Apple Grafting Workshop
NEW ADDITIONAL DATE ADDED
Come and learn how to graft apple trees on this course under the tuition of Ben Raskin (18th Feb) and Robert Beetham (25th Feb).
About your tutors
Ben Raskin is a previous commercial fruit grower and an enthusiastic, effective and very knowledgeable teacher, now Head of Horticulture at The Soil Association.
Robert Beetham was taught by Ben Raskin and has been grafting his own trees for the past several years. Robert has organised the course at the Barn since 2015, helped Ben with some of the teaching and also taught a number of people on his own since learning himself.
Grafting is the process of propagating new trees. You take the scion wood which is a shoot from the apple tree that you wish to propagate, and then fuse it to a rootstock. The rootstock is the stem of another tree which has been selected for control of size of the new tree. This way you can clone fruit varieties, guaranteeing that you end up with the same apple as on the original tree.
You will learn why we graft, how to graft and put these skills into practice by forming at least three grafts that you can take away at the end of the day.
We will provide some common varieties for grafting. If you have a favourite that you wish to propagate, then bring your own wood to graft. If there is a particular variety that you wish to graft but do not have the wood, please let us know and we will attempt to procure some wood for you (there may be a small extra cost for this). The only equipment you will need to bring is a very sharp knife (e.g. a Stanley Knife) and some secateurs.
Cost £55. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided, please bring your own lunch.
Everybody who has provided feed back from previous courses has rated the course as excellent. Here are some quotes from previous attendees:
‘Learning a new skill that I feel confident I can use independently and that I came away with 4 trees that I have made’
‘Excellent information. Good guidance. Friendly and fun.’
‘Hands on, great support and encouragement throughout, taking part in an ancient practice.’
‘Friendly, no previous knowledge/experience required. Time for everyone, un-rushed and relaxed.’
If you have any questions about this workshop, please contact Robert on 0117 957 4921.
