Grafting on Scots pine. Planting grafted cedars is a quick way to a pine nut harvest
The beginning and nature of seed production of grafts largely depends on the grafted cuttings.
When creating nut-producing plantations in the area of cedar pines and in the forest zone of the European part of the country, when performing homoplastic grafting (cedar x cedar), first of all, cuttings from plus trees from the area of ecological optimum and increased polymorphism of the species should be used. For Siberian pine, this is the low and middle mountains of Altai and Sayan, where its most valuable gene pool is concentrated. These are the best areas for harvesting cuttings of this breed. The grafts they created are distinguished by early, regular and abundant seed production. They can also be harvested in other parts of the cedar range. It should be taken into account that the nature of fruiting of scions will reflect the regional characteristics of yield dynamics, which depends on natural and climatic conditions and the genotypic structure of cedar plantations.
Outside the range of Siberian pine, when grafting it onto other types of pine trees in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of Russia, in order to reduce the overgrowth of the pine rootstock by the cedar scion, it is recommended to use, first of all, cuttings from high-yielding but slow-growing trees from various altitudinal zones of the Altai-Sayan mountain region , then from other cedar regions. In the areas of introduction, outstanding fruit-bearing European cedar trees from the Ukrainian Carpathians and Korean cedar from Primorye are also cloned.
The objects of preparing cuttings for grafting are:
- high-yielding (plus) and large-cone trees selected from natural plantations, their clones at least 15 years old;
- mature trees and young cedars (from 15 years of age) with certain decorative properties of the crown, growing in botanical gardens and parks, in natural plantations, on plantations;
- outstanding in pollen productivity, phytomass and other valuable features individuals.
Cuttings are harvested: from high-yielding cedars - in the upper, fruit-bearing part of the crown; from decorative and other forms - in medium and upper parts crowns; with individuals with high pollen productivity - in the lower, male layer. Shoots 10-15 cm long and no more than 13 mm thick at the cut site are cut from the ends of the skeletal and lateral branches. They should have gains from the last two years. For grafting, growth from the last year is used - central and lateral. Their optimal thickness is 6-8 mm, maximum -10 mm. The presence of “winter” is allowed, but it is removed before grafting. This allows for increased survival rates.
The possible number of cuttings harvested depends on the development of the crown (density, width, structure). It increases as the tree ages. Without compromising the vital activity of the cedar and the possibility of its further use as a queen cell, a relatively small number of cuttings are cut at a time, at intervals of 3 years. From decorative forms of 15-year-old Siberian pine plants - no more than 15 pcs., 20-year-old - 20, 50-year-old - 40, from mature trees - 60-70 pcs. On high-yielding and large-budded genotypes, up to 50% of fruit-bearing shoots are cut off at the same time. From one grafting of a 15-year-old, no more than 10 cuttings should be prepared, a 20-year-old - 15, a 30-year-old - 20 pieces. A maximum of 50-60 pieces are cut from an adult 180-220-year-old Siberian cedar.
On multi-topped European cedar trees of the same age, the number of cuttings harvested can be increased by 30-50%. On Korean cedar specimens, characterized by a sparse crown, it is reduced by 20-30%.
Cuttings are taken from young trees using a hand or pole pruner, from the ground or from ladders. Climbing into the crown along the trunk at an early age is undesirable due to the possible breaking off of an insufficiently strong scion. It is allowed in plants over 40 years old, with a diameter at chest height of at least 20 cm.
Climbing into the crown tall trees must be carried out in ways that do not damage the trunk. On trees with low-hanging skeletal branches, the climber climbs them like a ladder. In taiga conditions, when climbing cedars whose branches start high from the ground, the climber uses various devices: ladders that reach the first thick branches, thin “climb” trees growing nearby with a strong trunk and branches, etc. To accomplish this task steeplejacks are ideally suited, equipped with the necessary special devices (shooting devices, halyards, ropes, titanium clamps, belay, etc.) for ascending and descending from a height.
On tall cedars, whose branches are high above the ground, taking cuttings is most effective using metal rectangular claws with a sharp spike on the inside of the leg.
An experienced climber spends 30-45 minutes climbing into the crown, preparing 50-60 cuttings and descending from the tree.
The disadvantages of using claws are that sharp thorns cause damage to the trunk and the inability to climb into the crown of frozen trees. Therefore, the preparation of cuttings from plus cedar trees, which are a state valuable gene pool, with their use should be limited.
Cuttings are prepared before the beginning of the growing season, before the snow cover melts: in the European part of the country - in February - March, in Siberia and the Far East - in March - April. They are tied into bundles from each tree or clone separately, labeled, and stored until grafting in large snow piles, covered with a thick layer of sawdust to prevent early melting of the snow.
