Grafting

Grafting is a technique that joins two plants into one. In general, a wound is created on one of the plants, and the other is inserted into that wound so each plant's tissues can grow together. 

Instead of cross-pollinating two plants and producing a hybrid seed, grafted plants use the roots and the bottom portion of one plant (rootstock) and attach it to a tender shoot (scion) from the top portion of another plant. This is often done with trees and shrubs to combine the best characteristics of the two plants.

The Rootstock or stock: The lower plant portion used in grafting is called the rootstock. This is usually a healthy root system and some portion of the stem. You've probably seen a nubby bump at the base of rose bushes or fruit trees, like the one in the photo. This is where the graft was made; the graft union. Everything below the bump is rootstock.

Whip Grafting : Whip Grafting is one of the oldest methods of asexual plant propagation known. It is the predominant propagation method used on apples and is widely used on pear. Although most grapes are grown from cuttings in this country, whip grafting is the standard when they are propagated. Whip grafting has been the primary method employed in propagating pecan nursery stock in the southeastern United States. This technique is also used to some extent in the Southeast and west to Louisiana for top-working larger pecan trees on the above-ground portions. Since successful whip grafting is closely correlated to the presence of high humidity, this method has not been used widely in the drier sections of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. A major strong point for whip grafting nursery stock is the smooth and straight trees that are produced by this method.

Cleft grafting:A cleft graft is one of the grafts used for topworking new cultivars on existing trees.

It is used for relatively small branches and done when the stock is dormant and cracks easily.

Two scions are inserted on either side of the branch and the cambium lined up along the outer edge.

When the tool is released, the pressure of the closure holds the scions in place.

Once the graft takes, only one of the scions will be retained.

Sometimes the other scion is left for a while as a nurse branch