How to plant a plum tree in spring: step by step

Plum grafting is not a mandatory step in caring for this tree, unlike pruning or fertilizing. It is carried out at the request of the gardener. However, you should not neglect it, since with its help you can significantly improve the characteristics of the plum tree and make it easier to care for.

Is it necessary to graft a plum tree?

Most seedlings sold in nurseries are already grafted. This can be determined by the characteristic thickening just above the molar neck.

The vaccination procedure itself is not mandatory.

Why graft plum

Grafting allows you to significantly save time when choosing a suitable variety or for quickly propagating the desired one. With the help of grafting, you can quickly replace one plum variety with another, bypassing the seedling stage. Grafting onto more hardy rootstocks can significantly increase the frost resistance of the tree, and the use of dwarf rootstocks reduces the height of the plant.

Grafting plums in spring: tips for beginners

Vaccination is a very important undertaking, and its success largely depends on preparation. This procedure must be carried out only within the prescribed time frame. Cuts on the rootstock and cuttings must be neat, even and precise, so you can’t do this without a good tool.

Vaccination is akin to a surgical operation, so you need to take care of preparatory and rehabilitation measures in advance and stock up on the necessary materials.

Which tree can a plum be grafted onto?

There is an opinion among gardeners that stone fruit trees can be grafted onto stone fruit trees, and pome trees can be grafted onto pome trees. The following fruit crops belong to stone fruits:

• Apricot.
• Cherry plum.
• Felt cherry.
• Common cherry.
• Steppe cherry.
• Dogwood.
• Homemade plum.
• Chinese plum.
• Turn.
• Damsons.
• Peach.
• Cherries.

Theoretically, you can graft plum onto any tree from this list. However, in practice everything is not so simple.

Grafting plum onto plum

Intraspecific vaccination has the best chance of being successful.Plum is grafted onto plum to improve fruiting performance, preserve the species or propagate it. Many people graft several varieties onto one plum tree.

Grafting plum onto sloe

The sloe is the plum's closest relative. Wild blackthorn is an extremely unpretentious plant and an indispensable rootstock for gardeners who want to increase the frost resistance of their plum trees. Plum cuttings grafted onto sloe trees take root very well.

At the same time, resistance to frost increases so much that even in the most severe frost they remain undamaged, while other varieties of plums freeze completely.

Is it possible to graft a plum onto a wild plant?

You can also use dichka (wild plum) as a rootstock for plums. As a rule, grafting of this kind is successful, and the result is increased tree resistance to adverse weather conditions, temperature fluctuations and precipitation. Experienced gardeners recommend that beginning gardeners use wild plum rootstock. It allows you to get good practice and does not require perfect accuracy when grafting.

Is it possible to graft a plum onto a bird cherry?

You can graft a plum onto a bird cherry tree. In most cases, the scion will take root and even produce leaves. However, bird cherry will not provide the rootstock with proper nutrition, so the leaves on the scion will turn yellow ahead of time, wither and fly off. There will be no full growth of a plum on a bird cherry rootstock.

Grafting plum onto cherry

Such grafting is possible if you take not an ordinary, but a felt cherry as a rootstock. The work must be done quickly and accurately, since cherry cuts oxidize very quickly and the survival rate drops sharply.The result will be a plum tree that will be approximately two times lower and more compact than usual, and it will begin to bear fruit a year or two earlier.

The tree will also be more resistant to weather conditions and will grow better in heavy soil.

Grafting plum onto apricot

It is difficult to graft a plum onto an apricot rootstock, but it is possible. The main problem is that not all varieties of plums get along with it. But if the grafting is successful, plum fruits on apricot rootstock will be more tasty and aromatic than ordinary ones.

Grafting a blue plum onto a yellow one

Since both the rootstock and the scion are plums, the grafting will certainly be successful if all measures are done correctly. If the grafting is done not on a seedling, but in the crown of an adult tree, the gardener will have a very interesting plum, with blue fruits on one side and yellow ones on the other.

