T budding Archives - fruitmentor™

In this step-by-step guide on grafting orange trees, learn how to graft an orange tree by T-budding, a method of orange grafting that is very easy and that gives a good success rate. T-budding is a very common grafting technique and is useful both for grafting citrus trees and also for grafting fruit trees of many other species.

T-budding can be used for grafting citrus in parts of the year when the rootstock is actively growing. If the rootstock is not actively growing, the chip bud is a good alternative. Bud grafts such as the T-bud and the chip bud are useful to conserve budwood since they only use one bud per graft. If there is more budwood available, scion grafting techniques such as the cleft graft, the bark graft, and the z-graft also work well for grafting new citrus trees.

This step-by-step guide shows how to graft a lemon tree using T-budding, a technique for grafting lemon trees that is easy and that gives a high success rate. In T-budding a single bud from a desired variety is grafted onto a rootstock. The T-bud is one of the most common methods used by nurseries to graft lemon trees. In addition to its use in lemon grafting, T-budding is also used for grafting fruit trees of many kinds.

Grafting lemon trees with the T-bud. — This step-by-step guide shows how to graft a lemon tree using the T-bud.

In order for the T-bud to work, it must be performed during a time of the year when the tree is actively growing and thus the bark is slipping and can be peeled back easily. In my California climate, the T-bud can be used for grafting citrus in summer and in late spring. In times of the year when the bark is not slipping, the chip bud can be used instead. T-budding is commonly used to propagate new trees. Some people use the T-bud to topwork trees or to make multi-fruit trees, but for these grafts I prefer patch budding, cleft grafting, or bark grafting.

Grafting Orange Trees – How to Graft an Orange Tree by T-budding

Grafting Lemon Trees – How to Graft a Lemon Tree with the T-Bud