Cultivation

Grafting and Budding of Apple Trees

Malus Mill.

Key methods of vegetative propagation of apple trees, including shield budding, whip grafting, and crown top-working for preserving varietal characteristics and increasing winter hardiness.

In the reference 112 varieties crop Apple, where this is mentioned in the description.

In commercial nursery production, the most effective method for apple trees is summer budding, which ensures a bud-take rate of up to 92–98%, especially when working with clonal rootstocks such as MM-106. In the middle latitudes, apple trees are budded last among pome fruit crops. The optimal timing for the operation falls within the period of 15–20 days before the average daily temperature drops below +15°C, and the readiness of the scion wood is determined by the characteristic snapping sound of a matured shoot when bent.

To increase the resilience of cultivated varieties in harsh climatic conditions, grafting into the crowns of winter-hardy scaffold-builders, such as seedlings of Siberian crabapple or ranetki, is practiced, which allows shifting the graft union above the critical level of frost damage. Apple trees possess high intraspecific compatibility, which allows for the use of a wide range of methods, including whip grafting, cleft grafting, bark grafting, and side-veneer grafting, the choice of which depends on the age of the rootstock and the objectives of tree training.

General information about the subject — on the page Grafting and budding.

Sources8

Varieties of Apple mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.