AUTUMN PREPARATION OF CUTTINGS

From late October to early December, when the plants shed their leaves, cuttings can be harvested for winter and spring vaccinations. It is important to be in time with the procedure before severe frosts (stable sub-zero temperatures). Otherwise, the shoots from which the cuttings are prepared may freeze slightly, which will negatively affect their survival in the future.

HOW TO CUT CHEESE

Cut the cuttings (graft) with a well-sharpened knife or secateurs from healthy fruit-bearing trees (up to 10 years old) of the variety you need.

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Use annual shoots 40-90 cm long, which are located on the well-lit side of the crown (ideally - on the south side in the upper and middle parts of the crown).

The cuttings should be as thick as a pencil (about 7 mm in diameter) and 30-40 cm long. The number of developed buds should be at least four.

Thin shoots with poorly developed buds, as well as crooked, damaged branches, are not suitable for harvesting a scion.

Do not touch the cuts with your hands, so as not to infect. And the survival rate of cuttings in this case is reduced significantly. Slices can be treated with garden pitch.

WHERE TO STORE CUTTINGS

Tie the cut cuttings into bundles, each of which is labeled with the name of the variety and the date of harvesting. Until snow falls, they can be temporarily stored in a cold room. And when snow appears, make a pile, into which you bury the packed cuttings to a depth of 50-60 cm (wrap the bunches in a film, leaving the tops open to prevent the buds from drying out).

Another storage option is in a cold cellar or basement at a temperature of -2 + 1 degrees (in wet sawdust or sand, peat, sphagnum moss). You can, for example, put bunches of cuttings horizontally in boxes with holes (for ventilation) and fill them with wet sand. Or lower the bunches of cuttings cut down into dark plastic bags and sprinkle with wet sawdust (coniferous woods are good for this). Do not tie the bags tightly so that the cuttings can breathe.

During the winter, periodically moisten the substrate in which the cuttings are stored.

PLUM SHANKS: THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS

Practice shows that under conditions in which cuttings of apple, pear, sea buckthorn are stored without any damage, cuttings of plum and cherry plum often deteriorate. For the latter, the optimal storage temperature is from 0 to -5 degrees, with a relative humidity of 75 to 85%. Long-term storage of plum cuttings at a temperature of about 0 degrees leads to their decay.

Reference by topic: Harvesting cuttings for vaccinations in December WHAT, WHEN AND HOW?