Raj Teeluck first posts: My first post(Citrus Grafting)

How trees are grown?

We all know that trees can be grown from seeds. Collecting some papaya seeds and sowing them to grow papaya plants are so easy.

However trees grown from seeds have some drawbacks:

Take many years to produce fruits
Fruits are not always good
Diseases problem
Unsuitable for the soil

These problems can usually be avoided by raising grafted fruit trees.
Many people think that bud grafting is too difficult for them and needs to be left to experts. In fact, with practice, it is very simple.

We need some tools to do it

Grafting Tape

Grafting Knives

The Planting Materials

Rootstock

These are seedlings raised from disease free seeds.
The seeds are from varieties that are well adapted to the climate, disease and pest resistant and also adapted to the soil type.

We also need the scion. These with good busds may be collected from any tree of the desired variety--in most cases from friends, relatives, neighbors or local nurseries. Some citrus-producing stakeholders have budwood certification programs which sell virus-free budwood to residents. Because citrus trees typically have four or more growth flushes annually, there should always be usable budwood.

Back to business now ! The inverted T budding in images

Make the vertical part of the T-incision. The bark is quite thin and very soft, so a sharp knife easily penetrates and cuts the bark with very little pressure. There is no reason to cut into the wood--with practice, you can "feel" the knife tip as it penetrates the bark and makes contact with the wood

Make the horizontal cut completing the inverted T cut.
Cut only the bark.

The complete inverted T cut

Cutting the bud
The most critical aspect of budding is cutting the bud itself--it is only a very thin slice of bark and a sliver of wood beneath the bud, but it must be cut evenly and smoothly. The flat side of the blade must be flat against the budstick with the knife held at about a 45 degree angle to the budstick. With the thumb braced along the stick below the bud, simply draw the knife towards the thumb (again, no sawing or rocking motion!), keeping the blade flat against the stick to prevent it from cutting too deeply. If the blade remains flat against the stick, it will normally slice under the bud and exit below it