Re-grafting of a young nut garden

Walnuts can yield up to 100 kg of harvest in one fruiting season. The fruits of this tree are very tasty and healthy, they contain fatty acids and a large amount of iodine, nuts are also used in confectionery. On an industrial scale, walnut fruits are grown for the production of nut flour. Breeders are developing varieties that are more productive and resistant to diseases. When a new variety of walnut appears, farmers do not cut down the old hazel, but graft cuttings of the new variety onto the trees. To inoculate the old hazel, you will need to cut up to 80% of the crown of the tree. If you are planting a young hazel, only the top of the tree can be cut. Do it secateursto get an even cut. Then you need to prepare the cuttings.

Harvesting cuttings for grafting

For harvesting cuttings, an even segment of the skeletal branch is chosen, on which there are 10 dormant deciduous buds. Cuttings are cut in the fall, they should be the same length. Then the cuttings are stored in the refrigerator in a container wrapped in a damp towel until next spring.

The cuttings are grafted in early May, when the deciduous buds have not yet blossomed, that is, before the start of sap flow. So their survival rate will increase. Cuttings are cut into pieces with two dormant buds. Then, a straight cut is made on each handle with a secateurs.

The pruner leaves strong wounds and exfoliated cambium on the handle. The detached cambium must be removed with a clerical knife.

Then the tip of the cutting is sharpened. The resulting peg is moistened with water. The stalk is ready to be grafted onto the stock.

Grafting a cutting on a walnut

Next, the bark of the stock is pry off with a knife and a cutting is inserted into the resulting gap. It is nailed tightly to the stem of the rootstock. To more reliably fix the stalk to the rootstock, you can pierce it through with a nail. Drainage cuts are then made on the trunk of the main tree below the grafting. If tree sap accumulates near the grafting site, the stalk will not take root. The grafting site and cuttings are covered with garden varnish.

It is desirable that pine resin be included in the garden varnish.

The grafted skeletal branch or the main trunk of the tree is wrapped in thick or waxed paper, forming a funnel. Then wet sawdust is poured on top of the stem of the stock and wrapped with electrical tape. This guarantees the complete tightness of the graft and greatly increases its survival rate.