Grafting made easy



This is my easy guide to grafting fruit trees using the Cleft method. The method is the same for any type of fruit but for ease I will concentrate on apple trees. There are several different root stocks available and information is readily available on the web for other fruits. You will need a grafting knife or sharp knife, bare rootstock, Scions (cuttings), pruning shears and grafting tape.



I always use good quality M106 root stock for apple trees which is semi vigorous, this rootstock will produce an apple tree about 3.6 metres (12 foot) wide and 3m (10 foot) tall at maturity. Apple trees on M106 rootstock can easily be pruned to keep them to a height of around 2 to 2.5 metres (6 to 8 ft) high. The roots are reasonably vigorous and an M106 rootstock apple tree can easily support itself without the need for staking. It will produce about 23 kilo (50lb) fruit in a normal season. The tree will not grow too large, which makes it easy to prune.



Step One



Collecting cuttings (Scions) these need to be collected by cutting off last year’s growth. Ideally you need to collect the scions at the end of January when they are dormant and keep them in the fridge until the end of February. I do this every year and have never had a failure. The Scion needs cutting just behind the last bud, of last year’s growth. Your pencils need to be about 10” to 12” long,  always collect twice the number you need then you can pick the best ones.


This is my easy guide to grafting fruit trees using the Cleft method. The method is the same for any type of fruit but for ease I will concentrate on apple trees. There are several different root stocks available and information is readily available on the web for other fruits. You will need a grafting knife or sharp knife, bare rootstock, Scions (cuttings), pruning shears and grafting tape.

I always use good quality M106 root stock for apple trees which is semi vigorous, this rootstock will produce an apple tree about 3.6 metres (12 foot) wide and 3m (10 foot) tall at maturity. Apple trees on M106 rootstock can easily be pruned to keep them to a height of around 2 to 2.5 metres (6 to 8 ft) high. The roots are reasonably vigorous and an M106 rootstock apple tree can easily support itself without the need for staking. It will produce about 23 kilo (50lb) fruit in a normal season. The tree will not grow too large, which makes it easy to prune.

Step One

Collecting cuttings (Scions) these need to be collected by cutting off last year’s growth. Ideally you need to collect the scions at the end of January when they are dormant and keep them in the fridge until the end of February. I do this every year and have never had a failure. The Scion needs cutting just behind the last bud, of last year’s growth. Your pencils need to be about 10” to 12” long, always collect twice the number you need then you can pick the best ones.

Step Two

I always graft on to bare rootstock this way I can do it in the warm and dry. Sort out all your scions and rootstock.

Step Three

Pick a scion and a rootstock and cut the rootstock back to about 10” long. You need the diameter of both scion and rootstock to be roughly the same size, but the scion cannot be wider than the rootstock.

Step Four

You need to cut a V shape in to the root stock and make the same shape on the scion. This is the hardest part and you can practice by getting some sticks and trying it out. Its best to practice first or you could end up with unusable rootstock.

Step Five


Now you can put both the scion and rootstock together. You might have to shave a bit off the scion to make it fit. The most important thing is to make sure the cambial (the green part below the bark) meets on at least one side.

Both the Scion and rootstock should be tightly fitted together. I use grafting tape to make sure both parts stay together. You can tie off the grafting tape by making a loop and pulling the tape through.

Step Six

Once you have all your new grafts, plant them out as soon as possible. I put mine in the greenhouse in large pots for the first year and transplant outside the following winter, when dormant. Within a few weeks your grafts buds should start swelling. If any buds develop below the grafting tape pinch these out.

I hope this guide has been useful and I hope you have a go at grafting your own fruit trees. It is really easy, if you need any more help or advice, I am happy to help where I can. Thank you for reading. Mark.