1. The Art and Science
of Grafting

2. Adam R. Wheeler Graduate Assistant University of Vermont

4. So What is Grafting?
- Grafting is the ART of connecting two pieces of living plant tissue so that they will unite, grow and develop as one plant

5. Grafting Terminology
Scion - short piece of detached shoot containing at least one dormant bud. The upper portion of the graft producing stems and branches
Rootstock (understock or stock) - lower portion of the graft. Produces the root system of the plant.

7. Vascular cambium - an area of actively growing tissue located between the bark (phloem) and wood (xylem). The cambium of scion must be in close contact with cambium of rootstock.

8. Callus - mass of parenchyma cells that develop from wounded plant tissues.

9. The History of Grafting
- First documented by the Chinese as early as 5000 B.C. when Feng Li, a Chinese diplomat, began grafting peaches, almonds, persimmons, pears and apples as a commercial venture.

10. - Aristotle (384 -322 B. C. ) and Theophrastus (371-287 B. C
- Aristotle ( B.C.) and Theophrastus ( B.C.) both wrote about grafting.

11. - During the Roman Empire the Romans were famous for their grafted olive trees

12. - The Renaissance period (1350-1600 AD) saw renewed interest in grafting

13. In the 16-17th century grafting was widely used in England

14. - In the early 1800’s grafting became common place in the United States.

15. - Today grafting is used by many major growers to produce hundreds of different types of agricultural and ornamental plants.

16. So Tell Me How It Works!

18. What’s The Point Then?

19. 1) To Perpetuate clones - Many plants (beech, eucalyptus, fir, oak and
apple) root very poorly
from cuttings.
- Consequently, clones of
these species are often
maintained by grafting.

20. - Japanese maples often form poor root systems when grown from cuttings and therefore must be grafted

21. 2) To Take Advantage of Rootstock Disease and Pest Tolerance.
Some rootstocks can tolerate unfavorable soil pressure from disease, insects and nematodes better than the scion’s root system.

22. - Wine grapes are grafted onto native muscadine grapes to prevent problems from nematodes and phylloxera = yellow aphid.

23. 3) To Take Advantage of Rootstocks tolerance of poor growing conditions.
- Some rootstocks are able to withstand poor quality soils (compaction, poor drainage, dry, high salt levels) better than the scion’s root system.

24. 4) Some Rootstocks Can Speed the Growth
of the Scion Into Early Maturity.

25. 5) Some Rootstocks can increase plant growth rate and reduce nursery production time.
- Some shade trees (like Acer platanoides ‘Super Form’) can grow more quickly if grafted than if grown as a rooted cutting or even a seedling!

26. 6) Grafting Can Be Used to Obtain Special Growth Forms
- With ornamentals, it is common to use an upright growing rootstock and a “weeping” or “dwarf” scion

31. - With fruit trees it is common to use a dwarfing rootstock to create a smaller sized plant

34. 7) Grafting Can be used to Repair damaged trees
Trees are often damaged from winter injury, rodents, machinery, or disease.
Grafters can use a bridge graft or a technique known as inarching to repair the damage.

37. 8) Grafting can be used to change cultivars on established plants (topworking)
This method is used to:
Change unproductive cultivars or those no longer in demand
Fix poor growth habit
Change cultivars that are susceptible to insects of disease

41. What’s The Plan For Today?

42. Budding - a specialty form of grafting performed in late summer
Budding - a specialty form of grafting performed in late summer. The scion is small and typically only consists of a single bud.

43. Two Types of Budding

44. Working with T-budding

46. The End