Scionwood Vs Cuttings
- Scion – Must be grafted
- Requires root stock
- Most fruiting plants accept grafting
- Some skill required
- Cutting – May be planted
- No root stock required
- Fewer plants species grow from cuttings
- Less specialized skill required
Benefits of Grafting:
- Ability to dwarf scions
- Resistance to soil-borne pests & disease
- Provide multiple pollinating varieties on one tree
- It should fruit earlier than cuttings
- Faster growth
- We are using hardwood in winter;
- Softwood is taken in Late Spring or Early Summer.
- (Semi-hardwood (greenwood) cutting are used for some Prunus trees)
- Mangos, guavas, citrus, apple & pear usually are propagated through grafting
- Pomegranates, Figs, and Mulberries, filbert, gooseberry, kiwis & brambles are excellent from cuttings. (These are commonly grown on their own roots)
- Rollinia, Surinam Cherry, Persimmon, Pecan, Mamey Sapote & Sapodilla need to be grafted, not from cuttings
- Water/Wax Apple & Wax Jambu are successful as cuttings & not grafts
Challenges for grafted trees:
Challenges for self-rooting trees:
- Graft union incompatibility
- Vigor loss – If you use dwarf rootstock, the trees can have a shorter life & have less ability to withstand drought
- Most temperate tree fruit species propagate poorly on their own roots
- May have poor fruit quality or quantity
- Suckering – shoots grow at the base & take nutrients from the main tree
- Susceptible to Burrknotting – which weaken limbs and can be an entry point for disease and pests
Compiled by K.Connell January 2023 for California Rare Fruit Growers – South Orange County Chapter