Should be good, then! It might look like it’s struggling, but those buds have a lot of force once they get going and can push right through.
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I’ve even had buds push through a few layers of temflex tape. I wouldn’t be in a rush to remove any tape for at least a month, ideally longer, or you will risk damaging the new callous.
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Looks like all the grafts on the trees you gave me are doing pretty good. Minor dieback over the winter, but buds are swelling now. Do you remember the potential options for the mystery variety?
@Robert I grafted Barbra’s Blush (WS-9-10), Yates, Morris Burton, Lehman’s Delight and Prairie Star (H-118) American persimmon’s when I made those grafts… so I guess any of those. For some reason I remember suspecting it might be Yates, but not sure why I think that.
The buds on all mine are swelling now as well.
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Me too! If buds push through that thick tape then several layers of stretched parafilm will not hold them back.
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What kind of soil do people who pot newly grafted rootstock prefer? Have about 30 grafted G.11 and rather pot them before I pick a forever home for them.
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I like a well-drained potting soil. I either mix my own with about 1/4 perlite and 3/4 peat or coir, plus a handful of vermiculite, or get somthing like Pro-Mix and add in some extra perlite. If you can find it, a really coarse bark-based mix for nursery trees and shrubs like MetroMix would also be really good. I don’t think it’s typically sold retail, but your local nursery might sell you a bale or a bucket if you ask nicely.
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Thank you I really appreciate that!
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No problem! And to be honest, straight up ProMix is just fine and I’ve used that too. I just tend to favor very well drained soils for my management style, maybe to the point of being overzealous.
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I agree. Couple years ago I made my first attempt at potting up plants and it was a disaster. I used outdoor potting soil from the store. In no time it turned rock solid and water just went between the pot and soil. That’s when I learned drainage was pretty important.
I see some nurseries are using straight up fine pine bark, coir, and slow release fertilizer. Similar to my combo, but I’m replacing fertilizer with potting soil. Nice cheap combo. We will see how it works.
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Hi Regina,
On peaches I have found that older trees just need to be cut down and replaced. Bark grafting to regain the dying center simply fails. Have tried it numerous times, only to fail. I am top working an older Mazarin rootstock cherry tree over to plums pretty successfully, but when my peach trees get beyond 10 years it’s replacement time. You can grow a replacement several years in a large pot so that you do not lose many fruiting seasons, that seems to be the best strategy for me.
Dennis
Kent, wa
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Thanks Dennis, I was afraid that might be the case.
Got to 86° here today, which makes me concerned it got too hot for my peach and ‘cot grafts, even wrapped in foil.
@scottfsmith what do you think?
I have tried to revive my neighbors Frost tree. It’s about 30 + years old and is on its last leg. Tried the last 3 years, there is just no way to get young wood to grow on top
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I don’t think it is so bad as it is cooling down a lot at night still. I didn’t wrap mine. But, it only got to 82 here. If it was 86 I would have wrapped them.
A bunch of my peach roots I moved over the winter. Last year I tried grafting to the ones I just moved and half of them died from the stress. So this year the ones I just moved I am only budding to now; I will force the buds in 2-3 weeks if they took.
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My first grafting season. Apples and Pears. Ran out of scions so potted the leftover M7 rootstock.
Will the cutoff rootstock pieces root if I pot them up?
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86 on my weather station. BWI apparently hit 88.
Even driving down near Sugarloaf/ Comus at 6 pm was 85. I bet midday was hotter.
Grafting today and switched from my grafting knife to box cutter when doing some small wood. Put this in the “tip of the day” last year but I think it’s worthwhile info so I’ll mention it again. Box cutters are sometimes used for grafting and very sharp. Milwaukee box cutter blades are the sharpest and cheap.
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