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THIS IS THE only method of grafting
that I would recommend to amateurs, simply because it's the only
one I've ever done successfully! In fact, thread grafting is
virtually fool-proof and success is almost guaranteed ... in
time.
Thread grafting is ideal for
creating branches or roots at the precise point where they are
needed to complete or improve the design.
The technique itself couldn't
be simpler.
Grafting branches
Grafting can be done any time
between early spring and mid-summer, and will take between one
and three years to work, depending on the vigour of the tree.
- First you need to allow some
shoots to grow freely until they are long enough to be bent around
to cross the trunk at the point where the new branch is needed.
- Then you drill a hole straight
through the trunk at the point where the branch is to be grafted.
Start at the side where you want the branch to emerge (this ensures
the cleanest edge of the hole is on that side of the trunk)
- Take a convenient shoot and
carefully CUT off all the leaves very close to the shoot. Don't
pull them off or you will damage the axilary buds.
- Bend the shoot and push it through
the hole as far as it will go without breaking or until it makes
a tight fit.
- Tape or wire the shoot into
place, seal the edges of the wound and wait....
- ... When the shoot, or new branch,
becomes much thicker on the side it emerges than on the side
where it enters the trunk, it is a sign that the graft has "taken".
- Wait one more year before severing
the branch on the insertion side - just to be on the safe side.
That's really all there is to
it. As the shoot thickens and the wound begins to heal, the two
are forced together with such pressure that a natural graft occurs.
There's no need to expose the cambium on the inserted shoot or
to get up to any other fancy tricks - just let nature take its
course.
Be very careful when wiring new
grafts because, remember, they are only held in place by a very
thin layer of new tissue and will easily come away. As time passes
they will become much more robust.
After
one year - a new crop of branches, exactly where you want them.
Grafting roots
The principle of thread grafting
new roots is precisely the same as for branches, except that
when the graft has taken, you retain the "parent" part,
and discard the other. Best time for this operation in early
spring, before the buds open, but it can be done with care any
time during spring/early summer.
- Find a healthy seedling of the
same or closely similar variety as the main tree. The stem of
the seedling must be roughly the same thickness as the existing
nebari on the main tree.
- Drill the hole at a n angle
sloping upward from the exact point where you require the new
root.
- Excavate a wedge of soil in
the pot to accommodate the roots of the seedling.
- Prune all lateral branches and
leaves off the seedling and push it up through the hole, making
as tight a fit as possible.
- Gently arrange the roots in
the excavated space and refill with soil. Water thoroughly and
keep the assembly in the shade for a few weeks.
- Feed the tree well to encourage
rapid thickening of the inserted stem and healing of the wound.
- Always wait a season longer
than you think is necessary before cutting off the free-growing
top of the inserted stem, leaving the trunk base and roots behind.
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