Cuttings are sent from the habitats of cedar pines to the areas of introduction at the end of winter, immediately after harvesting, in parcel boxes. Labeled bundles are wrapped or covered in the lower part with damp material (moss, rags, burlap) and wrapped in plastic film. These measures allow you to avoid desiccation within 10 days. After receiving the parcels, the cuttings should be immediately removed from the boxes and placed before grafting for permanent storage in conditions that prevent the onset of growth or drying out: in snow heaps up to 1.5 m high, poured on the north side of the building and additionally protected from melting by a layer of sawdust, or in large, snow-filled boxes placed in a glacier or cold cellar.
Temporary storage for 5-10 days is allowed in cold cellars where there is no snow. You can store the cuttings in the refrigerator, where the temperature is maintained within 0 ... ± 2 ° C. Under these conditions, they should be covered with moistened moss, sawdust, burlap, etc., and the moisture of the latter should be constantly maintained. This will preserve the necessary moisture in the shoots and buds of the cuttings, i.e., it guarantees their viability.
Cuttings are grafted in spring and summer. Most favorable time for spring grafting - the beginning and active growth of the rootstock, when cambial cells are intensively dividing, promoting good fusion of the components. This is the period from the elongation of the apical bud by 1-2 cm to the growth of the shoot by 5-7 cm and the beginning of the growth of needles on it. Its duration, depending on air temperature and weather conditions, is 5-10 days.
Taking them into account, the timing of grafting is established for each forest growth zone. In the black belt of the Altai Mountains it should be carried out, as a rule, from May 10 to 25, in the middle mountains - 5-7 days later, in Western Siberia (Novosibirsk region) - during P-W decades May, in the Sverdlovsk region - in the middle - end of May. In the Moscow and adjacent regions, the optimal time for it is the first two decades of May, in the regions of the Central Black Earth Region - the period from April 20 to May 10. In the average Volga region - mid-April - mid-May. At this time, in the forest-steppe the average daily air temperature reaches +15°C, air humidity - 70%. In accordance with changing weather and climatic conditions in the year of vaccination, the indicated dates can be adjusted: shifted to earlier or later spring. One thing remains unchanged: the biological signal for its beginning is the awakening and growth of buds in the rootstock.
Summer grafting is carried out using winter cuttings on rootstocks with a well-defined current growth of the central shoot in height, in two terms. Early vaccinations are carried out during the period of active height growth (late May - early June). Late - during the period of its completion, when lignification of the upper part of the shoot begins and the formation of buds on the rootstock, intensive development of needles (second half of June). They should be completed before the differentiation of the buds and the start of their resinification, since at this time the cambial activity of the rootstock decreases, and the survival rate of the grafts deteriorates sharply. Depending on the region and weather conditions of the season, the possible total period for summer vaccinations is 20 days.
It is better to plant in cloudy (but without rain), sunny and warm (but not hot) weather, which reduces the desiccation of the scions.
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Siberian cedar is a tree up to 40 m high, trunk diameter up to 1.5-2 meters. In youth, it is characterized by slow growth - by the age of 25, the height of the tree is 4-5 m. In nature, it lives up to 400 years or more.
The main and most valuable product is tasty and nutritious pine nuts. Their use in both food and industrial purposes and medical and health procedures so widely that it deserves a separate review.
Under natural conditions, in the taiga, a cedar tree begins to bear fruit at 40-50 years of age. Seed periods under natural conditions are repeated every 5-7 years. In adulthood, in a fruitful year, one large tree produces about 1000 or more cones. There is evidence that when artificially grown from planting material, using the grafting method, with feeding and care, it is possible to achieve stable fruiting in 15-20 years, almost halving the natural time of seed production. Pine nut harvests in such plantations occur in 2-3 years, and under good growing conditions they can bear fruit more often.
In this regard, artificial breeding and creation of nut-bearing plantations, as well as cedar grafting, have become widely popular. Grafting has been practiced for decades; today there are many examples of successful breeding of cedar using grafting, and most importantly, a significant reduction in the time it takes to produce abundant harvests.
When grafting cedar, plants aged 5-7 years are often used as rootstocks (parent plants). When grafting on young people, viable young trees up to 1.5 m high are selected as a rootstock. Shoot segments with a well-developed apical bud from the upper part of the crown are used as a scion.
Through grafting, results are achieved in which trees begin to produce yields from 20 to 25 years, relatively small at the beginning - with a further increase. This solution can be very valuable for those who want to have their own pine nut plantation, even if it is only 10-15 trees.
