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Why do nurseries use budding versus grafting?

Last Updated: August 22, 2011

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Budding is often used because a single scion bud is inserted into the rootstock to produce a new tree. Also, with budding, many trees can be produced from a stick of bud wood that has different sized buds.

In contrast, a piece of scion wood with two buds is used in grafting, and the diameter of the rootstock and the scion piece must match precisely to form a union. Thus, fewer trees can be propagated by grafting as compared to budding.

Answer provided by Dr. Michele Warmund, University of Missouri.

Browse related Faqs by tag: apple, propagation, grafting, rootstock, apples, budding, cultivar, scion


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