I did not take much time or thought in the bud grafts. The stock i was using was only 1/4". My technique needs work and my timing may been late in the year (Late July in Kansas). I will try again but, I have learned to concentrate my efforts where I’m sucessful.
After forcing them, or letting them go?
I did force it by cutting off the top.
The grafts I posted pics of 16 days ago, as they were just pushing through the parafilm today:
The longest shoot is about 14+ inches long… Seems to like the heat. Should I remove the other shoots on this graft, or leave it alone in case I lose one of them to winter? Should I be seeing callous growth where the union between scion and stock are? I will be adding a support stick tomorrow as the new growth is larger than the scion stick.
Think it will harden off sufficiently by the end of Oct (when we seem to get first heavy frosts)
Scott
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Found this excellent article on whip and tongue grafting that I thought might help someone. Whip and Tongue Grafting.
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I think it might be also helpful to point out that the more complicated whip and tongue’s only advantage is that it provides pressure to the wood which is actually only an advantage if you don’t use some kind of tape to pull scion to stock- which provides superior strengthening than the W and T to begin with, and more than adequate strength in my E… An additional disadvantage to what I consider wasting time on a W and T is that it has to make aligning cambiums more difficult.
Unless you are doing it as a hobby, similar to learning Irish folk dancing but less fun, I strongly recommend sticking with the splice. Your fingers may thank you.
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Do you think splice is easier for novices than the cleft?
It is certainly quicker, but neither require the development of much skill, although skill makes everything go smoother (wrapping the tape around the splice while holding it together is awkward at first). As does mental experience, so you don’t do something like attaching the scion with the buds pointing towards the graft.
The reason cleft grafts are so common is because grafting is often done to change over established trees and a wide range of branch diameters can be grafted to using a cleft. With the splice you generally need to use one or two year wood to graft to- preferably near the exact diameter of the scion wood.
The article does mention that W&T is used for bench grafting, doesn’t suggest it be used in topworking out in the orchard
One thing I like about w&t is that the pieces will stay together on their own, same as in a cleft, while you get them aligned and start taping. But if you follow Alan’s method with electrical tape, or use the thick, stretchy rubbery stuff some of us like, you may well decide the tongue just isn’t worth the time. I would not do it any more.
Another advantage to the simple whip (splice) with plastic tape is that there is less time for the pieces to dry, get dropped, or get contaminated through excess handling or blood from a cut. You can even cut both pieces with your nippers, so it’s nip-nip-align-wrap-label and off you go.(Have the tape already stuck to the rootstock before you cut the pieces.)
Just my two cents worth-
And how would that change WT’s value? I’m actually asking, not snarking, as I’ve never done any bench grafts.
The big advantage I see to w&t is if you pull your tape a little early the graft won’t fall off. That being said I did not do 1% of my grafts like that this year. Most of my grafts were splice or cleft because I need to do hundreds of grafts a year. I slow down and take the time if the wood is really rare ( irreplaceable ) like for a seedling.
Just another opinion. Until last year I almost exclusively used W&T grafts with good results. Then I started using cleft grafts. In most cases I can do the cleft graft much faster and I still get good results. I do some side grafts when it fits my needs.
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I’ve never pulled off tape too early- have you? The stuff I graft is solid once it gets decent growth- but I’ve never pulled or cut before mid-summer.
If cutting is an issue there is no problem if you use rubber type electric tape or anything similarly stretchy.
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I tried using whip and tongue grafts on existing trees and water sprouts. It was a pain in the but. Too many cuts and too awkward. I did however use it successfully bench grafting to bud9 rootstock. What made it better for bench grafting is that you can sit the scion and rootstock in any position easily. This includes your lap, a bench, table, tailgate, etc. When you try whip and tongue on a tree it’s just too weird to get I to a good position. Cleft grafting is way easier on a tree. At least for me.
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@speedster1 ,
That is my thought exactly. I have only grafted on existing trees. I can’t twist and turn the branches to get good angle for W&T. W&T needs some fine motor skills which is not my forte. Even splice graft, holding the graft union on one hand and trying to wrap it with another hand can be challenging.
My go-to grafting technique is cleft. I do bark and splice grafts as needed. W&T is not my cup of tea.
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It’s a matter of what kind of grafting you want to do
Some people seem to associate grafting with bench grafting and thus promote the W&T as best - but it depends
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Alan,
I did when I was starting out make mistakes like that. That’s how I learned not to. The wind still snaps one now and again if they get to growing to fast and if I’m neglecting them and not paying attention. Most people are doing 1-6 grafts a year so from my perspective w&t is great in that situation. You do at least hundreds a year probably like I do so we think about how we can do them faster.
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The majority of grafts I do are in my nursery which is in a very protected little canyon- normally there isn’t much wind.
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