chosen within 10 cm from the main branch of the peach tree.

(2) Select a healthy peach tree with good quality as the mother tree, and choose plump leaf buds growing on branches similar in thickness and size to the main branch of the rootstock as the grafting buds.

(3) Use a sharp knife to make a cut at 0.6 cm above the selected grafting bud and at a position about 0.6 cm below from the leaf stalk, with the force needing to reach deep into the wood, then make a vertical cut on each of the left and right sides of the leaf bud, likewise with the force reaching deep into the wood, and then remove the leaf bud.

(4) Finally, in the same way, remove a bud piece from the rootstock about 0.2 cm slightly larger than the grafting leaf bud, put it into the cut of the rootstock, and quickly wrap it tightly with tape.

Once the grafted peach tree is given good follow-up management, it is mostly fine. Of course, those without grafting experience or with insufficient experience are not advised to graft on their own. You can go and buy successfully grafted peach saplings for planting.