Good Grafternoon! 

We have been involved in an exciting grafting project at the community tree nursery. Working with the RSPB team and their specialist arborists at Sherwood Forest NNR, we gathered cuttings (scions) from a very old, wild apple tree. 

This wild apple is special because genetic testing has been carried out and the results reveal it is a 98% pure malus sylvestris! Efforts are being made to propagate from this tree because of its important genetic provenance and purity.

Grafting allows us to make a direct clone and maintain this specific variety. 

For some expert tips on the most suitable methods of grafting, we visited Chris Pike at Branch Nurseries who kindly showed us a technique called whip and tongue grafting; commonly used in producing apple trees. This involves making 2 angled cuts along the rootstock and scion material which marry up to form a graft, it is crucial to align the cambium layer (which is the actively growing tissues under the bark) in both parts of the scion and rootstock for the union to join and establish. The graft is bound with tape and wax to secure it in place and protect it.

The trees will be kept in a cool, shady place till spring, when the sap begins to rise and heal over the graft. Then, the new wild apple trees will begin to emerge. Watch this space…