Chestnut grafting

From Outbreaks of the fruit born "wilds" plants that produces small nuts, reason why after 6 to 10 years, when the diameter reaches 10 cm from the trunk is grafted with members drawn from the chestnut plant.

The graft is an operation that consists on welding, it means to put on floor on the stock or wild fruit in another part of the tree were is going to nest.

The first phase of the graft take place from February to March and consists in collecting the material from the cuttings (Portion of branch), choosing between the chestnuts plants more healthy and vigorous that produce fruits of good size.

The recipient of the graft will be exposed by cutting at a height of 1.30 -1.50 m from land, and finally perform the graft using the most appropriate techniques. The chestnut grafting techniques most used are:

*Crown graft, On Spring to regenerate vegetative species with native parts with a minimum of 8 cm in diameter with the tip inserted between the bark and wood. Have an optimal utilization but is not sufficiently covered with a protector (ex, beeswax) may be attacked by the cancer of the cortex

*Stakes graft, with an ax to cut a wedge, which is introduced at the stake and the graft. The wounds of the cut can be protected with extract of beeswax. Obtained good fixation but has greater exposure to be attacked by bark cancer.

*Fixation Graft, made on young plants with a few years to resume vegetative state, the difficulties are that they have to find grafts with the same the diameter of the graft rootstock if dont, you can match the two arms with adhesive tape. This type of graft by fixation has a higher percentage of 90% and is available to everyone, even the less experienced.

*By scale or buds preserved, these can be made for a longer period that runs from early April to late September. You can use the stakes at the time or can be kept refrigerated, was undertaken on the species with few years, removing a small piece of bark and wood cuts by two oblique converging getting a space to adapt to another piece of bark with dormant buds collected for grafting.