Grafting with the Community 2021!
Long time supporters of the project making several grafted trees for their orchard.
Last weekend, undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers were able to come together with members of the Boulder Apple Tree Project community to make grafts of trees that have personal value for each person. Students were able to demonstrate the cleft grafting method in which dormant scion material is inserted into prepared rootstock. This year, we used M-111 rootstock and each grafter brought their own scion material. Some community members brought scions to swap! Grafting is one of the necessary steps in preserving historic apple trees in the Boulder area. Teaching grafting methods to our friends and fellow apple explorers will enable us to preserve more historically interesting and genetically distinct trees more quickly.
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us this year! We are looking forward to re-connecting this fall for another Apple Blitz.
Graduate student, Micaela S., practices her cleft grafting technique by carefully matching cambium material from the scion to the rootstock.