If you have fruit trees or trees that you want to graft, one of the types you can do is ear grafting. But when is it done? And like?
On this occasion, we want to help you learn the most effective method to perform one of the most important types of transplants used by professionals. Of course, we recommend that you do it with time and care for it to succeed, because if you do it in a hurry you can damage both the graft and the other tree.
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What is Beard Transplant
Just to be clear, lest you think of another type of scion, tip refers to the fact that a piece of stem with multiple buds is going to be inserted into another. In this way, at least through a branch (or the whole trunk), it will be possible for it to take root.
When should barbed wire grafting be done?
Source: Youtube La huertina de Toni
In general, all transplants have an appropriate time to do this, otherwise you risk it not working. In the case of barb grafting, the best time to do it is always in late winter or early spring. In other words, if you do it between January and March, you are more likely to succeed.
In some cases it can be done from November to March, considering the first months as dormancy, so that the two pieces (the pattern or the plant where we put it) and the stem adapt. But it wouldn’t be effective if where you live is usually very cold or if you don’t protect it well.
What it takes to do a beard transplant
Source: Verpueblos.com
Now that you know when to do it, the next step is to know what items you will need to do it. In fact, there aren’t many of them, but if you have everything prepared, you’ll go faster and you won’t have to stop to look for them.
The first thing you need is that the rootstock you are going to graft, i.e. the tree, has at least one year of life and, if possible, is still dormant, or almost waking up from winter lethargy.
Of course, you will need a stem which will be the graft itself. It is recommended that this one is also a year old, and if we also make sure that it is a piece of branch that has flowered the previous year, so much the better, because there will be more occasions for it to settle down and succeed.
However, you have to keep in mind that it should be about 7.5 centimeters long and also contain between 2 and 3 buds. But be careful, it is not good for them to be flower buds because they can wear out the new stem very quickly and the scion will be lost. The buds should come from leaves or new branches that will come out.
This stem should be tapered on one side (at the bottom where it will connect to the other shaft). This way there will be a greater likelihood of contact and sticking.
The last thing will be a few tools like raffia, tape, a knife…
How to do a beard transplant
Source: Timber Forestry
Performing a beard transplant is relatively easy. But what you might not know is that it can be done in different ways (and each has a perfect time to do it). We explain them to you:
English or Language Registry
This is the best known, and the one that almost everyone does, but it is not without risk, especially for the rod that you are going to install.
It is suitable for thin stems, which are no more than 2 centimeters in diameter. The stem that you are going to graft must also have a maximum of this diameter. In addition, it must measure between 7 and 12 centimeters and have 2-3 wooden buds.
You will need to make a bevel cut in the tree where you wish to put it such as in the cob (graft stem). And another cut is made so that some kind of tongue remains.
Then you need to put the tabs together so that contact occurs between them and the rest of the cut. Make sure they are in good contact and that the cambiums of the two pieces are well mixed.
Finally, you will have to put tape to fix the graft well and until the buds have come out and measure between 5-10 centimeters, it is not removed.
The best time to do this is in mid to late winter, which is November to February.
stump graft
It is another of those that are widely used, especially in very thick branches (from 3 to 5 centimeters). In this case, you must make a cut in one of the branches to cut through the bark and insert the stem until it enters a third or a half. Of course, make sure it is angled so that contact with the cambium occurs. Finally it is tied up and waits for the buds to grow to untie.
This technique is used from January to March.
Lateral subcortical graft
In this case, the transplant would take place in January or February. To do this, you will need to make a T-shaped cut in the tree you are going to graft, and where the bark is at the end. The goal is to open this bark to insert the graft and to use the bark to enclose it while protecting it (as well as putting raffia or tape over it).
Only when we see that it has taken root and is starting to sprout should we cut off the entire upper part of the grafted tree so that the sap concentrates on that part we have grafted. And in about 15-20 days the tie can already be removed.
Single or double cleft graft
The difference between one and the other is that one rod or two are used. That’s why we brought them together.
In this case, the objective is to insert the tip (graft stem) into the trunk of the tree. So yes, the tree must be cut completely, leaving only the stem at the height we want and, in this, a cut is made to introduce the new stem. As it will go straighter, we use instead of raffia a special paste for grafts which fixes them so that they do not move (but does not prevent them from being able to take root well).
Bark or crown grafting
It is very similar to the previous one, only in this case the tree can have a larger diameter (from 3 to 30 cm.).
In this case, it is done in March, that is, when the sap should already be active. You have to cut the tree to leave the trunk alone and in it, open the bark to introduce the stems or ears (you can only put one but it is normal to put 2-3).
reconciliation registry
The last cob grafting that can be done is the approximation, which consists of mixing two complete plants. To do this, two branches are filed down until they reach the cambium and then they are joined by this part, tying them with raffia and adding a little grafting wax to fix them well.
Then you can cut off the parts you don’t want to continue to give it more strength.
Do you now know when and how to graft the barb?