Practical techniques for improved plant performance!

Grafting is a long-established skill that is used to improve the performance of ornamental and productive plants. Fruit trees are grafted to control their size, willows to produce attractive weeping forms, and tomatoes and melons to enhance their disease resistance. Peter MacDonald describes the latest grafting techniques for students, professionals and enthusiastic amateurs, including information on the reasons for grafting, clear instructions on the formation of the graft union, bench grafting techniques, field grafting, vegetable grafting, and cactus grafting. An A-to-Z appendix of plants features detailed information on what type of graft should be used, when it should be done, what type of root stock needs to be used, and what environment it needs to be kept in.

Peter T. MacDonald taught plant propagation and nursery stock production at Scotland’s Rural College. His research focused on propagation techniques and the formulation of growing media. He now delivers workshops on grafting an propagation to colleges in Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, and horticultural societies. He is a member of the International Plant Propagators’ Society and the chair of the Scottish Branch of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.