Grafted cedar trees 20-25 years old have a height of about 5 m, crown diameter up to 2 - 2.5 m. Main feature such trees is that they bear fruit now. After planting, some time must pass for it to take root and get used to the new place, after which it will begin to produce crops regularly.
Cones on cedar ripen in the second year after flowering. As soon as the pine nuts are ripe, the cones open and the nuts fall to the ground. This feature must be taken into account when harvesting nuts and the period for harvesting is chosen when the nuts are slightly unripe. The collected cones are placed in a warm oven overnight, where the seed scales open and pine nuts fall out.
Active fruiting in closed groups creates conditions for the formation of a specific candelabra-like rise of the upper branches level with the top or even slightly higher, which creates a visual multi-vertex, giving some decorativeness to the tree. This feature is a natural adaptation to increase seed production, since cones are formed only on illuminated branches. In isolated trees and in open spaces, the multi-vertex pattern is comparatively less pronounced or absent altogether. This feature should be taken into account when choosing a place to plant grafted cedar.
It will be very effective if the grafted cedar is provided good care, regular watering, periodic spraying of needles with solutions of biostimulants, as well as moderate application of small amounts of nitrogen fertilizers.
Take note - in the first years of fruiting, cedar forms a large number of female cones. During this period, there is a significant shortage of male pollen for pollination, which will result in a good, abundant harvest of nuts. This situation requires artificial additional pollination of the cones with pollen collected from the male cones of the best adult pollinating cedars. Later, as the tree grows, its dioeciousness becomes more pronounced, and the need for hand pollination practically disappears.
In this regard, if you want to avoid situations with regular under-pollination and, as a result, empty productive years, you need to consider the following. An important condition for good harvest is the presence of a group of other cedars nearby, for mutual pollination of female cones, and the formation of a large number of future cones. In other words, you need to plant cedar trees in a small group - a small curtain, alley, or other methods.
Grafting Siberian cedar not only accelerates the onset of fruiting, but also expands the use of decorative forms of cedar in green building.
If you decide to plant grafted pine trees on your site today, then in the next 2-3 years, after rooting and acclimatization in a new place, they will delight you with a harvest of pine nuts, which you can collect right in your garden. Save time and effort - order cedar planting material from the Siberian Cedar company.
The vast majority of varieties of any woody plants are propagated vegetatively. During seed propagation, even the most outstanding genotypes beneficial properties if they are inherited, then not in full, and most importantly, the offspring are diverse, while the main characteristic of the variety is homogeneity. With vegetative propagation, such homogeneity is guaranteed: the offspring is a clone - a collection of genetically identical individuals. Basically there are only two ways vegetative propagation:
(1) when a whole plant develops from some vegetative organ - a shoot or a root; methods are varied - from ordinary rooting of cuttings to ultra-modern microcloning technologies;
(2) when some vegetative organ of one plant (scion) is fused with some vegetative organ of another plant (stock); this is a vaccination.
Modern science can clone anything, including humans. Moreover, from any living cell of any plant, it can “build” an entire organism. However, in practical varietal plant growing, only rooting of cuttings and grafting are still widely used. The first is simpler, so if a variety takes root easily, then there is usually no need to graft it. Varieties are grafted, the rooting of which is difficult or even impossible in normal conditions. Cuttings of Siberian cedar, as well as all varieties derived from it, practically do not take root under normal conditions. Therefore, they are propagated exclusively by grafting.
What to vaccinate on? A varietal scion is usually grafted onto a common rootstock (wildstock) of the same or a similar species. The question is what is considered a closely related species in this case. In the 60s of the last century, it was very fashionable to graft Siberian cedar onto Scots pine, which was considered a closely related species. So, there is no need to do this. Indeed, cedar takes root well and grows well on it in the first few years. However, in the end, no more than 10-15% of vaccinations turn out to be compatible. The rest gradually die over 10-15 years.
So, cedar should only be grafted onto cedar. Cuttings can be harvested at any time from October to April, i.e. during the period from the transition of the kidneys to a state of rest until their exit from it. Medium-sized branches should be cut: 20-30 cm. Cuttings should be stored at a temperature slightly below 0 o C, preferably under snow (in winter - just in a snowdrift, in spring - in a snowfield, i.e. in the same snowdrift sprinkled on top sawdust) in slightly perforated plastic bags. It is strictly forbidden to wrap them in paper and other hygroscopic materials: otherwise, instead of living cuttings, you will end up with a “herbarium”. It is not recommended to tie the branches tightly together: they may “tangle”. Cuttings from branches stored under the snow are made in the shade immediately before grafting. You need to cook as many of them as you can plant in 2-3 hours. At this time, the prepared cuttings should be kept in the shade, preferably in a small bucket on moistened cotton wool or moss.
