The Art of Grafting: How to Choose a Carob Tree Variety
- Jun 10
- 1 min read
The carob tree grown from seed is a wild and unpredictable plant. For this reason, farmers have always resorted to grafting : a fundamental technique that allows them to decide in advance which specific variety to produce, guaranteeing the quality of the harvest and the tree's future productivity.
At the MuRu - Rural Museum we preserve the memory of the bud graft (or "scudetto"), the traditional gesture with which the Iblei farmers pass down and select the best varieties of the area.
The Times and Secrets of Tradition
The "sucking" period : The ideal time is late spring (May-June). During these weeks, the sap flows vigorously under the bark of the wild tree, allowing the tissues to separate easily to accommodate the new variety.
Choosing the "Taccuni" : To obtain the desired variety, a piece of bark with the bud is removed from a selected mother plant. Visual inspection is rigorous: the bud must be intact and full. If the eye is empty ( l'uocciu è vacanti ), the graft will fail.
The cut and the embrace : A "T" is cut into the trunk of the wild boar to lift the bark and accommodate the shield. Perfect contact between the cambial tissues is the secret to success, finally sealed with a tight raffia tie to prevent the wound from drying out.
A Living Memory for the Future
Rediscovering these practices today isn't simply an exercise in nostalgia. It means promoting active biodiversity, preserving historic local varieties, and defending a unique agricultural ecosystem. Rural wisdom is a concrete key to understanding the present and designing the agriculture of tomorrow.
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