Most plants tolerate cuttings well and reproduce well this way. But in order to obtain the desired result, it is necessary to prepare the planting material in a timely manner and store it correctly. Cuttings can be cut almost at any time of the year. But if the procedure is performed in the fall, you need to know how to store them correctly until spring.
Optimal timing for harvesting cuttings
Cuttings can be performed 3 times throughout the year:
- In the fall, after the trees have shed their foliage. Harvesting of apricots, cherries, plums and other stone fruits is carried out.
- Summer. At this time, they are engaged in cuttings in order to have time to root the plants in the current season. Green branches are used as planting material. They are suitable for reproduction and grafting.
- In winter. Harvesting of pears and apple trees is in progress.
In winter, they are engaged in cuttings only after severe frosts have receded. At a temperature of -10 and below, the branches become fragile, due to which the mother tree can be injured.
Proper storage
Every gardener has a different way of storing cuttings. But there are general rules that it is advisable to adhere to in order to get a good result.
Cutting process
Planting material for storage is procured as follows:
- The diameter of the shank should be approximately 7 mm and the length should be 30-40 cm.
- The mother culture should be healthy, fruitful and mature.
- Grafting material should be taken from annual shoots that grow on the southern side of the plant.
- Cutting should be done with a sharp and disinfected tool. It is advisable not to touch the cut points with your hands so as not to infect the plant.
- During grafting, you need to make sure that the branch is not frozen. Also, do not take curved and thin shoots.
It should be borne in mind that during the autumn and winter harvesting of planting material, not all cuttings will survive storage. Therefore, you need to stock up on about a third more of the required amount.
Storage methods
There are many ways to preserve prepared cuttings until next season. I will describe the most common and effective ones below.
In a snow pile
If you do not intend to check the planting material during the winter, then keeping it in a snow pile would be the best option. To do this, you need to dig a groove about 30 cm deep in an elevated place. I put spruce branches at the bottom of the hole (layer thickness is approximately 5-7 cm). Then I put the cuttings and again cover with spruce branches. Sprinkle with earth on top. When the snow falls, I throw it over this place.
In sawdust
In the southern and western regions of Russia, where prolonged thaws often occur in winter, cuttings can be stored in frozen sawdust. To do this, from the north side of the house or other building, the shanks are laid on wet sawdust. Then sprinkle with wet sawdust too (the layer should be about 20 cm). When they harden from frost, a layer of dry sawdust is placed on top (40 cm thick).
All this should be covered with plastic wrap or other material to protect it from getting wet. In this form, the planting material can be safely stored until spring. 2-3 days before grafting, cuttings should be brought into a room where they can gradually thaw.
In a barrel
If you have a large fuel barrel and a shaded area on a hill (so that it does not flood), you can make a storage for the cuttings. In addition, this method allows you to check the condition of the planting material.
Several holes need to be drilled at the bottom of the container, then buried in the ground. About 10 bottles of frozen water are placed on the bottom, and open bags with shanks are placed on top.
The barrel must be closed with a "cork" of sawdust, wrapped in spunbond, and a lid on top. You should periodically check the condition of the cuttings and change bottles with melted water.
In the cellar
If in your basement or cellar the temperature in winter is kept in the range from +10 to +1 degrees, then you can send the cuttings for storage there. Humidity should be around 70%.
The bottom cut of the cuttings is placed in a box with wet sawdust or sand. The substrate must be sprayed regularly so that it does not dry out.
In fridge
Prepared cuttings must be put in a bag and sent to the refrigerator. It is advisable to set the operating mode so that the temperature does not exceed +2 degrees.
Also, some gardeners recommend that you first wrap the cuttings in damp paper, and only then pack them in bags. This allows you to maintain the required humidity level.
In the refrigerator, cuttings are well preserved until the end of February. But be aware that in March, the buds will begin to grow. This is especially true of apricot, plum and other stone fruit crops.
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