Inarching

Inarching, also known as approach grafting, is an ancient horticultural technique used to propagate plants. It involves grafting a branch from a donor plant onto a rooted plant of the same or a closely related species while both are still attached to their respective root systems. This allows for a greater success rate compared to other grafting methods, as the joined branches receive continuous nourishment and hydration until the union is fully established. It’s a common technique for propagating woody plants, shrubs, and sometimes even fruit trees where other grafting methods have proven challenging.

Inarching meaning with examples

• The gardener, eager to expand his rare rose collection, employed inarching. He carefully selected a healthy branch from a prize-winning rose bush and brought it into contact with a rooted understock. Over several months, the branches were meticulously tied and monitored until the graft successfully fused, creating a clone of the prized rose, now with its own root system and becoming a second identical plant.
• To propagate a particularly difficult variety of fig tree, the horticulturist decided to employ inarching. A branch from the desirable fig was carefully bent towards a young, vigorous seedling. After securing the two branches together, the gardener nurtured them with water and fertilizer, providing an ideal environment for the two trees to become one to propagate their new trees.
• The bonsai enthusiast, wanting to create a complex trunk design, used inarching. He grafted a young branch from a nearby tree into a small pot, and then brought the branch up, bending it to fuse onto the main trunk of the bonsai. This gave him a great way to create a natural-looking flow to the bonsai tree, changing the overall look and feel as time went on.
• In an effort to save a declining heirloom apple tree, the orchard owner used inarching. He grafted suckers emerging from the base of the apple tree onto the remaining limbs to support the branches as they are dying. This provided additional support to the dying tree, by supplying a new blood line for the tree to live on, effectively rejuvenating the struggling apple tree.