Techniques of Budding

• budding: a form of grafting in which the scion consists of a single bud/node and a small section of bark with or without wood
• Scion is always inserted on the side of the stem
• advantages of budding:

  • quicker than grafting
  • efficient use of scionwood
  • timing during less busy times of year
  • common practice with high success rate
  • widely used in producing nursery stock
• Rootstocks should have desirable characteristics
• Height is higher on dwarfing rootstock from fruit crops
• Height is low on ornamental plants/trees
• Rootstocks may only be 6-12 months old
• Rootstocks are grown in field nurseries at close spacing or in containers
• Rootstocks should be true-to-type and pest free
• Rootstocks need heavy irrigation, nitrogen application, and shearing prior to budding
• Scion is generally smaller in diameter
• Scion should be true-to-type and pest free
• Scion should be dormant
• Scion should be in current season
• Knives are used to lift bark
• Cuts are wrapped
• types of budding:

  • chip
  • T-budding
  • inverted T-incision
  • patch
  • flute
  • ring
  • I-budding
  • microbudding
• In chip budding, bark does not need to slip
• Chip budding can be done year round
• Chip budding is used for grape vines, roses, and ornamental trees and shrubs
• Chip budding steps:

  1. Downward cut in understock followed by a second downward cut
  2. Removal of scion chip
  3. Insertion of bud
  4. Wrapping bud
• Chip budding works well with shorter growing seasons
• Bark needs to be slipping in T-budding
• T-budding is good for citrus and some pome fruit
• T-budding steps:

  1. Cut scion
  2. Insert scion in T-cut
  3. Wrap bud
  4. Remove band after bud heals
• snap budding: bud core removed; facilitates budding of smaller diameter stocks
• T-budding is widely used by the nursery industry
• Rootstock must be actively growing in T-budding
• Inverted T-incision is used in areas with high rainfall and in species that bleed during budding
• Bark must slip on both scion and rootstock in patch budding
• Callus bridge forms at edges of patch in patch budding
• Patch budding steps:

  1. Make cuts on rootstock
  2. Remove patch bud from scion
  3. Insert and wrap patch bud
• Patch budding takes more time than T-budding
• Patch budding is best for thick barked plants
• In I-budding, two transverse cuts are made on rootstock and joined by a single vertical cut; insert bud patch in this cut
• I-budding is best when the bark of rootstock is much thicker than bud
• Flute and ring budding are modifications of patch budding
• Flute budding is best when the bud has a greater circumference than usual
• Ring budding completely wraps around the rootstock
• Microbudding is used for citrus and tissue culture