What can you graft onto a plum tree?

Plum can also be used as a rootstock. You can graft onto it the same stone fruit trees, which include the plum itself.

Grafting an apricot onto a plum

Apricots are grafted onto plums quite often. Since plums are more resistant to cold and weather disasters, such grafting will significantly increase the endurance of the apricot and its frost resistance. At the same time, it will enter fruiting 1-2 years earlier, and the yield will not decrease. Unfortunately, not all graftings are successful and the survival rate is much lower than the intraspecific rate for both of these trees.

Grafting a peach onto a plum

The unpretentiousness of the plum will help in this case too. Peach cuttings grafted onto a plum tree are highly likely to take root.Peach on plum rootstock becomes resistant to both unfavorable climate and many diseases, is less often affected by pests, and its fruits become larger and tastier.

Grafting an apple tree onto a plum tree

Cuttings of pome fruit crops, which include the apple tree, do not take root on stone fruit trees. With a 99% probability, such a vaccination is doomed to failure. If this does happen, the result will be unpredictable. It is absolutely known that some gardeners managed to graft an apple tree onto a plum tree, but there is no data on the results of such experiments.

Grafting cherry plum onto plum

Cherry plum takes root well on plum rootstock. If for some reason a plum grows poorly, a cherry plum is often grafted onto it. It is much more stable, more unpretentious and bears fruit more abundantly.

On a plum rootstock, cherry plum will begin to bear fruit 1-2 years earlier than when planted with a seed.

Grafting cherries onto plums

Cherries are grafted onto plums without any problems; if all terms and rules are followed, the survival rate will be very high. This grafting significantly improves the quality of the fruit, its size increases significantly, and the taste becomes much richer and more interesting.

Grafting sloe onto plum

This grafting will definitely take root, since sloe and cherry plum are the parents of plums. However, there is no reason to graft a tenacious frost-resistant sloe onto a plum that is more delicate in all respects. This will not add winter hardiness, nor will it increase productivity. Therefore, they usually do reverse grafting, grafting plum cuttings onto a more resistant thorn rootstock.

Grafting a pear onto a plum

The pear belongs to the same family as the apple tree - pomaceae.Therefore, with regard to such a vaccination, everything that has already been said about the apple tree above will be true.

Grafting cherries onto plums

Such grafting is possible and with a certain degree of probability it will be successful, although it is quite difficult to achieve the fusion of the cuttings with the rootstock due to the different wood. An established cherry on a plum rootstock will feel good, and if you graft it into the crown, you can get two types of fruits on the tree at once. Such a hybrid will bear fruit earlier than a regular cherry. The tree itself will grow larger and more spreading, and when flowering it will resemble sakura.

What can be grafted onto a wild plum?

Wildflowers are usually what grows from the root shoots of ungrafted trees or from a seed. They are characterized by increased resistance to weather changes, tolerate frost well, and are undemanding to the composition of the soil. They are often used as a rootstock, and quite successfully. You can graft on wild animals:

• Plum.
• Cherry.
• Apricot.
• Peach.

Any of these grafting will increase the tree's resistance to weather conditions and make it more unpretentious.

Plum grafting time

Plum trees are grafted in the spring, during the period of intense sap flow. At this time, the survival rate of the scion is the highest. If for some reason the vaccination is unsuccessful, you can repeat it in June or July. In the fall, grafting can be done only in the southern regions, otherwise there is a high chance that the cutting simply will not have time to grow together with the rootstock before the onset of cold weather.

Timing of plum grafting in spring

The best period for grafting stone fruits is the end of March–beginning of April. This is the time of the beginning of the growing season and the chances of a positive result are much greater.May is also a suitable month for vaccination, however, with the onset of a warm period, survival rate drops and not all vaccinations may be successful.

Timing of plum grafting in summer

If for some reason it was not possible to graft a plum in the spring or the attempts were unsuccessful, you can repeat them in June-July. At this time, you can still hope for success, since the scion will have time to take root before the onset of cold weather. In August and later, plum trees can only be planted in warm regions.

