Grafting can revitalize trees in many different ways

A small group gathered at Bainbridge Gardens March 26 to learn about tree grafting during a workshop held by the Bainbridge Island Fruit Club.

Club president Darren Murphy led a presentation that covered a variety of spring and summer grafting techniques with hands-on practice. Some of the reasons attendees wanted to learn about grafting were to save space in their limited gardens by adding varieties to their trees, manage tree growth, restore a tree and grow historic varieties of apples.

Tree grafting can help revitalize a tree that’s no longer producing and add varieties of apples to an existing tree without adding another tree to the property or repairing damage after the winter season.

Murphy’s enthusiasm for tree grafting and love for apples comes from his grandfather, William Shinkle, who propagated the Olympia apple grown in Western Washington.

The workshop highlighted three techniques: the whip graft added in spring; the bark graft added to the sides of a tree in early March; and the bud graft, which is added in mid-August to early September. Using those techniques to add scion wood and pencil-sized fruit tree branches onto existing fruit trees helps improve production, fix damaged limbs and create fruit cocktail trees by adding varieties onto one tree.

Mailey Martinez moved to Bainbridge from Queen Anne in Seattle and lives next to Murphy. She’s been learning a lot from Murphy “over the fence” and joined the workshop to learn more about caring for her fruit trees.

Workshop attendee Robyn Weimer started learning about orchard trees and maintenance when she moved here from Virginia about 18 months ago and is working to decrease the size of a half-acre section of lawn “that needs to go away” and increase the number of fruit trees on her property. “I went from 12 trees to 22,” Weimer said. “I’ve always been fascinated with … cider things. I’m hoping eventually to get into cider production.”

Club member Dennis Faust, who’s been grafting his fruit trees for a couple of years, helped participants learn the whip graft. “It’s not rocket science. But, if you want to be successful, add three or four (grafts). It’s all an experiment.”

To learn more, the club meets every fourth Thursday in The Grange Hall at 10340 Madison Ave. NE.