Grafting II: the next level 接ぎ木２応用編

Two new things I learned about grafting this past year is intergeneric grafting and guerilla grafting. Let me share my excitement about intergeneric/interspecies grafts with you.

INTERGENRIC GRAFTING
Not only can you graft different varieties on your pear tree,

like comice or conference or Bella Di Guigno,
you can graft a pear (Pyrus) tree onto the roots of a quince (Cydonia oblonga).
Quince roots can tolerate wet soils that might kill a pear.

We have two pear on quince-rootstock fruit trees planted,

on the edge of the fire-pit chinampa which is just above the water level now,

and probably even submerged during parts of the winter.

We also graft pear varieties onto the hawthorn that volunteer all over the property.
Instead of spending loads of energy removing these pioneering non-native plants,

we can utilize it and graft tasty variety of pears.

Using on site resources (permaculture principle).

Hawthorn also has some serious spikes (above) and grows as a dense thicket,

both of which prevent deer from munching on the pear tree.

Using biological systems (another permaculture principle).

You can see the different leaves on this plant.

Lower leafs are hawthorn leafs,

and above are pear.

We also have a medlar growing on a quince rootstock.

How cool is that?!!

BONUS
I had heard a few years ago of the pomato plant.

Tomato grafted onto potato rootstock.

Here's an illustration of how it works

(from http://oregonstate.edu/potatoes/CSS322WebNotes.html)

Below is about how to make a pomato plant.

http://kashifbt.blogspot.com/2009/11/amazing-pomato-plant-reap-tomatoes-on.html

Other Things I Found about grafting

On a series of power points from University of Vermont,

there was a section listing known interspecies grafts.

Chamaecyparis (cypress) on Thuja (arborvitae)

Citrus (citrus) on Poncirus (hardy orange)

Pyrus (pear) on Cydonia (quince)

In the Solanaceae (nightshade family) grafting between

genera is not a problem! Tomato, tobacco, potato,

pepper, petunia, morning glory, etc.

(from www.uvm.edu/~mstarret/plantprop/chapter12.pps)

Here is a really awesome guide to grafting from the University of Minnesota Extension

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/dg0532c.html

This article is titled "History of Grafting"

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:To3952T7w8MJ:www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/c09.pdf+intrageneric+graft&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESj4Y0YCV4Pb0l1i6Xs3sJLlGOh5IUeAdt68fJQVGdwLVI00_VXDBK2Xzw9waziVzQTLLOsno4Vs1FCSbgv5gvSfjIQGBUDoZcVzI7aYFqai1bVOmiS9JJz3GtwfLX5pxM-hoM7C&sig=AHIEtbRbVI1GraBCE6hoW3o9HSUbBm_FAw&pli=1