Budding

What is budding?

Budding is a form of vegetative propagation closely related to grafting. Instead of joining a section of shoot containing several buds to a rootstock, a single bud with a small amount of surrounding tissue is transferred from the desired plant and joined to a compatible rootstock.

When is it useful?

Budding can be useful when selected plant characteristics should be preserved while using a separate rootstock. Because only one bud is required for each new plant, a relatively small amount of propagation material can be used to produce many plants from a selected parent.

Basic procedure

1. Select a healthy, compatible and actively growing rootstock.
2. Select mature, healthy budwood from the plant that is to be propagated.
3. Remove a suitable bud with the amount of surrounding bark or tissue required by the chosen budding technique.
4. Make the appropriate cut in the rootstock and position the bud so that the living tissues are in close contact.
5. Secure the bud firmly with budding tape or another suitable wrapping while avoiding unnecessary damage to the bud itself.
6. Protect the union from drying and physical disturbance while the tissues join.
7. After the bud has successfully united with the rootstock, encourage it to grow according to the technique used and remove unwanted competing rootstock growth when appropriate.

Common budding techniques

Common techniques include T-budding, patch budding and chip budding. The appropriate method depends on the species, the condition and thickness of the bark, the size of the plant material and the season.

Budding and grafting

Budding and grafting both join selected plant material to a rootstock. At Yuyo they are recorded separately because budding uses a single bud as the principal propagation unit, whereas conventional grafting normally uses a section of shoot carrying one or more buds.

Compatibility and cambium contact

As with other forms of grafting, the bud and rootstock must be biologically compatible and their living tissues must make sufficient contact for a successful union to form.

Important

The appropriate budding technique, bud maturity, rootstock condition, season, wrapping and aftercare vary considerably between species. Always check the species-specific propagation information before budding a plant.