Skip to main content

When is the best time to graft your fruit trees? Here are our suggestions

Grafting fruit trees is a great way to make sure you know what variety of fruit you’re getting, diversify your orchard or yard, and get some extra fruit for snacks or meals! The process itself is fairly simple, and there are plenty of resources out there to help you with the technical parts. The timeline can be a little more confusing. When is the best time to graft fruit trees? How long does grafting a fruit tree actually take? If you aren’t sure about when to start grafting to get the best results, then this guide is for you.

Orange tree
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When is the best time to take cuttings?

There are two types of cuttings: hardwood and softwood.

Hardwood cuttings are taken in late fall, winter, and early spring, when the tree is dormant. These cuttings are the growth from the previous spring and so have had several months to a year to mature. They’re less flexible but sturdy.

Softwood cuttings can only be taken in spring as they are the new growth for the season. These cuttings are more flexible and tend to attach faster but aren’t as sturdy.

When grafting trees, flexibility is more important than sturdiness, so take softwood cuttings in the spring. You can still use hardwood cuttings, but they take longer to adjust to being part of a different tree and are slightly more likely to fail.

Recently grafted tree, with the new branches still secured to the tree
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When is the best time to start grafting?

The best time to graft fruit trees is around spring, when plants begin gearing up to grow, making it easier to establish a connection between the two trees. There are a few routes you can take with this.

If you’re taking softwood cuttings, you can graft your trees right after you take the cuttings without issue. If you choose to take hardwood cuttings, or if you’re purchasing cuttings and have to wait on them to arrive, you can graft them in summer. It may not recover as quickly, but the difference shouldn’t be significant. If you have hardwood cuttings or softwood cuttings that have been stored, another option is to begin grafting in late winter, right before spring.

The only times that you should avoid starting your grafts are fall and early winter. This is when trees are dormant, meaning they aren’t putting out new growth. The grafts will attach in fall, especially in early fall in a mild climate, but it takes roughly twice as long. Late winter is OK because the graft won’t have to wait long before beginning to grow. If you graft in fall or early winter the cut ends of your graft will be exposed to the elements for much longer and are more susceptible to rot or disease.

A grafted tree with a healed graft, the smaller branch is growing fully out of the older, larger branch
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How long does grafting take?

The amount of time it takes depends on the type of graft you use. In general, the more material you have grafted or the larger your graft is, the longer it will take to heal and grow. Grafts that are only a single branch grafted onto an existing tree will heal and become part of the tree in a week and a half to two weeks. From there, the branch grows as normal, and you can expect flowers and fruit on schedule with the type of tree you’ve grafted from.

Larger grafts, however, take longer. If you’re using a technique such as whip grafting to grow a new tree from the root stock of another, that is a more strenuous undertaking for the tree. A graft like that will take three to six weeks to heal and become a single tree. It then grows as normal, and you can reasonably expect to see flowers and fruit a year later.

There you have it, the timeline for grafting fruit trees! Now you know when you can expect to be able to take the dressings off your graft and how soon after that you can expect fruit. Be sure your shears are sharp when taking your cuttings, bind your graft tightly, and start in the late winter, spring, or summer for the best results. Small grafts should take only a week or two to heal, while larger ones may take a month or two. Enjoy your extra fruit!

Editors' Recommendations

Cayla Leonard
Cayla Leonard is a writer from North Carolina who is passionate about plants.  She enjoys reading and writing fiction and…
Are you asking, ‘Why is my tomato plant wilting?’ Here’s how to be the hero in your garden
Properly water and inspect your tomatoes to prevent (or treat) wilting
Tomatoes on a tomato plant

Tomatoes are probably the most popular veggies grown at home. Even novice growers can grow these plants with little to no experience in growing anything. Even better, many of these beginners are successful because tomatoes are so easy to care for and grow in your own home. However, one of the most common questions about growing tomatoes is, "Why is my tomato plant wilting?" Well, it could be due to a few reasons. We'll take a look at them here and give you tips on how to get your tomato plants back into tip-top shape. 

Why do people grow tomato plants?
Let's first talk about why you want to grow tomato plants. Growing tomatoes at home has a lot of benefits. First, they're healthier than store-bought tomatoes, and they taste better, too! There's no denying that tomatoes grown at home have a richer flavor. Once you eat your own tomatoes, you'll likely find the store-bought ones flat and watery by comparison.

Read more
This is how to know when to harvest your peas for maximum flavor and crispiness
Find out when your peas are just right for the picking
Organic green sugar snap peas

If you're looking to start a vegetable garden or just add to the one you already have, consider growing peas. These green pods are some of the easiest spring vegetables to grow — they even work as indoor vegetables. They tolerate cold temperatures and moist conditions quite well and don’t need much fertilizer to thrive. Best of all, their crisp texture and sweet flavor make them versatile veggies in the kitchen. The only thing that's tricky about growing peas is knowing when to time your harvest. If you're having trouble figuring out when to harvest peas, keep reading to know when to get the freshest, sweetest, and crispest peas.

Quick tips on growing peas
Even before you get to harvesting, you want to care for your peas so they grow healthy, strong, and delicious — luckily, they're pretty low-maintenance vegetables. Here are some tips to start your pea-growing journey:

Read more
The 6 best dill companion plants to grow in your garden
Plants that benefit from being next to dill
Dill herb

Dill is a fast-growing annual that makes for a flavorful addition to food as well as a beneficial plant alongside other crops. While it goes to seed quickly, it’s a cold-tolerant herb that grows easily for a delicious garnish all year long. Dill features a sharp anise and citrus flavor, making it a great addition to pastas, salads, soups, and other savory dishes. And yes, it pairs perfectly with your preserved pickles!

Out in your landscape, dill makes for a wonderful fixture in gardens because it naturally attracts beneficial pollinators, such as bees. This tasty herb also repels unwanted pests such as spider mites, aphids, and, notably, cabbage pests, because it attracts predatory insects like ladybugs. Both these qualities make it great for companion planting, which is the concept that some plants can pair together to help encourage growth, repel pests, and attract pollinators. Ahead, we’ve rounded up six of the best dill companion plants so you can plan your garden accordingly.

Read more