GREFFER ET SURGREFFER EN ÉCUSSON LES AGRUMES, EXPLICATIONS ET DÉMONSTRATION PAR UN PROFESSIONNEL

For this 59th episode of its family gardening and nature program, "Gardening Feels Good," NewsJardinTV takes you to Morocco, to the Fes region, to meet the operations manager of the Tchin-tchin estate. This 100-hectare orchard produces oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, tangerines, and other citrus fruits sold under the brand name L'Agrumiste. Our guide today is Julien Ganteil, an agricultural engineer, who explains why and demonstrates how to graft a lime tree, but his explanations and the techniques he presents are applicable to all citrus fruits. Since almost all citrus fruits for consumption are hybrids, only vegetative propagation allows for the faithful propagation of selected varieties. Indeed, sowing seeds produces very heterogeneous plants, and while cuttings root well, they often produce plants that lack vigor and are frequently fragile. Grafting is therefore a form of cloning. The technique involves inducing the union of a part of a plant (the chosen variety, which is the scion) onto a different, compatible plant (the rootstock). Grafting allows the plant to adapt to specific soil conditions, provides resistance to certain diseases, and accelerates fruit production. The process begins by taking the scion, also called a cutting or "short arm." This should be a young shoot, preferably non-flowering or bearing few flowers. Ideally, it should be of a similar size (diameter) to that of the rootstock, and in any case, smaller. In Morocco, citrus grafting is carried out using the budding technique (in France, dormant bud grafting is more common for roses and fruit trees), so April is the preferred time for this operation. Here, the grafts take root almost instantly (on average, within a week). The rootstock must be perfectly healthy, as it determines the future of the propagated variety. Julien is using a Citrus x volkameriana plant, which is known for its vigorous growth. The graft union must be perfectly straight and the same diameter as the scion. The graft is made about 30 cm from the ground. The leaves in the grafting area are removed. Using the tip of the grafting knife, a T-shaped incision is made in the bark of the rootstock (about 3 cm). Using the spatula of the grafting knife, the two vertical parts of the T (the area that will receive the scion) are gently separated. The scion (the bud) consists of a bud that has not yet begun to develop. With the grafting knife blade angled at 45°, slide it under the bark to remove the bud (about 2 cm). Carefully insert the bud under the bark of the rootstock, ensuring it is facing upwards. The scion should stay in place on its own. This is the key to success. Julien used a plastic band (artificial raffia) for the binding, but natural raffia works very well too. The band should be tight, leaving only the bud visible. The binding is secured with a knot. Once the graft is complete, lightly water with plain water (no fertilizer) to encourage the roots to inject some invigorating sap into the scion. Partially prune the rootstock (leaving a few leaves to act as sap-drawers). Allow the scion to develop a shoot about 20 cm long, then tie it to the top of the rootstock to prevent it from being pulled up by the wind or by improper contact. Once the scion shoot has lignified, the rootstock will be pruned back to prevent the development of suckers. Julien then demonstrates that if a variety is not performing well, it is possible to top-graft a citrus tree. In this case, the grafted section is pruned back (it is decapitated below the graft union), suckers are allowed to develop, and the strongest ones (2 or 3) are grafted to obtain a new citrus tree. This technique also allows for the creation of trees bearing several different varieties. We hope you find this video interesting and enjoyable. NewsJardinTV brings you new video reports several times a week, as well as the programs "Le Quotidien du Jardin" and "Jardiner, ça fait du Bien!" (Gardening Feels Good!). The channel currently offers over 1,860 videos, all of which can be found in the thesaurus on our website: https://www.newsjardintv.com/glossary/ Don't miss it! Also, discover our "visual encyclopedia of plants and gardens," which is growing daily on our Instagram account:   / newsjardintv   Thank you all for your continued support of NewsJardinTV!