The Village of Canton Tree Committee to Host Tree Grafting Workshop for Community Members

CANTON – The Village of Canton’s Tree Committee will host a community workshop on tree grafting with instruction by Joel Howie of Canton Apples, Friday March 27, 1:00 p.m. – 3 p.m., at the DPW Barn, 78 Lincoln Street, Canton. All materials, root stock and scions will be provided.

Since ancient times, people have cut and joined together plants of different varieties or species so they would grow as a single plant — a process known as grafting. Evidence of the technique dates back at least 2,500 to 4,000 years to ancient China, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean. It was widely used by ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians to propagate desired fruit tree varieties, such as olives and citrus. Theophrastus, philosopher and pupil of Aristotle, known as the Father of Horticulture, describes grafting in his treatise on propagation, written ca. 300 BC. While the origin of grafting is unclear, it probably began with natural grafting—when plants touch and their limbs or roots fuse in the absence of human involvement.

Today, plant grafting is widely used in orchards, greenhouses, vineyards and gardens. One common application is grafting the shoot of one plant, termed the scion, to the root of a different plant, termed the rootstock, to increase or decrease the size of the plant. Alternatively, grafting can improve stress resistance or allow plants to grow in new environments. Participants in the workshop will learn the common grafting techniques such as Whip & Tongue, T-budding, chip budding, etc.

In Northern New York, grafting plants is essential for surviving the region’s harsh, short growing season and cold winters by combining hardy, disease-resistant rootstocks with desirable, productive fruiting scions. The technique enables the cultivation of diverse fruits in limited spaces, accelerates maturity, and repairs cold-damaged, girdled trees.

When asked about grafting in this region, Joel, who operates 27 acres across several properties with orchards featuring more than 250 varieties of apples, pears, and plums, and a focus on sustainable, chemical-free, or low-spray practices said, “Grafting is not only good, but the only way to clone and reproduce an apple variety.” He added, “Apple seeds are genetically different from their parents and will not grow the same exact fruit.”

When asked about the grafting workshop Herb Bullock, Canton Village Tree Committee Member and Secretary said, “If you raise an apple tree from just a seed, there’s no telling what you might have as an apple. If you graft, you will know exactly what kind of adult tree you will have.” He added, “We’re excited to have the community learn more grafting and growing trees.”

For more information on the workshop, please contact Herb Bullock, Canton Village Tree Committee, Secretary, 315-854-4039.