2017 Grafting Thread

I grafted mine late this year but they still failed. Many shoots were 6"-1’ long when I did the first grafting. I have to blame it on the cooler weather.

I may face the same issue then. I just grafted a couple days ago and today’s high was just 60F. After a few more in the low 70’s, we go back to the mid-60’s again for a couple days, so it could be a bit cold for persimmons. Maybe it will be better for round #3 of peaches.

When conditions are right, it seems pretty easy. I suppose the question will be how to get that success when the weather doesn’t accommodate.

I may have grafted too cool myself, it was supposed to be 70s this week but its not getting there. Its warmer than my last round though.

John Rivers nectarine grafts are kicking butt.

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Nice! Those are ahead of my peach grafts, I was grafting to big 'ol trunks and they take longer to get going. I have one trunk that had a waterspout from the base and I grafted to both the big trunk and to the sprout, and the sprout growth is 3x longer now…

John Rivers is a really late bloomer, its one of the best for late frosts. It still isn’t setting a whole lot for me though, that might be its main downside.

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Shout out to @39thparallel, as all of the scions he sent me are doing GREAT!

Lodi
Gravenstein Wasington Red
Roxbury Russet
Golden Russet
Goldrush
Suncrisp
Wickson

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I will 2nd that.

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Matt,
Do you get a bush hog in there to keep competing foliage down? Mower or weed wacker? Just curios because it looks like a fairly remote location. Your grafts look fantastic!!

Zaz,

These are my first successful nectarine grafts, so thanks.

Yes; the location is fairly remote (for central Maryland where nothing is remote). When the protagonists are lost in the woods in the film Blair Witch Project, one of them jokes: “This is central Maryland. We can’t get lost! Walk in any direction for 10 minutes and you’ll encounter a road!”

Seriously, the weeds are a constant problem. Most years, the Japanese stiltgrass is the worst culprit, but this year, the poison ivy is horrible. I’ll be pulling it all year (with gloves).

My bride got me a weed-whacker for my birthday 3 months ago. Haven’t used it yet… but will soon.

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Cherry cox is growing well

Arctic Jay also growing well. Glenglo next to it.

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I took a morning stroll today around the garden.
Peach grafts are growing well. It took two months from this picture made 3-20…

…to this one made 5-26.

Closer pictures

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Three out of 5 mulberry grafts started to grow, this will be enough mulberries for me.

This double Gerardi - Kokuso graft. I’ll leave both lower and upper branches and let it to be a multiple variety tree.

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Maria,

All you need now is a bird net for protection and you are good to go for many years to come.

Tony

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This year I used the black Temflex tape but discovered that black is a dangerous color. I’ve noticed that 3M makes electrical tape in many colors, which would seem to be great for color-coding different varieties. And they say you can write on it

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Can I get excited now? I have seen so many post about late persimmon graft failures I’m cautiously optimistic about this one surviving. I added three scions and this is the only one that looks promising.

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Is that because it overheated? Did you cover the union with parafilm? Given that parafilm is white, I would think that would reflect some of the light.

Which product number has the different colors? The one I use is Temflex 2155. When I’ve been in HD/Lowes, the rubber electric tape is only in black. It’s the vinyl they have in all different colors. One of the things I like about the rubber is that it eventually stretches and rips, so I don’t need to remove it.

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My first season using Parafilm (half inch) and worried it would not work over a cleft graft of Court Pendu Rose onto Lord Lambourne. Yesterday found CPR opening leaves! SWEET! (My reaction: the apple is likely to be only mildly sweet.)
Success with Parafilm this year: Keepsake, GoldRush, Redfield, Court Pendu Rose. Time to drive all over and check other grafts on four other sites!

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For me, Temflex on small grafts needs to be cut off so it won’t girdle the graft union. It could be that with small scionwood, there is not enough energy to push Temflex out if the way. I don’t have problem with bigger size scion.

However, by the fall, if Temflex still looks tight on vigorously growinf grafts, I remove it anyway.

Some pest that may be a bird is attracted to black and attacks the scions, pecking off the buds and breaking the sticks

The colored tape is the vinyl tape. I was thinking of applying it over parafilm to keep it from harming the bark

Bravo! As long as it doesn’t get too hot the late persimmon grafts do well for me. But, 90F+ is no good!

My 2nd-round persimmons are looking good, all three varieties I am grafting are pushing now. I was a little worried it was a bit on the cool side, lots of days in the 60’s, but it worked out well.

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