2022 - 2023 Grafting Thread

[TNHunter]

@DennisD… your questions and my answers below…

1. You waited until the tree was actively growing, add date please?

The date that I did my mulberry graft was 3/29/2022.
Note - that I am in Southern Middle Tennesses (zone 7a)
Something that may help others that are are in more northern or southern zones is shown in the picture below (the exact condition of my mulberry buds when I grafted).

I had some pretty good bud swell happening, and they were showing some green too.

2. You cut off the top to obtain a grafting base, and waited for a day to allow sap bleeding to subside.

I cut the top off my existing white mulberry tree early that morning at about 4 ft high… and checked for bark slip (which was working nicely) and sap flow…

There was some sap flow happening but if i waited a bit and wiped it off it did not immediatly return… it was not excessively bleeding. Again this was early that morning… and I left it like that all day until around 5 pm (after work) then checked it again.

There was no sap flow happening… it was quite calm… none had accumulated and run down the tree stump none dripped to the ground or even ran off the top cut area and dripped down the side of the tree.

Saw no signs of excessive bleeding at all… minimal bleeding was happening.

So… at 5 pm I decided to give it a try.

I cut it off much lower… at around 8 inches high. When I made that initial cut there was some sap flow as you can see… but I wiped that off and waited a bit and there wasn’t a lot more happening after that.

It took me several minutes … probably 30 or so to complete those 4 bark grafts… and looking at those pics again below… I can see where in just a few spots a bit more sap did come up.

That last picture there was probably a good 30 minutes after I did that final lower cut off. Yes a little sap flow showing there but not much, not excessive.

3. Then you performed a normal bark graft. Did you need to clean off the sap, before splitting the bark to place scions? Please describe?

I did what I would call normal bark grafts… now keep in mind these were my (VERY FIRST) grafts of any kind, so I simply did them as I had seen others do in youtube video’s. But yes I would call those normal bark grafts. There was a very small amount of sap flow while I did all 4 of those but I don’t recall it being excessive at all and I most likely just wiped it off with a paper towel.

4. Did you seal the scions in place with electrical tape? Then the Tarp rubber band was applied to provide graft pressure.

After getting to the point above where I had complete the 4 bark grafts I wrapped that all good with parafilm and also applied Tree Kote. Looking at the pic above it looks like I coated all of that flat stump top and the area where the scion entered the bark graft with Tree Kote first and then wrapped with parafilm. I put some tree kote on the cut tops of the scion wood too… and I remember giving that a hour or so to dry and then i wrapped the scions in parafilm too.

Lastly I applied that tarp strap for the final wrap, and it did a good job of securing all that. Made it nice and tight.

The next day, I applied more tree kote to make sure it was all sealed well.

5. Did you also cut through the bark below your grafts to allow sap to continue to bleed while callousing occurred?

I did not make any cuts for bleeding… basically because I saw no signs of bleeding at all after that and it did not seem to be bleeding excessively over the course of that day.

Good Luck to all on Mulberry Grafts… probably just beginners luck on my graft… but hey I will take it.

Hope we do get to eat some Gerardi mulberries this summer.

TNHunter

[TNHunter]

Question on apple grafts… I did 4 this spring on March 30… and above shows what they are looking like now. All 4 have 2 or 3 buds above the graft that are growing… and most have one or two buds below the graft.

The buds below the graft I let them grow out a bit then cut off the tip. So just a few leaves there for the rootstock.

My question is about the buds above the graft… do you let all of those grow as they wish ? 2 or 3 buds… ? Looks like the top one on all is growing the most.

Or should I cut the growing tips off the other shoots (other than the main / top shoot)… so the top shoot grows more ?

Just wondering what the next steps are… may be nothing, just let them grow more. I can do that.

But if there is something else that needs to be done at this point, let me know please.

My graft union, still has the parafilm wrap, and rubber electrical tape on, and it does not appear to be girdling at this point… but I am wondering exactly when do I need to remove that ?

Thanks
TNHunter

[murky]

Looks great. I’d remove the limb from the rootstock and pinch the tip off of the lower one on the scion.

[BlueBerry]

In theory you just need one bud above the graft and none below it.
But, what if something hits the one…and you have none?

So, I’ve learned to procrastinate…removing vigorous competition to the main shoot, but not necessarily eradicating all the others.

