Grafting Workshop! March 27, 2014
I am sure you have heard, “An Apple a Day Will Keep the Doctor Away”. The best apple is a homegrown apple. To have good apples you must first have good rootstock. Having a disease resistant rootstock will produce quality apples for years to come. The only way to have this resistant tree is to “Graft” scion wood from a desirable tree onto a rootstock of a resistant variety. . Another important benefit of grafting is the ability to control the size of the mature tree. By grafting, you can reduce the size of a tree by as much as 75%. One disadvantage of a dwarf tree is their poor root system. Due to lack of a good root system, a dwarf tree will need support for the life of the tree to prevent the tree from falling over. UT Extension will be offering two Grafting Workshops this year. You will have the opportunity to graft rootstocks during this workshop. This workshop is hands on, so come ready to graft. All of the necessary equipment will be supplied for you. The cost for this workshop is $25, this will cover the 7 rootstock, scion wood, grafting tape, and Identification tags. If there is rootstock available after the last workshop it will be available for purchase. The workshops will be March 27th at 2:00 pm and 5:30 pm. The workshop will be at the Cocke County Forest Service Resource Building, 1260 Highway 73 Newport, TN 37821. We have limited space so please pre-register by March 25! To Pre-register for this workshop please call your local UT Extension Office,865-397-2969.
