How to carry out a chip budding graft

Chip budding has the advantage of being possible all year round, and it is sparing of scion wood — a single bud per graft.

Start by disinfecting the secateurs and the grafting knife. Prepare the rootstock by removing leaves and thorns up to the point where you intend to graft. Leave foliage above it to draw the sap.

Try to obtain scion wood of sufficient diameter for this graft — about pencil thickness and fairly round in section (scion on the left). Triangular scions are a little harder to cut cleanly at first (scion on the right):

On thorny scions, remove the thorns with the secateurs, taking care not to cut the bud. Snap the leaf stalks off by hand.

Take the bud with the grafting knife, angling the blade at the start to enter the wood, then bringing it parallel to the axis of the stem:

At the bud itself the cut becomes harder (take care not to slip), and a slight swelling often forms:

Cut the bud at a shallow angle — that is, parallel to the axis — to increase the area of cambium in contact:

On triangular scions you have to go deeper into the wood so that the chip is wide enough:

In no case is it necessary to remove wood from behind the bud.

The chip is ready; now for the rootstock. Make the same kind of cut, bearing in mind that the thicker the rootstock, the less pressure you need and the shallower you stay, so that the width matches the scion — you must still reach the cambium:

Offer the chip up to the cut so that you can make the final cut to the right length (at the top of the white bevelled area):

Remove the bark and seat the chip in the recess:

Ideally the chip matches the recess perfectly. For that, you need a few hundred under your belt. To practise at the start, use cherry wood: thin for the chip, a little thicker for the rootstock.

If the chip is smaller than the recess, you can line it up flush on one side, although the graft then looks less tidy.

Lay the Buddy Tape over the graft, pulling it taut:

Apply the Flexibande without covering the bud:

The graft is finished; disinfect the tools and move on to the next.

Once the bud has broken (which can take several months if you graft in autumn), cut the rootstock off at an angle 2 to 3 cm above the bud.

All shoots below the graft union must be removed.

One month later: