Great tip Clark. I must admit that I was one of those that thought more was better. Thanks, Bill
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So true Clark! One thing you may want to try. Instead of using paper towels, use a small piece of synthetic cloth. Paper towels (and natural fiber cloth like cotton) mold easily. By wrapping scions in 100% synthetic cloth, it seems to slow down the mold growth on the scions compared to paper towels.
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Thanks Olpea that’s a great tip ! That’s going to help me a lot.
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If you prune from the ground you pick from the ground. If you prune from a ladder you pick from a ladder. This is a simple but important quote/tip that Dr Powell used in this excellent video of his on pruning peach trees.
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I did a little pear grafting today and it reminded me of a couple things. My tip would be to graft the varieties that you are the lest excited about first. My grafts always look better after I have done several.
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Tip of the day : while you graft mix a 5 gallon bucket of bleach water at a 10% solution. Take it with you from tree to tree dipping your blades as you make cuts and scion wood if you have not done so already. This will help prevent the transfer of disease from tree to tree. Remember bleach is corrosive so dry your blades.
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I have been using Alcohol for this purpose but I have mixed feelings as to whether it is effective. I don’t know why but I have more confidence in the bleach solution that you use. Do you give your tools a quick dip and dry or do you soak them for a certain period of time. How would a spay bottle of the bleach solution do?
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I give a quick dip and swirl. I use alcohol as well but it gets expensive doing as much grafting as what I do. I also question the effectiveness because i m trying to conserve alcohol so a dip seems better in bleach. Cutting on trees grafting during FB season is asking for it regardless of the method we use but might as well try to be safe. A spray bottle would be fine if that helps to make it easier.
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Thanks
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Tip of the day - Don’t sabotage yourself from getting abundant fruit harvests. Never risk what you have for what you want unless you can afford to lose it. If you have 10 kieffer pears bearing don’t be to quick to graft them over unless you have to many, can afford to not have the fruit, don’t like the fruit etc. Sometimes I see people in top working cycles where they change new varieties every two years and never allow any of the trees to bear abundantly. I typically add on and only get rid of what I don’t want because I have to many or it’s undesirable. Pears take 7 - 12 years to begin bearing in many cases. You only get 5-9 full cycles of pear grafting in a lifetime to see them to maturity hence why they are known as “pears for your heirs”. Sure ohxf333 make them bear in half the time but it takes time to grow those as well.
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What a great tip of the day. My combo pear (having lost three out of five grafts to deer and rabbits) will be blooming and hopefully fruiting for the first time this year (seven years later). such true words. I too let most of my trees make the fruit I bought them for unless they are horrible tasting and not sweet enough. Great advice! 
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My tip for today for those who use hand held or backpack sprayers is upgrade your wand to a 40 inch model. Just used my newly purchazed 40" Chapin wand I got from Amazon for the 1st time and noticed it really allows you to stand further away from the trees while spraying making for a safer application.
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Thanks, Chris for the reminder.
I’ve been thinking about buying one every year. This may be the year.
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But if you graft over every year you never have to worry about the squirrels getting the fruit. It’s so much easier growing fruit trees when there’s no fruit. LOL
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Don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but…
Actually I don’t know how much good a “swirl” will do.
I remember reading that the alcohol would have to be in contact with the pathogen for at least 30 seconds in order to do its thing.
A swirl can’t hurt but a wipe with an alcohol infused cloth which adds as a physical removal of the pathogen would work better (in theory anyway) and trapped on the cloth there would be enough contact time to do in the buggies.
Mike
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Actually Mike, mictrobes are so small they can hide in the grooves of the blade that resulted from sharpening it. I don’t think that… [quote=“MES111, post:99, topic:4375”]
physical removal of the pathogen
[/quote]
is a possibility. They can survive in the microscopic bubbles caused by swishing too. At best we can hope to (1) reduce the population, and (2) work on healthy trees. 
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I’m definitely guilty of that. One sign is the number of things I removed and then decided to re-add later. I really was more interested in running my own backyard “research lab” than having lots of fruit. Still, after 14 years of the research lab, and growing about every variety I have an interest in, I am finally shifting more into production mode.
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Always back up a new variety by grafting some of it on a existing tree . I have lost too many new trees . I have saved many varieties this way .
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If you want just a bit of extra balance, don’t cup your hand over the top of a prickly pear. 
Yeah. My palm, fingertips, and thumb are thorn free now. I’ll be thinking sharper the next time I walk into the agave patch.
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Tip. Keep a few basic records of things going on in your orchard that is important to you. For a few years now I have been keeping records of the dates that each variety start blooming and when they finish. Armed with this information you can competently make sure your cross pollination needs are met and even share this information with others in a nearby location. Bill
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