Plant Propagation

Chapter 12 - Principles of Grafting and Budding (Chapter 11 in the 7th and 8th editions of the textbook)

Nearly forty years after performing my first graft in the plant propagation class I took at Southern Illinois University, I still find it to be almost magical that it's possible to combine parts of two plants (the root system of one plant, called a "rootstock," and a single bud or small piece of stem from another, referred to as a "scion") to create a new plant featuring desirable traits of both plants!

In this chapter will learn about the "science" of budding and grafting including the parts/structure of "built" plants, the multi-step process by which the plant parts grow together at the bud/graft union, and issues associated with potential the potential failure of budding/grafting efforts including genetic limitations and physiological incompatibilities.

And, finally, we'll discuss how interaction of rootstocks, interstems and scions influence the growth of budded/grafted plants.

(Reminder - because of the shifting of chapters in the new, 9th edition of the text book, the introduction screens for each of the videos below will reference "Chapter 11" - not Chapter 12.)