PCSWCD fruit tree topworking workshop
PARKMAN — Are you interested in learning the skill of topworking fruit trees? Perhaps you want to know what topworking even is! The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District in partnership with CJ Walke of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association are providing a hands-on fruit tree topworking workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
Topworking is a propagation technique that allows you to graft multiple varieties onto an existing tree or to change a tree from one variety to another. Topworking is a grafting technique that is commonly used by producers who want to produce fruit faster than planting a new tree and/or bring older fruit trees back into production quickly. In this workshop, we will utilize seedling apple trees that have sprouted and grown along a field edge. We will demonstrate a few techniques of topwork grafting and then participants will be able to try their hand at topworking some of the seedlings at the course location. Participants should bring their own grafting knives and pruning snips, but all other materials will be provided. Participants will leave the course with scionwood to practice this newly learned skill at home.
PCSWCD has been working with presenter Walke for over 10 years. Walke is the orchard programs manager for MOFGA and will be returning to Piscataquis County to lead this informative workshop.
Walke has years of experience teaching and mastering organic orcharding practices, and has worked alongside many orcharding experts such as John Bunker of FEDCO Trees and Michael Phillips, author of “The Holistic Orchard”, among others. Walke has taught orchard workshops covering topics such as grafting, pruning, pest management, restoring and revitalizing old trees and much more.
Registration is required and space is limited to 25 participants. Workshop participants must bring a grafting knife to the workshop to graft the young trees onto the rootstock. Registration can be found on our website at www.piscataquisswcd.org.
We hope to see you for this great workshop!