Small Business Spotlight: Belmont Nursery

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's busy season at Belmont Nursery as many are revamping their vegetable garden, or testing their green thumb with annuals or perennials.

But it's a special process called grafting that's why the team at Belmont nursery is never in short supply of fruit trees.

Logistics manager, Lauren Baker, says, "The fruit trees that I buy are grafted. So we buy rootstock that's less prone to disease and bacterial issues and then they graft on plums, peaches, nectarines, pears."

One of the most sought-after trees at Belmont Nursery: The Keith Davey Chinese Pistache.

Known for its vibrant red fall foliage. But the grafting happens all year.

Baker says, "We have mother trees down at the grow yard."

That's where we find Humberto Hernandez, who's worked at the Henderson Grow Yard for 40 years.

He says, "We have mother plants in here, and I cut in January. I make bundles, put them in zipper bags with a little paper, a little wet."

Each year, Hernandez grafts anywhere from 34 hundred to 5 thousand trees.

He says they started grafting this tree because the Keith Davey doesn't produce seeds.

Hernandez says, I put them in the refrigerator, every day I bring what I need."

When asked about his 99% success rate, he joked he thinks "it's more like 95%."

As for how grafting trees works, he showed us how it works.

Belmont Nursery was also a big part in helping continue a special tradition on Fresno's Christmas Tree Lane.

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