I just order it on amazon. some guy in California sells it for $5-7/roll. I like half inch.
I had no issues with 1/2 inch parafilm. I used it for wrapping scions, and graft unions before wrapping with a rubber band.
I bought a box from Midwest Vineyard Supply, used the stuff like crazy for two years, gave some away, and still have some.
You can buy single rolls from them, or look on eBay for lots of cheaper options.
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I much prefer the 1" parafilm. Maybe I’m just fat fingered, but it works better for me. I paid less than $10 for a 90’ roll off of Amazon as I recall
I like the 1/2" stuff myself.
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I would rip the 1/2" stuff too much, the 1" stuff is also thicker so it works better for me. Definitely a personal preference.
This is what I like. It gets the job done for me quite quickly. The 1" wide allows for super easy overlap not only while wrapping the stick but also for when you get to the the top of the stick to cover it with ease.
Easier yet is buying a small deep fryer from Wal-mart and adding .5 oz piece of paraffin wax and .1 oz of beeswax. You can cover it after you’ve dipped what you want for that day and then re-heat the wax and use the slurry again. If the wood you dip doesn’t have enough wax consistency just add a bit more wax until you get the coating you like the second time around.
Then just grab your already waxed scions and graft away whether bench grafting or field grafting. It saves a tremendous amount of time. Then always have a roll of parafilm to finish covering the wounded area handy and any part of the scion that didn’t get waxed.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Farberware-1.1-Liter-Deep-Fryer/46528741
This is what I use for the .5 oz of wax + .1 oz beeswax. That dial on the bottom I put a piece of duct tape over it once I found the setting area that kept my wax at a constant 160F. So I just plug it in and go.
I buy my paraffin wax for candle making at a grocery store and buy beeswax on ebay. You fill the fryer with water to about an inch from the top (from the fill line they put inside the fryer.)
Easy,
Dax
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I have both 1/2" and 1" and use them both. I think a roll of each will last a typical home orchardist years. Freeze, or at least wrap very well, to slow aging. Some very reasonable pricing on the link above.
Lucky I think prefers Parafilm M and has sheets of it stored in his freezer.
There are so many good ways to do this job- the melted wax approach sounds pretty sweet too, especially if you have lots of grafting to do. But for the handful I do each year I’ll probably just use parafilm.
You could also hit the parafilm with a little blast of hot air from a blow dryer. Of course, then you’d have to pack a generator … ;- )
M
I find the 1" more versatile. You can use the full width for sealing larger wood and scions if you wish. I double it over for locking in T-buds which gives it more strength.
I prefer the 0.5" cause the scions I get are usually thinner. You can get one roll for about 5$ including shipping. One roll is just about enough for my needs for the whole season
https://www.amazon.com/Roll-Parafilm-Nursery-Grafting-Tape/dp/B00FFTRTBO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483032080&sr=8-2&keywords=parafilm+grafting
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Thats teh same stuff I use. Last year I went through a little over 1 roll and I did a lot of grafting and covered all my scions. I still have a few rolls left that will easily get me through the year. I plan to do less grafting this year.
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You can get the Parafilm M in large rolls. Used in laboratories for a variety of things. Likely cheaper as it doesnt have the pretty little tree picture, as the lab rats dont care what the box looks like!
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That box does not come with the parafilm unless you buy an entire box of parafilm (12 rolls). If you only buy a few rolls they send them to you in bulk packaging.
I have both the Parafilm M and the Parafilm grafting tape. For me, as a novice grafter, the Parafilm M stretched more without ripping, and stuck better to both itself and the scion( making a tighter waterproof seal). I did buy mine from a laboratory supply site and it was cheaper because I cut it in half.
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I bought a box of 6-8 rolls fairly cheap of 1" online and it will last me a lifetime.
I prefer 1/2". I also bought too much. I let them jostle around in my grafting basket and once the edges are nicked up it can’t be stretched much without breaking. I need to store it better.
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I ‘grew up’ grafting with Parafilm M - the folks who first taught me to graft used it. I have fairly ready access to it - I usually just buy a 250 ft roll of the 2-inch Parafilm M from the lab every couple of years… think the last roll I bought was somewhere around $16.
I cut mine into 6" long pieces, then split those into 3 pieces… which would, I suppose, be about 2/3 inch wide. That length and width works best for me - one piece will cover graft union and scion on most grafts I do, other than some of the large-caliper ‘banana’ type nut tree grafts, that may require 2 or 3 strips.
Had occasion to try some of the Parafilm Grafting tape a few years ago when I was doing a grafting demonstration for the local Master Gardeners class - Extension agent had purchased some. I did not like it… doesn’t stretch like Parafilm M… IIRC it doesn’t stick/seal to itself as well as M… I just didn’t care for it.
Caveat, that I just thought of… I sometimes see folks speaking of grafting with only Parafilm; perhaps that might work with the Parafilmgrafting tape formulation, but…Parafilm M has NO structural strength to speak of - especially when stretched to its ‘max’ - as I use it.
Use it only to ‘seal’… but you’ll still need to use grafting tape, rubber bands, raffia, electrical tape… something… to provide structural integrity to whatever graft you’ve made.
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Lab rat here; the only parafilm i have ever used is “m”, swiped 2 rolls when leaving school. It is like 2-3" across and i always cut strips 1/2-1/3 the full width for grafting…
I got a 6 pack of 1" back in 2012. In 4.5 years, the price has increased from $22 → $26.
I haven’t quite used up the first 6 rolls (including giving 1.5 away). I’ve been pretty happy with it, but I’m considering trying out the 2" Parafilm M from Amazon.
If you are concerned about width of the tape, buy the Parafilm-M roll usually used in the labs, their have dimension of 4 inch x 125 ft.
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I have used most all the different parafilm tapes and the Parafilm M with the paper backing is the best for me. I cut it into 1"x3" strips. The rolls without paper backing are a little harder to work with. Bill
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