An educational resource of the
Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
Loy Shreve, Jerry Parsons and Sammy Helmers
Extension Specialists, Department of Horticultural Sciences
Revised August, 1998 by Larry Stein
Texas A&M University and Texas Agricultural Extension Service
Greenwood grafting allows growers to propagate desired fruit and nut varieties during the growing season after the time for grafting with dormant scions has ended. This method has been successful with pecans, walnuts, apples, apricots and plums; the procedure will probably work with most other deciduous trees and shrubs also.
This grafting method can be used from mid-May through September in Texas. In addition to stocks and scions, a sharp knife with a stockman’s blade, strips of rubber innertube or polyethylene budding tape and polyethylene squares are needed. The stock should be at least 1 inch in diameter at the point of union. Scion-wood must be the current season’s growth. Scions can be stored in an ice chest for up to 5 days without damage if they are kept moist and cool. Place a bag of ice cubes in one corner of the chest to keep the scions in good condition.
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Make Sloping Cut Below
Use current seasons growth to cut scions. Scions are the small branches of the desired variety that you will graft onto a larger piece of the living stock plant. Stock plants are seedlings which are not likely to bear quality fruit or nuts unless they are grafted.
To start, choose a suitable bud on a small branch and make a sloping cut one-half inch below the base of the leaf.
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Make Sloping Cut Above
Next make a sloping cut one-half inch above the bud.
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Splitting Action
Beginning at the top, or apical, end of the branch, cut out the scion. Use a “rocking” motion of the knife rather than a forced split which could cost you a cut thumb.
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Scion
Now the scion from the desired variety, an improved walnut in this case, is ready to be fitted to the stock seedling walnut that you want to alter.
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Tracing with Knife
With a knife (or ball point pen), lightly trace the outline of the scion on the bark of the stock tree. Mark the space needed for the base of the leaf and the bud.
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Making Cut
Follow the outline you traced and cut through the bark to the cambium, which is a thin layer of tissue just below the bark- it is the soft tissue of the cambium that allows the bark to slip from the wood and it is the region of growth in trees. Make sure the cuts are parallel to each other on the bark and at the cambium.
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Flaps-Top, Bottom
Cut out and remove the bark to allow space for the leaf and bud, but leave a flap of bark at the top and bottom of the cut.
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Trimming Sides
Trim the sides of the scion almost to its cambium. Freshen the sloping cuts by removing a thin shaving.
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Inserting Scion Bottom
Raise the bottom flap and insert the bottom of the scion.
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Inserting Scion Top
Now do the same thing with the top of the scion.
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Tie With Hand
Tie in the scion with a strip of bicycle or auto innertube or with polyethylene budding tape. Regular budding string can be damaged by light before the union “takes”. Check to see that the tie is firm without excessive pressure. When tying, make sure the upper and lower flaps of the strip cover and remain in contact with the sloped cuts of the scion. These are the areas where callus from the stock and scion first unite. Union of the sides is slower.
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Wrapped Union
Make sure all the cut surfaces of the attempted graft, including the ends of the flaps, are covered by the rubber strip. Keep the rubber strip off the bud and leaf base.
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Wrapping with Polyethylene
To help hold in moisture, wrap the union with a polyethylene square. Make one and one-half turns.
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Tying Ends
Tie the ends of the polyethylene wrap with plastic budding tape or innertubes.
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Identified Graft
Identify the graft. After 21 days, remove the polyethylene wrap.
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Removing Strips
One or two weeks after removing the wrap, remove the rubber strips holding the graft in place. If it is before mid-July, you can force growth of the bud.
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Close-up Graft
Buds forced after August will seldom harden off enough to survive fall frosts. Dormant buds should not be forced until all danger of frost has passed in the following spring.
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Cut Stems
Force growth from the buds of the grafted scion by cutting the stem above the union.
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Removal of Stub
You can remove the resulting stub after the scion has grown for one year.
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Crooked Tree
Stake and tie the developing shoot to the desired shape to avoid a crooked tree later on. Greenwood grafting also may be used to topwork desired varieties onto large trees. Be sure to brace the developing scion against wind or bird damage. Large birds such as hawks or crows may break or deform growing shoots by using them as perches.
