Book Description

Grafting and Budding: A Practical Guide for Fruit and Nut Plants and Ornamentals is an updated and expanded version of Grafting and Budding Fruit and Nut Trees and now includes the grafting of ornamental plants. It is a comprehensive and clearly written, practical guide to all of the grafting and budding techniques any professional or home gardener is likely to need. The book begins with a brief history of the subject, explains how grafting works and shows why it is now the preferred technique for propagating most commercial plants. It then describes the basics of budding, grafting and multi-grafting and presents step-by-step instructions for making the special cuts used in grafting and budding. Advice is also given on the selection of scion wood, the preparation of rootstocks and the after-care of grafted plants. The methods of budding and grafting are explained in fine detail, including T-budding, chip budding and patch budding, the splice graft, wedge graft, whip and tongue graft, side graft, bark graft and approach graft, the grafting of herbaceous plants and machine bench grafting. More than 60 sketches and photographs are included to help illustrate various aspects of the skill of grafting. New to this edition are sections covering the preferred methods of propagation for Australian natives such as eucalypts, banksias, hakeas and grevilleas; cacti; conifers; general deciduous ornamentals; black passionfruit; roses and tomatoes, making it an indispensable addition to any avid gardener’s bookshelf.