Apple Grafting Workshop with Guytons - 24 September 2016
On 24 September Robyn and Robert Guyton lead an apple grafting workshop for 20 participants organised by Lesley at the Community Nursery. This workshop follows on from the pruning workshops held in July where the “scions” are pruned off the particular species of apple you want to graft from, kept in the fridge until September and then grafted onto rootstock bought by Guytons as being the best rootstock to use in Southland. The “scions” are those named species you want for fruit – eg “Monty’s Surprise”. The SCES website has an excellent section on the process of grafting see www.sces.org.nz. Lesleys report follows.
A cold rain-sodden day in September found an eclectic group of enthusiastic would-be horticulturists gathered at the Southland Community Nursery. We’d come to learn the art and science of grafting heritage apple trees - a follow on workshop from the apple pruning some of us had done in July.
Robyn Guyton told the story of the apple and explained why grafting is the only effective way to duplicate the genetic code for a particular variety of apple. She talked about the different heritage apples that can be traced back to the earliest trees brought to and planted in Southland. And she shared how they have been systematically collecting their extensive range of heritage apples through the process we’d be learning.
Rob Guyton took over then with an extremely informative demonstration of the grafting process. He explained not only what to do but why it was important to do it that way. We were invited to choose from the many varieties the Guytons had brought with them and then we were let loose to try our hand at doing it ourselves.
Some of us were a little keener than others and wanted to keep on practicing. At $5.00 a tree, grafted and potted up, it was an excellent way to hone one’s skills and establish a foundation to a heritage orchard.
I came away with six grafted trees, each a different variety. Some eight weeks later they are all sprouting healthy leaves and branches - so I guess the grafts were successful. Lesley
Posted: 17 November 2016