An Overview of Grafting for Vegetable Crops
Andrew MefferdGrowing for Market Magazine
Grafting has the potential to overcome many production
problems
A natural way to get more out of your plants
Healthier plants and higher yields are due to:
• Increased resistance to disease and abiotic stress
• Higher vigor and a bigger root system
So, why is grafting not as important for other crops yet
as for tomatoes?
Why grafting works • Plant breeding is a balance of many
different goals• Grafting separates the goals of the
scion from the rootstock
Rootstocks are the mules of the vegetable world
• Most rootstocks take advantage of interspecific hybrid vigor
Potential Drawbacks
• Increased cost• Increased labor of grafting• Potential of bad grafts• Can make plants too vigorous• Diminishing returns• No yield boost?
A quick overview of the grafting process
• Propagation• Cutting and Splicing• Healing• Re-acclimation
Old-fashioned razor blade
Don’t try this without the paper wrapper!
Solanaceous top grafting- start with a plant like this
Sever the top at a 60-70 degree angle
So it looks like this
Cut your top variety at the same angle and put in a grafting clip
Put the top on with the slant of the cut visible in the opening of the clip
This is what a finished top grafted plant should look like
Solanaceous cleft grafting
Cut the top off and split the stem
Cut a top to match and put a clip below the cut
Insert the top into the rootstock…
…and push the clip up to secure the graft union.
Approach graft- nightshades or cucurbits
Make a downward slanting cut 2/3 of the way through the stem of one plant, and an upward matching cut through the stem of the other plant.
Clip the plants together and remove the top of the rootstock
One cotyledon graft- cucurbit family
Sever the top, including dormant bud, leaving one cotyledon
Cut the top off the scion below the cotyledons at a matching angle
Clip the plants together for healing
Questions?? Thank you!