does anyone know how to graft?

Discussion in 'Plant Propagation' started by jg156, Jul 15, 2008.

  1. jg156

    jg156 Member

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    a few years ago we had two wild [ornamental] pear trees and cant eat the fruit. does anyone know how to graft a pear tree branch on to them?
     
  2. jimmyq

    jimmyq Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    yes, there are a number of folks here that could advise you on grafting. If you have two wild trees, why would you want to graft to them rather than purchasing a nursery tree that has been done for you?

    If you have a specific question about methodology or some such, post it up and I am sure someone will try to give you advice.
     
  3. jg156

    jg156 Member

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    we do not have room for another tree. plus it would take some time for it to fruit.
     
  4. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Very easy in theory, horribly difficult in practice. You get a twig of the pear cultivar you want (called a 'scion'), trim the bottom end, stick it into a slit in the bark of the tree you're grafting onto (called the 'rootstock'), and tie it in with grafting tape.

    Practical difficulties include hygeine (needs to be absolute), precision engineering (the bark cambium of the scion needs to match exactly on to the bark cambium of the rootstock, and it's only about 1/10 mm thick), timing (mustn't let anything dry out in the process, so you have to do all the trimming and matching in ideally seconds), and strength (taping the graft needs to be strong enough to hold the scion on securely for several months until new wood forms over the graft).

    Needs lots of expertise, not something I'd recommend for a beginner - if you've never done it before, try finding a course that does practical lessons in grafting. Likely to be expensive, though.

    My suggestion would be to remove the ornamental pears, and replant with new orchard pear trees from a nursery. Those ornamental pears are usually a nasty liability anyway, given their propensity to shed large branches and spread seedlings all over.
     
  5. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Much easier would be to T-bud a mature bud from the pear variety you desire onto the wild tree. T-budding can be done any time the bark is slipping (most of the summer). For a first timer the success rate should be 50 percent plus. Instead of describing the mechanics of T-budding, just type the words "T-Bud" into your search engine and you should receive untold hits. - Millet
     

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