2018 Missouri State Nursery Seedling-Rootstocks

Can you recommend a wood that would be similar to practice on? I have access to apple, cherry, oak, maple, locust, walnut and other native hardwoods locally, as well as some potted citrus that could probably stand to sacrifice some twigs to the cause.

Walnut, oak and Cherry should be similar.

1 Like

Chip bud them if you know how. They take great. All you need is a piece of wood 3-4" long to get 3 buds in most cases. Get a 6" stick and you’ll have more buds than you need but graft them all if you can. It’s nice to have back-ups.

Dax

1 Like

Good to know. Chip budding is where I’m leaning, as I’m having an easier time with that cut than with the sloping grafting cuts. I always seem to end up with a tag of bark and wood on the opposite side.
Definitely good to have backups.

Hi Jc,

Do your cuts while sitting down at a table (bench grafting) with the scion stick laying flat. I have an old brand of kitchen cork board they stopped producing with the name Bambu. If you ever see one on eBay snatch it up. Cork is a natural antiseptic so you may lay your cut sides of wood on it whereas any other substances: wood, plastic, etc. can damage the cells. It’s not like it’s life or death to lay a cut on wood or a plastic kitchen cutting board but it’s not recommended is all.

I’ve found other cork products worthless. Their grains are not tight and compact like the Bambu brand. Cork sheets for other than kitchen purposes flake off large pieces of cork and get stuck on your cuts and everywhere else.

Of course seedling-rootstocks/clonal grafted when bareroot you also lay flat to make your cuts. Plants in containers that stand on their own (not tubes i.e.) you make your cuts with them upright.

Wait until temps are beyond 70F if you can for persimmon grafting. You can put your rootstocks when they arrive in a refrigerator and keep them there until it’s 70 outside and then do bareroot grafting of chips or with the knife/tool.

Best regards,

Dax

3 Likes

@barkslip Thanks for the good advice! I like the idea of using a “cutting board” to support the back of the cut. One of those things I haven’t seen done in my research thus far, but glad to hear it’s kosher. I’d been thinking cardboard, but cork sounds better. I definitely appreciate all the advice you give here and elsewhere on the forum. Between you and @Hillbillyhort,@tonyomaha, and others, I actually feel like I stand a chance of succeeding!

3 Likes