Did you know that you can make an apple tree pollinate itself without planting a second apple?
You can – through the wonder of grafting!
Check out my new video here:
I love grafting season! It’s so much fun to play mad scientist.
This tree is a Granny Smith apple, which is a self-pollinator; however, even self-pollinating apple trees will produce better with a mate. I grafted on a crabapple branch which should really increase the fruit set.
If you have an apple tree that isn’t producing well – or at all – but it is blooming, consider taking some scion wood from another variety and grafting it onto the tree. This works great if you don’t have space to plant more apples, or if you simply want to make a Frankentree, like my friend Steven is wont to do.
I can’t tell you how much I missed working with temperate species when I was down in the tropics. Apples, pears and stone fruit are really fun to grow and to graft.
To learn more about grafting and plant propagation, check out my easy-to-use book Free Plants for Everyone: The Good Guide to Plant Propagation.
2 comments
Is there a reason you put the black tree tar stuff on *after* the tape? My instinct would be to do the tar first to seal it, then the tape as an extra support, with the hope that I could remove the tape later (although maybe it sticks to the black stuff and you can’t?) I’m guessing the way you do it the tape stays on…I feel like that would drive me nuts, knowing there’s plastic underneath the healed bark forever. Have you ever tried it with the tape on the outside?
I peel the tape off later.