Grafting plants into bonsai
Grafting, in Japan "Tsugiki", is used mainly when a tree does not respond well to other methods of propagation. This applies in particular to pines. Grafting can also be used to add branches to a sparse part of the crown to make it denser.
Grafting is a rather complicated procedure, so to gain the necessary skills, start experimenting on inexpensive material.
Pines should be grafted in winter, junipers and deciduous trees in spring or summer.
Grafting should only be done for trees of the same species. Below are various methods of grafting plants that will be useful to you when growing bonsai.
Grafting of shoots
PRACTICAL CASE: Grafting a shoot
1. Cut a young shoot from a branch to transfer it to the part of the crown that needs thickening.
2. Prepare the grafting site as shown in the photo below. To do this, use a sharp knife to trim and lift the bark until the wood appears. Lift the bark very carefully so as not to damage it. Make the cut so that the cutting fits in it entirely.
3. Insert the cutting and cover it with the cut bark. Wrap the grafting site with special tape or cover it with wax. Do not pinch the new shoot during the first year of its life.
Grafting of cuttings
PRACTICAL CASE: Grafting a cutting
1. Prepare cuttings in early spring on shoots of the last year.
2. Sharpen the end of the cutting by making a long, oblique cut at an acute angle so that the cutting fits snugly against the grafting site.
3. Prepare the grafting site as shown in the picture. In our case, we chose a branch that has few leaves and needs an additional shoot. Cut it at the same angle as the cutting. Make the cut no deeper than a third of the branch thickness, or at most to the center.
4. Insert the cutting into the cut and treat the grafting site with a special tape or lubricate it with wax. Leave it like this for nine months, regularly checking the condition of the grafted cutting.
Grafting onto a trunk
PRACTICAL COURSE: Stake grafting
1. If you have to graft a branch onto a tree trunk, drill a hole in it: it should either match the width of the branch being grafted, or be slightly narrower.
2. Cut the end of the branch and remove some bark from it. Then insert the branch into the drilled hole. The branch should be planted very tightly. The stripped areas should not be visible.
3. Cover the grafting site with special wax or tape. Treat the end of the branch in the same way; in about a year the cutting should start growing.