The optimal period for grafting with winter (dormant) cuttings is the whole of May (from the swelling of the buds until the appearance of the current year's needles on the shoots). The timing should be adjusted depending on the meteorological conditions of a particular year. Vaccinations take root better if they are performed in warm (but not hot) windless weather with high relative humidity. It is not recommended to carry out grafting work in rainy weather.
The best method of grafting is to place the core of the cutting on the cambium of the rootstock. For grafting, a cutting of equal or less thickness than the rootstock at the site of intended grafting is selected. The stalk should be shortened to 4-6 cm, the needles should be removed from it (with the exception of 4-5 bunches near the bud, preferably on one side, which should be left but shortened by half). On a rootstock shoot (not necessarily 1 year old, but 2-3 years old is also possible) at the site of the intended grafting, the needles are cut off in an area 10-15 cm long. The best grafting tool is half a safety razor blade: it’s better not “Jilett”, but simple "Sputnik".
Strip of plastic film
Strip pulling
With this tool, a longitudinal cut is made on the cutting so that it begins immediately under the bud, over 3-4 mm of the length of the cutting it is deepened to the core, for most of the length of the cutting it runs parallel to the surface in the center of the core, and in the lower part for 5-6 mm ended with a one-sided wedge. On the rootstock, a strip of bark is cut along the cambial layer, without touching the wood. It's simple: you need to cut the soft tissue, and when the blade hits the wood, cut parallel to it. The central part of the cut should be dull white, slippery to the touch from damaged cambium cells. If the cut surface is green or white, but dry, then you have not reached the cambium and your graft will not take root. In this case, the cutting plane should be deepened. The length of the cut on the rootstock should correspond to the cut on the cutting. One little secret: it is better to cut the rootstock from the north side. The cutting is placed on the exposed cambium so that the cut of the cutting completely covers the cut on the rootstock.
Now the grafting site needs to be fixed very tightly, pulling the two grafting components towards each other. The best material for strapping - ordinary polyethylene film 120 microns thick. It should be cut into strips 20 cm long and 7-8 mm wide. Each of these strips must be carefully stretched by grasping the ends. As a result, the length of the strip will increase to approximately 50 cm. It should be used to wrap the cuttings very tightly and evenly along the entire length to the rootstock. When applying the strap, the components of the graft are compressed by the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, and the strap fixes the compression.
Caring for grafted seedlings includes the following work: removing the binding, trimming the tip of the rootstock, forming the crown. Removal of the strapping must be carried out 30-40 days after grafting. If the strapping is removed prematurely, a large loss of vaccinations is possible. Therefore, before mass removal of the binding, it is necessary to check the strength of the fusion of the scion with the rootstock. Late removal of the binding should also not be allowed, as strong constrictions may form, especially on a powerful rootstock, which delay the flow of food. nutrients to the vaccine and lead to its death. Pruning of the rootstock “on the thorn” should be carried out after the grafted cuttings begin to grow. This is usually done simultaneously with removing the strapping.
After pruning, the side branches of the rootstock tend to outgrow the graft and “choke” it. In this regard, the gradual removal of the lateral branches of the rootstock is a mandatory measure. In the second year, it is necessary to remove shoots in the upper whorl of the rootstock that can overtake the scion. In whorls located below the grafting site, the most developed shoots should be shortened by 1-2 annual increments. Complete removal of branches from whorls located below the scion is not recommended.
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The same vaccination a year later. The grafting components have already grown together perfectly. Pay attention to the needles: the long ones were formed on the mother liquor; short last year - in the year of vaccination; the fresh one has just begun its growth and it is already clear that it will be long and complete in all respects | The same (1-year) vaccination. In the rootstock, deprived of the main leading shoot, the growth of powerful lateral shoots sharply intensified. And the vaccination is still weak. Therefore, it is necessary to remove from the rootstock all large shoots of the current year that are ahead of the grafting. At this time (late May - early June) they are soft, succulent; break off easily. Perhaps next year the graft will firmly take its place as the leading shoot. Most likely, this will require another 1-2 years of breaking off competing shoots of the rootstock |
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2 year old vaccination. If it is made on a powerful rootstock using a varietal cutting, then its fruiting is guaranteed | 8 year old vaccination. The fusion of grafting components is ideal. The crown of the rootstock has been completely removed. A few more years and the grafting site will no longer be detectable. |
In addition to spring grafting, summer grafting is also possible. It is possible during the period from the end of shoot growth to the end of cambium activity, i.e. approximately from July 10 to August 10. With summer grafting, everything is done exactly the same as with spring grafting, only the cuttings are cut either on the day of grafting or stored at a low positive temperature for no more than 2 days. The binding from summer vaccinations should be removed at the beginning of May of the following year.
