How Do You Graft Two Citrus Trees?
Grafting, or budding of citrus trees, is the art of propagating citrus trees through surgically combining different aspects of two existent trees to create a new tree. Typically a rootstock is combined with budwood. A rootstock is the root system of a host tree that is usually native to the area. Budwood is a young budding branch from another tree. Budwood is also referred to as scion wood. Harvest the budwood from the desired tree. Remember that the budwood should be the variety of tree that is desired with regard to fruit and foliage. For example, if Texas grapefruit is desired, then the budwood should be from a Texas grapefruit tree. Budwood should always be harvested between April and November, as during this time the bark of the tree is slipping. Trim the budwood to 12 inches long and use a sharp knife when cutting off the branches to avoid damaging the underwood. Make a 1 inch vertical cut through the bark of the rootstalk stem, roughly 6 inches above the soil line. At the bottom
