Preparing the Donor Tree
Grafting bonsai is a great technique for developing growth and planning for the future design of your tree. However, sometimes not enough time is spent on the quality of the donor tree, rather only focusing on the mother tree.
One of the key components to a successful graft is by ensuring that the donor tree you are using for either a scion graft or approach graft is healthy and strong. The healthier and stronger the donor tree is, the more likelihood of success of the graft taking on the mother tree. Luckily keeping a donor tree healthy is as simple as caring for your other trees.
Clean your donor trees foliage to ensure that the energy is directed to the healthy branches only by cutting or pinching out inside foliage. Remove dried and unhealthy foliage. Make sure to keep up a good fertilizing schedule to maximize the healthy of your donor tree. By paying attention to your donor trees, you’ll have a higher and faster success rate on your grafts.
