Grafting

plants · gardening · nature tricks

Two plant parts join. In grafting, the top part of one plant (called the scion) gets attached to the roots and lower trunk of another plant (called the rootstock). They grow together as a single plant.

Special tubes must connect. For grafting to work, the tiny tubes inside the plants that carry water and food have to grow together. This is called the vascular tissue, and when it connects properly, the plants fuse into one.

Farmers use it lots. Grafting is super popular in farms and gardens because it lets gardeners create new plants without using seeds. They can grow exactly the type of apple, pear, or rose they want.

Nature does it too. Sometimes plants in nature accidentally graft themselves together when their branches touch and grow into each other. Scientists call this inosculation, and it's like nature's own grafting experiment.

Cut high or low. Usually the graft happens near the soil line, but gardeners can also graft high up on a tree's trunk to change what grows at the top while keeping the same roots below.