Why is vaccination done? Any collective farmer knows that a grafted cedar is good, and an ungrafted one is bad. What is “grafted cedar”? From a scientific point of view, this is nonsense. We don’t say “grafted apple tree,” but we say an apple tree of such and such a variety. So it is here. Cedar, for example, can be grafted onto itself. What's the point? That's right, none. In the vast majority of cases, grafted cedar means grafting from an adult tree onto a young seedling. This makes some sense. Such plants differ markedly from those grown from seeds, including the relatively early onset of fruiting. However, these differences are not so significant that they should be the reason for vaccination.
It makes sense to graft genotypes that are valuable in some respects, i.e., in essence, varieties. In Russia, only my laboratory is involved in breeding cedar varieties. In the best cedar forests we have several trial plots with continuous numbering of trees. They are monitored over many years: the state of growth, quantity and quality of cones are taken into account. You can imagine what a huge job this is. Based on approximately 10 years of observations, several dozen best trees were selected from many hundreds of trees. Among them there are abundantly fruiting, large-cone, large-seeded, thin-shelled, and also those combining some of these characteristics. It is their cuttings that we use for grafting. It has been proven that during vegetative propagation, all these beneficial properties are transmitted to clonal offspring. We have varieties that are guaranteed to bear fruit immediately after grafting and at the same time produce seeds of ideal quality. However, all this is guaranteed only in your native climate. It is unknown how certain cedar genotypes will behave in other conditions, for example, in the Moscow region. The selection of fruit-bearing varieties of cedar for any region cannot be carried out anywhere except in this very region or at least in a place that is its climatic analogue. In addition, varieties obtained by this method have a normal growth rate and normal appearance, and their superiority in yield over the “wild” species is not so great (no more than 2-3 times).
To create more reliable varieties, including short-growing, early-fruiting and ornamental varieties, other breeding methods are used. There is information about this part of our work on the website
Cedar grafting
One of my close neighbors in the garden approached me with a request to tell me about grafting cedar onto a pine tree this summer. He said that he had heard that such grafting greatly accelerates the onset of fruiting of the cedar. And he is already quite old, and he can hardly wait for fruiting from planting young, own-rooted cedar seedlings on his plot. Therefore, he has already managed to plant several young pines and wants to know everything about the features of grafting cedar onto pine. But he is very afraid of the success of performing such a vaccination on his own, since he considers it too “sophisticated for an ordinary summer resident. I managed to convince him that there was nothing difficult in this, you just need to practice a little first. Then he asked me to write an article and publish it in "US" with detailed description techniques and features of grafting cedar onto pine, which is what I did. Because I think that there will probably be quite a lot of gardeners who want to get such vaccinations.
First of all, I want to say that cedar grafts onto pine really begin to bear fruit very early. If at the time of grafting there were female flower buds on the scion (cedar), then, starting from the second year, these grafts will produce mature cones. An abundant appearance of both female and male inflorescences will already be observed in the 4-5th year. At the same time, the male inflorescences are normally dusty, the cones have the dimensions characteristic of cedar, the seeds are ripe and full-grained (Fig. 1). Further, grafting cedar onto pine differs little from grafting fruit trees. A gardener who has skills in grafting fruit trees can successfully graft cedar onto pine. Moreover, such vaccinations are characterized by good survival rate. But naturally, there are specifics when grafting cedar onto pine and, in general, when grafting any conifers. I want to talk about all this below.
The artificial grafting of cedar onto pine was inspired by their natural grafting observed in nature. Thus, M. F. Petrov in his book “Cedar- breadfruit" (Sverdlovsk, Central Ural Book Publishing House, 1982) talks about this interesting information: “The first message from Lieutenant Colonel Doletov of the forest ranger corps about self-grafting of conifers in the Urals was published in the newspaper Forestry and Hunting in 1855. Driving along the Irbitsky tract, he saw several “large-sized cedars and pines” near the Toporkovskaya post station. Among these pines there is one, which at half its height has two thick branches with thicker and darker-colored needles, that is, two lyre-shaped cedar branches, and they annually bring up to half a pood of pine cones with nuts.”