I’d add, that that second of the two top shoots can become next winter’s scionwood if you need another tree like this one (or if you plan to trade scions).

[swincher]

Just did a few more avocado grafts using scions from @JohannsGarden. Assuming that at least one of these takes, this will be the twentieth Mexican-race avocado cultivar in my collection so far!

[Robert]

@BlueBerry

In theory you just need one bud above the graft and none below it.
But, what if something hits the one…and you have none?

I agree. Or die back over the winter. And if they all make it, like you said scions. I was just debating on removing them myself.

[Anjeerfarmer]

First time successfully grafting. I practiced on a Callery pear patch outside a friends workplace about a month ago and yesterday saw 100% takes on pears scions (Seckle and Hosui) from my orchard.

Whip and tongue:

![image|690x920, 75%]

Modified Cleft:

[BlueBerry]

Good job! I got 100% on a couple callery seedlings I multi-grafted this year. Haven’t had nearly 100% bench grafting to purchased rootstocks

[Amelanchier]

Think I’ve been bit by the grafting bug. This is my first year trying to graft and the pawpaw and jujube scions are leafing out! Yippee!

However, I could use some advice regarding a Fuyu that died last winter. I didn’t realize you could graft on to the stump of the American rootstock (and I didn’t have scions at the time.)

Now there are rootstock shoots coming up. Should I try to graft onto this shoot or cut the stump back below the graft line and do bark grafts? If the shoot is better, can you still graft when it’s green?

[jcguarneri]

Went to do my persimmon grafts this morning, and…
half of my rootstocks died over the winter! Do’h! Totally my fault. They were in pots in the garage, and my guess is some of them must have dried out too much. Fortunately, I have enough alive still to get two grafts each of Chuchupaka and Okja.

Pears and my plum graft are looking good, getting ready to do peaches and pawpaws outside!

[Staziak]

Grafted three satsuma to a killed back kumquat this morning. And grafted several pecan seedlings. A little late for here, but it was cool and I felt like it.

[DennisD]

I would bet on grafting the shoot, do a simple whip and tongue, or a cleft graft depending on the size match of your scion. You can also place one or 2 chip buds on the lower portion of the green sucker, to increase your chances of success.
Dennis
Kent, wa

[Anjeerfarmer]

After Apples and pears field grafting, started Plums some field and some benchgrafts on plum rootstock kept in garage. Seems like beginners luck ……

[TNHunter]

My mulberry graft looks to be growing about an inch a day. Like a weed.

Several fruit set now.

[Amelanchier]

Thanks for the feedback, Dennis. I’ll have to review and practice the chip method.

[fruitkismet]

First stone fruit topworking attempt…

1. We’re having a cool spring. This upcoming weather window is the first multi-70s day we’ve had this year, though it will cool off again…Go for it or wait?

2. Here is the nectarine tree. Is it too late with the leafing out state it’s in?

3. How would you approach the grafts? There is Y with a dominant trunk and a subdominant one. I was thinking of cleft grafting onto the smaller branches coming off of each. Long-term I don’t need the original nectarine and want to convert it over to 3-4 other types. Thoughts?

[Bradybb]

It’s really a temperature thing with grafting Nectarines and Peaches,with 70-80F,being about right.
Your plan is okay.I usually strip the leaves off branches that are getting grafted.
It’s difficult to tell,but if there is inward growth,that can be removed.

[kunsangsean]

Feeling optimistic about my first grafting attempts, fingers crossed.

Apricot side grafts and apple whip and tongue. I may have gone overboard with parafilm, so hoping everything can break through. I unwrapped one thinking it was too thick, and broke off a few sprouting buds in the process so I won’t try unwrapping them again.

[kunsangsean]

Has anyone compared success rates with side grafts to bark grafts on apricots and peaches? I have some more apricot grafts to do once it warms up again, and while my side grafts are all looking good so far (I think), I found the bark grafts I did on apples to be an easier technique.

[jcguarneri]

I’m probably not the first person to think of this, but I’m trying out a paint pen as a way to temporarily label frankentree grafts while waiting to see if they take. Should be durable enough to last until you know it took, but not so durable that you’re stuck with it.

Also, the paint pen is a great tool for your 4 year old to help with labeling!