How to save plum cuttings for grafting

For cuttings, choose lignified shoots of the first or second year of life. Preference is given to lateral branches located on the sunny side of the tree. Cuttings are taken at the end of autumn, after the first frost. At this time, the plant is dormant and the cuttings will tolerate winter storage well.

There are several ways to preserve cut cuttings until spring. The easiest of them is in the snow. To do this, you need to dig a small hole, the bottom of which must be lined with spruce branches. Then the cuttings tied in bunches are laid and covered with the same spruce branches on top. Then a layer of earth or straw is thrown on top, after which everything is covered with a thick layer of snow.

Other methods can be used to preserve plum cuttings. The main thing is to ensure a temperature of about 0°C and a humidity of about 70%. At a lower temperature, the cuttings may freeze; at a higher temperature, they may wake up ahead of time. Many people store cuttings in the refrigerator, on the balcony or in a cold cellar.

Methods for grafting plum trees in spring

There are several ways to graft a plum tree.Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Which one to use is decided by the gardener himself, based on the grafting conditions and available materials.

Copulation method

Using this method, many fruit trees can be grafted. In order to graft using the copulation method, the thickness of the rootstock and scion must be the same. The cuttings and rootstock are cut with an even oblique cut so that its length is approximately three times the diameter. After this, the cutting is applied to the rootstock so that the cambium layers coincide as much as possible. Then the grafting site is fixed with tape.

There is also improved copulation (Figure b). In this case, the cut is made in a zigzag manner. This allows you to more reliably fix the cuttings, as well as increase the boundaries of contact between the cambium of the rootstock and scion and increase the survival rate.

Grafting a plum into a cleft

Split grafting allows you to graft 1, 2 or 4 cuttings on one rootstock at the same time. To graft several cuttings, its thickness should be several times greater than that of the scion. The branch intended for the rootstock is cut down with a straight cut, after which it is carefully trimmed with a sharp garden knife. Then a straight split is made in the middle (if 4 cuttings are grafted, a cross-shaped split is made). The scion is cut from below onto a wedge so that the cuts are approximately three times longer than the thickness of the cutting. After this, the cuttings are inserted into the split, while the outer lateral layer of the cambium of the rootstock and scion should coincide.

After grafting, all cuttings are fixed using a special or insulating tape, and all open cuts are treated with garden varnish.

Plum bud grafting (budding)

With this method of grafting, the scion is one bud. Gardeners often call it “peephole”, hence the name of the method (okulus (Latin) - eye). The bud is taken from a cutting of the desired variety. If it is harvested in the fall, then this is budding with a germinating eye; such a shoot, after grafting, will begin to grow this spring. If the bud is taken from a green tree, then the grafting is carried out in the summer, and the shoot will begin to grow from it only next spring. This method is called sleeping eye budding.

To carry out “in the butt” grafting, a semicircular depression is cut out on the rootstock and a shield of exactly the same shape is inserted into it, in which there is a healthy scion bud. After this, the shield with the eye is securely fixed using a special tape, while the kidney should remain open. After about 2 weeks, you can evaluate the result of the vaccination.

Budding can also be performed through a T-shaped incision. To do this, the rootstock bark at the grafting site is cut with the letter “T”. The bark layer is folded back, and a shield with a grafted bud is inserted behind it. The bark returns to its place, covering the shield. After this, the grafting site is firmly fixed with a special tape.

The result of the vaccination can be checked in 15–20 days. If the spring bud germinates, the grafting was successful.

Bridge grafting

Bridge grafting is used for circumferential cortical lesions. Often this problem arises due to the fact that hares gnaw the bark of a young plum in a circle in winter. To prevent the tree from dying, a kind of “bridge” is thrown across the wound, along which the juices flow.

