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nz Friday, February 19, 2010 TARANAKI DAILY NEWS 13

GARDENING www.taranakidailynews.co.nz

its foliage is a lush tropical green

T-budding an apple tree: a step-by-step guide all year – possibly because it comes
from tropical and subtropical areas

with Abbie and Mark Jury of Asia.

Michelias have now been
reclassified as magnolias – a

1
All apple trees you buy are grafted or budded on to dwarfing or semi-dwarfing somewhat arbitrary decision we do
apple stock. This uses the roots of a smaller-growing plant and the top of a not agree with, so we continue to
good fruiting variety. These apple trees are about 40 years old and only 1.8 use the former names. Alba was
metres tall. Home gardeners may wish to bud a preferred variety on to an existing, given to us by an elderly Chinese
but underperforming, apple tree or to bud several types of apples on to one plant. gentleman who told us that it was

Michelia alba sacred and we could sell one to

every Chinese family in New
Zealand. We tried – believe me, we
Probably the most fragrant tree we tried – but it does not set seed and

3
Make two cuts in the shape
of a T on the root stock
plant. Budding is more
successful on growth that was
made last year, so it is firm
but not too old and woody.
Make the vertical cut about
2cm long. Provided you
have your timing right, the
bark layer will lift away
easily, allowing you to
slide the bud into the bark.
We are demonstrating
budding an additional
variety on to a plant in a
planter bag, but you can
equally bud on to plants
know, Michelia alba is in flower
now and will be for most of
summer. The flowers are definitely
not spectacular to look at, being
small and rather sparse for the size
of the tree, spidery in form and
cream. But for a knock-you-down
fragrance that permeates the air all
round, alba is amazing. In fact, it is
apparently the fragrance of Joy
perfume. The tree gives us a few
worries, because it is growing
considerably larger and faster than
we anticipated and we wonder if
we have it planted in the right
place. Glyn Church tells us he had
to cut one of his out because it
it rarely strikes from cutting, so it
has to be grafted and it is not easy
to reproduce that way, either. We
have seen it used as a street tree
throughout Asia and we think
horticulturists there aerial layer it.
For the botanically interested,
current information is that alba is
probably a natural hybrid from the
orange-flowered Michelia
champaca and all alba plants
throughout the world are therefore
the one clone. Champaca sets seed
freely, but we have yet to hear of
anybody who has proven
experience with alba showing
fertility. The plant appears to be a

2
Budding should always already in your garden outgrew its position. At least it is genetic dead end.
be done on a fine day or orchard. If you have a upright, rather than spreading, and – Abbie Jury
and with no rain forecast plant grown from a seed,
for the next 24 hours. It you may wish to bud on
involves attaching a single leaf to that to get a reliable
bud on to a stem of the root cropping variety. It is more
stock. Use buds from this likely you will have a
season’s new growth, selecting a seedling or under-
stem about the thickness of a performing avocado, peach
pencil. Remove the leaves and, or plum and you may wish to
using a very sharp, clean knife, cut off, in one piece, the bud and the bit of the stem try the same technique to
behind the bud that gives a shield for the bud. turn those root stocks into
good croppers. You have to
keep to the same plant type – Chateau de la
an avocado bud on to avocado
root stock, peach on peach, Roche Jagu, France
4
Often, three buds are apple to apple.
inserted to increase About 10km inland from Tréguier agapanthus, hemerocallis and
success rates. Gently insert in the Brittany region, on a wooded penstemons were introduced much
the bud and push down, so that slope above the Trieux river, later), visitors will like the willow-
the back of the bud (the shield) stands the 15th-century Château de wicker raised beds and other
is flush with the root-stock la Roche Jagu. While there is a examples of 15th-century garden
stem. Timing for T-budding is charge to see the building, the design.
critical – now is good for gardens are free. The whole is surrounded by
apples, pears, plums, peaches The solid medieval castle has picket fences and hedges of bay,
and nectarines. If you cannot grounds to match, even though box and laurustinus. There are also
lift the bark layer, you will they were only laid out in 1990. long strips of crops – linen,
need to chip bud instead and While purists say medieval buckwheat and other useful plants.
we will show this technique gardens wouldn’t have known most And the views down to the river
next time. of the plants (camellias, are wonderful.

5
We use plastic tying strips as shown here, but you can cut your own from
plastic bags. We prefer plastic to the old-fashioned raffia or to rubber bands.
It is better at keeping out moisture and easier to tie firmly but not so tightly
that it cuts into the bark and bud.

Ref: 2506313

BIG JIMS GARDEN CENTRE

20x3

7
Leave the plant until
winter, by which time
it should be clear that
the bud has fused to the
stem and has not rotted.
Remove the tie and cut the
plant back to the successful
bud. The fresh growth in
spring will be your chosen
variety that you have budded

6
Wrap the stem firmly to hold the bud or buds snugly in place. Start from the on to the old plant.
bottom and work your way up, covering the whole area except the bud.
Secure the end of the tie so it cannot unravel (usually done by looping it back
through itself). Photos: ROBERT CHARLES