M. F. Petrov writes: “An article about this pine tree with cedar branches was published in the Forest Journal in 1878. 23 years after the first message, forester Mitskevich confirmed that near the Irbitsky tract one can see a rare specimen of a pine tree, on which, two and a half fathoms from the ground on both sides, two cedars emerge from the trunk in the form of clumsy branches, having excellent growth, dense needles and many cones. According to the forester, these cedars developed on the pine tree from pine nuts brought into the hollow of the pine tree by the nutcracker, which sprouted there and took root, receiving nutrition from the soil through the root system of the pine tree. Such natural symbioses of cedar and pine can still be found in the Sverdlovsk region. An interesting specimen grows in the Garinsky district on the banks of the Pelym River near the village of Portakh. There are also self-graftings of cedar on pine in the Tyumen region, for example, in the Nizhne-Aremzyansky forestry of the Tobolsk forestry enterprise, eight kilometers from the village of Nadtsy. The diameter of this pine is more than 40 cm. The cedar emerges from a height of 7 m and as a separate large peak.”
The first artificial grafting of cedar onto pine was carried out in the mid-19th century. In the former USSR, experimental grafting of cedar onto pine was most widely carried out in the 30s and post-war years of the last century. The greatest results in this matter were obtained by the famous Krasnoyarsk gardener V. M. Krutovsky, scientists A. I. Severova in the Moscow region, A. V. Khokhrin in the Urals, N. F. Khramova in Western Siberia and some other scientists and foresters. Grafting cedar onto pine has the following three goals. Firstly, reduce the time to first fruiting in comparison with seed propagation by at least two to three times. Secondly, to have early-fruiting and high-yielding cedar plantations from grafting. Thirdly, use grafting as a method of vegetative propagation to establish forest seed plantations and obtain seeds with the desired hereditary qualities. To achieve these goals, the procurement of grafting material should be carried out from the most productive trees.
Cedar grafting onto pine requires careful preparation, timely completion and compliance with certain requirements for the production of work. Cuttings for grafting are taken 15-25 cm long from the upper and middle parts of the crown of the best trees for growth and fruiting. For spring work, they are prepared in February-March during the period of mild frosts and stored under the snow until grafting. You should not take cuttings from the top of the tree, as the shoots here are very thick and inconvenient for grafting. For summer grafting in July-August, cuttings should be prepared immediately before grafting and used within 1-2 days. During harvesting, transportation, storage and grafting work, it is necessary to protect the cuttings from drying out. When choosing the most productive trees from which to take cuttings, they are guided by the number of winter crops and the number of traces of fallen cones on the shoots of previous years, giving preference to trees 100-120 years old with a length of annual shoots on fruit-bearing branches of at least 4-5 cm .
For grafting, artificial pine crops or good regrowth that appears in a cutting area or elsewhere are used as a rootstock. Typically, well-developed pine trees in crops 2-3 years old or natural young trees aged 6-8 years are used. The grafting is carried out on last year's shoots in early spring after the snow has melted and before the end of spring sap flow. Best time for vaccination- the beginning of growth of the rootstock. Vaccinations can also be carried out during the autumn sap flow.- end of July- beginning of August. In this case, the rootstock is the current year's shoot. The cuttings are also taken from this year's growth, cutting it off from the mother tree before grafting.
The following methods have been developed for grafting cedar: butt with the core on the cambium, butt with the cambium on the cambium, splitting, side cutting of annual shoots and others. The most widely used in practice is the method of grafting developed by E. P. Prokazin, butt-to-cambium grafting, and the method developed by D. Ya. Girdigov, grafting with butt-to-cambium to cambium. Grafting with the core on the cambium consists in the fact that a scion cutting, cut along the core, is placed on the exposed cambium of the rootstock. This ensures successful fusion of the components, since the most vital tissues are applied- cambium and phloem of the rootstock and phloem, pith and cambium of the scion. Fast and strong fusion is facilitated by the location of wounds (cuts on the components) and the grafting operation, as a rule, in the upper part of the stem of the main shoot of the rootstock, which is most provided with nutrients and physiologically active substances. The success of grafting with the pith to the cambium depends on the width of the cuts on the rootstock and scion, therefore, when using thin rootstocks, grafting should be carried out in the lower part of the rootstock.
The technology of grafting with the core on the cambium is as follows (Fig. 2). From the branches (prepared cuttings) of the scion, cuttings 6-10 cm long are cut. Usually, the growth of the last year is taken, but cuttings from the growths of two can also be grafted. recent years. The needles on the cutting are removed, with the exception of the needles on one upper part. On the central shoot of the rootstock, the needles are removed for 8-12 cm, 2-3 cm below the apical buds, the lateral apical buds are cut off and the shoots of the upper whorl are trimmed so that they do not drown out the scion. After this, using a sharp razor blade, a garden grafting knife or a scalpel, make a longitudinal cut on the cutting so that the cut starts 1-3 cm below the apical buds, passes through the middle of the core for 4-8 cm and comes to naught at the bottom of the cutting. Then, with a quick and smooth movement from above, part of the rootstock is cut off from the needles, exposing the cambium. In this case, the blade should not go too deep (not touch matte white wood) or too shallow (along greenish bark). A correctly made cut (along the cambium) has a watery white color. If sap flow has not yet begun and it is difficult to cut through the cambium, then it is better to cut a small section (the phloem or vital green primary bark is exposed). If the cut is made deeper- wood will be exposed that is less active during fusion. The length of the cut on the rootstock should be slightly longer than on the scion.