Before grafting a plum with a bridge (in the middle zone this is May), you need to paint or cover up all the damaged areas in advance, otherwise the tree will begin to dry out.For “bridges,” cuttings prepared last year are suitable, and they may be of a different variety or even type. If the trunk of the damaged tree is small, only 2 cuttings will be needed, if it is large, up to 8.

On the cuttings, you need to break off all the buds so that they do not start to grow, and also make oblique cuts 2–3 cm long. The edges of the damaged area of ​​the rootstock are cut in a T-shape, the edges of the bark are bent and the edges of the cutting are inserted there. The “bridges” are tightly fixed and then wrapped with film, forming a natural greenhouse.

Grafting a plum tree by its bark

Grafting behind the bark is somewhat similar to grafting into the cleft. The rootstock branch is cut down with an even cut and trimmed with a knife. An incision 2–4 mm long is made on the edge of the bark (if several cuttings are grafted, several incisions are made). The bark must be carefully bent and a cutting on which an oblique cut is made must be inserted.

To prevent the cuttings from falling out, they must be securely secured with tape. All open cuts must be covered with garden varnish.

Ablactation

This grafting method fuses two shoots growing side by side. Ablation, or proximity grafting, is rarely used for garden trees. Its main purpose is to create hedges. Ablation also helps to save a damaged tree if there is another one nearby.

The suitable time for vaccination is from May to August. On two shoots growing nearby, it is necessary to remove the bark at the point of convergence and make identical cuts. Then add the rootstock and scion, aligning the cambium layers as much as possible. After this, the grafting site is tightly fixed with tape.

How to graft a plum into a side cut

Grafting into a lateral incision is very simple. The branch of the rootstock in the right place is cut with an oblique cut so as to cut both the bark and the wood. The cutting is cut from below so that a double-sided wedge is formed. It is inserted into the cut made on the rootstock. The cambium layers are combined as much as possible, then the scion and rootstock are fixed with tape.

All open cuts are covered with garden varnish.

How to graft a broken plum tree in spring

In winter, a tree can suffer from many factors. Mostly, large branches suffer, breaking under the weight of adhering wet snow. Sometimes the central conductor also suffers, mainly on young trees. Broken branches will have to be removed. This must be done carefully to avoid scuffing the bark. All creases must be cleaned and covered with garden varnish.

If the trunk is not damaged, the tree will most likely continue to grow normally and will soon replace the lost branches. If the central conductor is broken, but the bark at the site of the break remains intact, you can try to put a splint on the broken site and fix the barrel. If the trunk is completely broken, the only way out is to cut it down and graft several cuttings onto the stump into a split or behind the bark.

Caring for plums after grafting

After vaccination, the condition of the scion should be checked regularly. If there is no doubt that it has taken root (green leaves have blossomed on the cuttings), you can loosen and then completely remove the tape and film that was wrapped around the grafting site. If a large shoot has been grafted, the binding can be saved until next spring.

Any growth that appears on the scion should be removed so that the tree does not waste energy on its growth. The emerging inflorescences are also removed so as not to weaken the scion by fruiting.You can leave only a few pieces to evaluate the quality of the resulting fruit.

What mistakes do gardeners often make when grafting plums?

The vaccination procedure is not complicated only at first glance. For vaccinations to be successful, hours of rigorous training will be required. Here are the most common mistakes that novice gardeners make:

1. The grafting is carried out at a considerable distance from the trunk.
2. The vaccination site becomes dirty or is not treated with varnish after the procedure.
3. When the scion is fixed, the cambium layers shift relative to the rootstock.
4. The slices do not match in shape and size.
5. The fixation of the scion is too weak, which is why it is loosened by the wind.
6. Cuttings too short.
7. Improperly harvested cuttings in autumn or frozen in winter.

The most common mistakes when grafting plums are shown in the video at the link below.

Conclusion

Plum grafting helps to avoid many problems. This is a quick method of propagation, a means of improving varietal qualities, and a method of increasing resistance to the climatic conditions of the growing region. In addition, grafting may well turn a fruit tree into a unique one, since the result often exceeds all the gardener’s expectations.

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