A grafting knife is used in the process of attaching a small, living limb (the “cutting”) of one species of tree onto a limb or the trunk (the “stock”) of another species by making an incision into the bark of the host tree and inserting and sealing the cutting in it so that the cutting becomes part of the host tree. Budding is the same process using a bud rather than a cutting. The blade of a grafting knife is usually a spey and a specialized, non-metallic tool called a “spud” is often attached to, or folds out of, or is integral to the opposite end of the handle. Some grafting knives have a beveled hump, near the blade’s tip, which serves as the spud. The spud is used to hold open the incision while placing the cutting.