The cutting is placed with the core on the cambium of the rootstock, aligning the lower ends of the cuts, pressed tightly with the thumb of the left hand, and right hand apply a tight bandage. For tying, polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride film, soft cotton threads (double darning) and other materials are used to ensure a tight fit of the grafting components. In order to improve the survival rate of the grafts, it is advisable to use thin elastic rubber for tying, cutting it into strips 0.8-1.0 cm wide. When tying, the rubber strips are pulled so that the original width is reduced by 1.5-2 times. To prevent the rubber binding from quickly deteriorating in the sun, it is covered with parchment paper. During spring grafting, the thread binding is removed after a month, made of film and rubber.- 1.5-2 months after vaccination. When grafting in summer, the bandage is removed in the fall of the same year or the following spring. Simultaneously with the removal of the binding from the established grafts, the apical shoot of the rootstock is cut into a spike (1-1.5 cm). The method of applying the core to the cambium gives good results when the scion core contains many living parenchyma cells and the grafted cuttings are not very thin. It ensures high survival rate and rapid growth of cedar grafts on pine, both during spring and summer grafting periods.
Rice. 2. Grafting of pine “butt with the core on the cambium” (according to E. P. Prokazin):
a - cuttings for grafting with needles removed; b - making a cut on the cutting; c - a cut is prepared on the cutting; d - making a cut on the apical shoot of the rootstock; d - a cut is prepared on the shoot of the rootstock; e - the cutting is placed on the exposed cambium of the rootstock; g - the cutting is pressed in rare turns to the cut on the shoot of the rootstock; h - finished grafting; C - exposed core; K - exposed cambium; N - thread sandwiched between the finger and the handle; H1 is the end of the binding thread.
Grafting cambium butt to cambium (Fig. 3) ensures contact of the cambial layers of the scion and rootstock and their rapid fusion.
Preparation of the rootstock and scion for grafting is similar to these operations when grafting with the pith on the cambium. Cuttings are cut only from annual shoots. The cut on the scion is made in the same way as on the rootstock.- along the cambium, removing a strip of bark and phloem. It is not always possible to make a cut on a dormant scion cutting exactly along the cambium, but you should always try not to make a cut too deep and not touch the wood. The lower part of the cut is brought together into a wedge so as not to leave the end of the cutting exposed. Tying and initial care are similar to the previous method. Vaccinations made cambium-to-cambium butt-to-cambium grow together quickly and firmly. But the common conducting system between the scion and the rootstock is formed more slowly when using this grafting method than when grafting with the core on the cambium. The cambium grafting method is more effective for tree species with thin shoots, which include cedar. Good results are achieved using this method when grafting thick cuttings onto thin rootstocks, since in this case the cuts are better aligned. The best time for vaccination using the cambium-to-cambium butt-to-cambium method- This is spring, during the period of sap flow. At other times, the method of grafting with the butt of the core onto the cambium is more effective.
Split grafting (Fig. 4) also gives fairly good results. In this case, two to three year old seedlings are taken as rootstocks. The scion material is also prepared in advance. 1 hour before grafting, cuttings 5-10 cm long are cut from branches. Before grafting, needles are removed from scion cuttings, with the exception of 15-20 needles at the apical bud. On the rootstock, the needles are also removed to a shoot length of 3-5 cm, its apical part is cut off and the shoot is split along the core by 3-4 cm. A scion cutting, wedge-shaped, pointed to 3-4 cm, is inserted into the split of the rootstock, carefully combining the cambial layers of the scion and rootstock .
The grafting site is tightly wrapped with cotton threads (darning) with a distance between turns of 1 mm or another similar type of binding.
