SLN Grafting Workshop at the Hex & Hop Taproom

February 18th, 2:00-4:00pm

Have you ever found a delicious or meaningful apple that you want more of?   Maybe the tree is in decline, too far away to harvest regularly, or no longer in the family.  If you planted a seed from one of those apples, you won't end up with the same fruit.  Grafting is the best way to make more of your chosen variety!

All the apple, pear, and plum trees grown at St. Lawrence Nurseries are propagated by grafting: joining a scion (which becomes the fruiting part, or top of the tree) to a rootstock (which becomes the root of the tree). Grafting allows the two parts to grow together and function as a single plant. Although the rootstock does have an influence on the ultimate size and hardiness of the tree, the scion alone determines what kind of fruit the tree will yield. 

Connor Hardiman started working at St. Lawrence Nurseries in 2010, under the previous owners, Bill and Diana MacKentley. Connor learned to graft from Bill, just as Bill had once learned it from the nursery’s founder, Fred Ashworth, in the 1970’s. Connor has owned the nursery since 2015.

In this workshop, participants will learn about the grafting process, graft their own apples, and take home several trees to plant in the spring!

Participants are encouraged, but not required, to bring:

• Their own scion wood: small (pencil-diameter) wood from an apple tree you would like to graft. 
• Pruners
• Utility knife

SLN will provide a variety of scion wood, the cold-hardy antonovka rootstock and a few other necessary tools. Refreshments from Hex & Hop will be on tap!