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Grafting

Transplanting grafted trees

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

I have citrus trees in my yard. According to the list on your website, they have a questionable status vis-à-vis kilei ilan. For this reason, grafting and planting should be performed by a non-Jew, but Jews may care for the tree both actively and passively.

1. If a Jew was involved in either grafting or planting the tree (or both)—must the tree be uprooted bedi'avad?

2. Some trees are in planters and we need to plant them in the ground. Is transplanting permitted by a Jew, or is a non-Jew's services needed for this action? That is, is transplanting considered halachically a new planting, requiring a non-Jew, or is it simply moving the tree to a larger area, considered actively sustaining the tree—an action permitted to Jews.

3. In continuation to the previous question: what happens if the transplant is performed in a way that does not necessitate a new orlah count (it is transplanted in a clod of soil large enough to sustain the tree for two weeks; the planted had a large enough hole and was attached to the ground; the planted was detached from the ground for less than 24 hours). In this case, would the transplant be permitted by a Jew, or would a non-Jew need to perform it?

Using an aloe vera leaf to facilitate shoots taking root

Rabbi David Eigner | Emunat Itecha 125, Tishrei 5780 September 2019

Recently, farmers have begun inserting shoots into aloe vera leafs for moisture and protection against fungus. Is this considered prohibited grafting?

Birkat ha’ilanot on trees grafted in a forbidden manner (1)

Rabbi Yoel Friedemann

Can one say birkat ha’ilanot on trees grafted in a forbidden fashion?

Grafting: Where is there a list of all the kosher combinations? (1)

Rabbi Yehuda HaLevy Amichay

Is it permissible to plant a tree from a lemon tree scion grafted onto a hushhash (sour orange) rootstock? Is there a comprehensive list of all the permissible grafting combinations? Are there any nurseries that follow halacha?

Tending to an apricot tree grafted onto an almond scion

Rabbi Ehud Ahituv

I bought and planted an apricot tree in my garden, which later on I found out was an almond tree with an apricot branch grafted onto it. Does this constitute kila’im? If so, what should I do with the tree?

Grafting: Where is there a list of all the kosher combinations?

Rabbi Yehuda HaLevy Amichay

Is it permissible to plant a tree from a lemon tree scion grafted onto a hushhash (sour orange) rootstock? Is there a comprehensive list of all the permissible grafting combinations? Are there any nurseries that follow halacha?

Issues involved in planting trees in my home garden

Rabbi David Eigner

If I bought sapling for my garden at home, when I bought them from a person who I don’t know (he looks like he is religious; he was wearing a kipa), is there a problem for me to plant them in my garden? Please note that there are five different trees: 1) lemon, 2) orange, 3) tangerine, 4) pomelo, 5) guava.

Grafting pecan scion onto an oak tree outside of Israel

Rabbi Moshe Bloom

I live in the Diaspora. I have three mature Burr Oaks growing in the front of my property which give a lot of burr acorns. They are edible, though we do not eat them. My property is too small to add pecan trees in it, and I do not wish to destroy good trees. Is there a halachic way to graft some pecan branches onto the burr oaks in order to yield pecan nuts?

Birkat ha’ilanot on trees grafted in a forbidden manner

Rabbi Yoel Friedemann

Can one say birkat ha’ilanot on trees grafted in a forbidden fashion?