Grafting of cambium splits onto the core- one of the variants of the method of grafting into the cleft of the apical shoot. But with this method, the cutting is not sharpened with a wedge, but strips of bark and phloem are removed from two opposite sides, exposing the cambium. At the very bottom of the cutting, an oblique one-sided wedge 1 cm long is made. The length of the cutting is 7-10 cm, cut on the cutting.- 5-7 cm. Preparing the rootstock for grafting involves removing the needles in the upper part of the central shoot, the apical and lateral buds, with the exception of two located on opposite sides. The cutting is inserted into a longitudinal incision made between two buds. The lateral buds are left open, the shoots that have developed from them are removed after the scion has taken root. This method ensures contact of the most active plant tissues, the cambium and phloem of the scion with the core and cambium of the rootstock, while with other methods, wood inert to fusion is exposed over a long distance from a cutting cut into a wedge. There is also no need to carefully combine the cambial layers of the scion and rootstock. The method of grafting cambium splits onto the core is more complex and time-consuming than grafting, but in some cases, when the core of the cuttings contains many dead cells and the shoots are quite thick, the results are better than when using other methods. If you use an elongated (starting to grow) bud as a scion, rather than a lignified cutting, the results will be even more effective.
Grafting into a side cut of annual shoots- also one of the options for split grafting. This method differs from split grafting in that the top of the shoot with buds is not cut off on the rootstock, but on the side of the apical shoot of the rootstock an oblique incision 3-5 cm deep is made with a razor, into which a wedge-shaped cutting is inserted. After combining the cambial layers of the rootstock and scion, the grafting site is tightly tied with cotton darning or other binding. The thickness of the rootstock shoot to use this method must be at least 7-10 mm.
Caring for grafted seedlings involves timely removal of the binding and proper pruning of the rootstock. The grafting is removed after the fusion period is completed by unwinding the threads or strips of film and rubber. When cutting the binding material between the layers of bark, there are often remains of threads that disrupt the normal growth of the grafted tree. The rootstock is trimmed as follows. Before grafting, the ends of the lateral branches of the rootstock are cut off and the lateral buds of the axial shoot are removed, the top of the axial shoot is removed after fusion 5-7 cm above the grafting site when grafting butt-to-cambium or cambium-to-cambium and a number of other methods. Further cultivation of grafted cedar seedlings does not differ from the technology of growing ordinary fruit seedlings.
An analysis by scientists of the growth progress of cedars grafted onto pine trees showed that they grow one and a half to two times faster than cedars grown from seeds. Grafted seedlings exceed self-rooted ones not only in plant height and trunk diameter, but also in the diameter of the formed crown. And the needles are longer than even the mother plants from which the cuttings were taken. The rapid growth of grafted cedar on pine is explained by the following reasons. It is known that the root system of the rootstock plays a decisive role in the formation of the scion seedling. It has been proven that the influence of the rootstock on the scion is especially pronounced if the rootstocks are fast-growing, powerful, fully formed plants. Scots pine, as a rootstock for Siberian cedar, has a number of positive qualities: it grows quickly, which is very important for enhancing the growth of the scion, it grows well with it, it is very easily propagated by seeds in cultivation and renews well naturally, it is undemanding to soil, and is resistant to climatic conditions. It should be noted that cedar grafts under the influence of pine increase their water-holding capacity, that is, they become adapted to life in drier habitats.
With good compatibility between cedar and pine grafts, the scion and rootstock of mature trees have the same thickness (Fig. 5). Such trees grow well and bear fruit. But in some cases, cedar grafting has incomplete compatibility between the scion and the rootstock. In such trees with incomplete compatibility, there is a significant advance in the growth of the scion in thickness compared to the rootstock, and over time, many of them die due to partial starvation of the root system. This incompatibility is largely eliminated by maintaining the lower whorl of branches on the pine rootstock, when the root also feeds from the photosynthetic products of the remaining tier of pine branches. It should be noted that good results, taking into account the exclusion of any incompatibility of the scion with the rootstock, can be obtained by grafting cedar onto cedar, using its young seedlings as a rootstock. By grafting cuttings taken from fruit-bearing cedar trees onto cedar seedlings, you can significantly speed up seed production and obtain the desired results of the grafted plants in terms of yield, size of cones and other desired characteristics.
In my practice, I grafted cedar onto pine using the core method on the cambium, cambium on the cambium, and in a side cut. All vaccinations were carried out in the spring at the very beginning of sap flow. Cuttings for grafting were imported from different places in the north of our region. The survival rate of vaccinations using all of these methods was high. To avoid incompatibility, one pine whorl was left for all seedlings. All grafted cedar seedlings onto pine trees were distributed among friends. So far, although more than ten years have passed, attacks on these seedlings have not been observed. They are growing well and have been bearing fruit for several years. So, dear gardeners, including the author of the question, living in the Sverdlovsk region, where you can find any number of pine rootstocks anywhere, and in its northern points there is excellent scion material, you have the opportunity, when grafting cedar onto a pine tree, to very easily grow early-fruiting and productive cedar plants. I want you to understand that such a game is really worth the candle.
V. N. Shalamov
