Budding can be used to convert an existing fruit tree to a new variety, fix pollination problems by adding a pollinising branch to a tree, create a multigraft (or ‘fruit salad’) tree, ‘fix’ a grafted tree that has died back to the rootstock, or convert a seedling that has come up in the compost pile or garden into a proper variety. It’s very simple. A single bud is taken from the new variety, inserted under the bark of the host tree, and tied up to keep it clean and safe while the two pieces of wood grow together.

Read the article in Summer – Week 9