Sometimes a rootstock will plant itself, maybe too perfectly. I was chopping back this callery that sprouted in a neglected pot for several years until I realized what it was last year. Now it lives a new life hosting a Shin Li scion.
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Here are 2 pics of my Apricot Frankenstein. This little tree was a ‘cheapo’ in a bag that broke off at the graft the first year. I decided to keep the peachstock rootball and graft it over with other apricot varieties. I hedged my bets and grafted several branches of each variety, not expecting some to take. But they all are growing like gangbusters! Especially Harcot - with big beautiful leaves! These are all grafts I completed about a month ago.
My questions -
Do they look like ‘real’ takes - or just working off of the scion energy?
Should I prune them back some, because they are so leggy - or wait till later in the year?
Thanks for your help on this one.
OH! And is it safe to spray them with something like Bonide Infuse ? Or Plant Guard?
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Karen, well done. They are real takes and grow well. I don’t see need to prune at this stage
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Labeling day: I wait until all grafts are clearly growing before applying permanent labels. The pots are arranged in order and temporary labels are used until then. Today was labeling day! Now I just need to keep them watered and fertilized until I have a place prepared to set the trees out. I have duplicates of several varieties that will eventually be either given away or sold.
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What is your method for fertilizing new grafts in pots? I have a few apples and plums and apricots I did for fun this year and am not sure how often I should fertilize and with what.
I’m using Miracle Grow 15-15-15 at a rate of a level teaspoon per 5 gallon container given once a month. That won’t work very well in a few more weeks as they grow so I will get some osmocote and give each container a couple of tablespoons.
I’m in the deep south and will soon have 90+ degree temperatures. Daily watering is necessary. I am using a mix of promix MPX with about 35% local soil. The advantage is better water holding capacity along with better micronutrient balance.
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how hard are cherries to graft? I’ve got a friend with scion coming this winter from one of their very old tart, unnamed cherry tree (I’m pretty sure it’s a black republican) and I’ve got two year old cherry trees in the ground that flowered this year. I think mine are “dwarf flowering” they were a gift from same friend, who keeps track of nothing. (lol)
I would like fruit- will they graft onto these trees? are cherries difficult?
my plum grafts took off this year, my apples less so. that’s all I’ve had any experience with
Cherry graft is not more difficult than plum graft. My cherry graft take rate is 100% this year
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Cherries have been pretty easy to graft for me. Nicely spaced buds makes cleft grafts easier.
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thanks, I’ll try it in spring!
I ordered 4 Mahaleb root stocks with my apple roots this spring and grafted 4 Montmorency from my trees at the house (trees to plant in the orchard). I have buds swelling on 3 of them, the 4th seemed to have dormant buds when I grafted, so hard to tell on that one. Too early to tell, but looking good so far.
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@resonanteye … i did 5 grafts of montmorency onto my lapins chery this spring. It was a mix of W/T and Mod/Cleft… all 5 took and are growing very well… 2 ft or more already.
They all pushed buds thru parafilm quickly… faster than any of my other grafts… this spring. May have been perfect timing weather wise.
This was my first time grafting cherry.
Good luck !
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Last year I was 0/10 with my apple grafts. I kept all the rootstocks and tried it again this year. I did more wraps with the parafilm this year and it looks like it might work out.
Question- do I need to cut a little hole in the parafilm to allow the leaf to grow? I really wrapped them up so I don’t think it will be easy for the leaf to bust through it.
Are the bud areas wrapped over,more than twice?
Yes I wrapped them a couple times over.
Annie. This is so typical . . . Right after these posts about my apricot grafts we had 2 very windy, chilly days. The very top graft - one of the Harcots - broke off leaving only one healthy growing bud/branch. So I had to clip that one off just above that spot. I decided to cut the others back as well, to keep them from breaking . . . which is probably not a bad idea anyway. No one answered my question about spraying tender new grafts. ? I think I will before the insects decide to go nuts on them.
Your ‘Superior’ plum - and the unidentified one you called ‘Tasty’ are both doing great, by the way. They are on my Toka plum tree and have fruit this year. Lots of PC damage . . . (I was a bad girl with my early spraying.) Thanks for the scions!
Can somebody please help me. Why are my grafts starting to wilt like this. I grafted in March and this is starting to happen! My 4th year grafting and my apple percentage still isn’t great.
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I did not do a ton of grafting this year, just mainly some persimmons. Oddly, all 5 grafts using scion wood from my own trees failed. In the past I’ve had ~75% success grafting persimmons to DV seedlings, so I don’t know what happened. Maybe I took the scions at the wrong time. It was an extremely mild winter (except for two very cold nights), so maybe the wood was not sufficiently dormant.
I also purchased Morris Burton scions and had good success with those. I have two grafted on seedling DV and I’ve also grafted onto two sites on the mature Prok that I have top-worked. Here’s an example. Many of the scions have swelling buds but the one highlighted is most advanced.
Separately,. I used to have three Gerardi dwarf mulberries, but woodchucks love to climb the trees and strip the leaves. A couple years ago, a fat woodchuck broke one of the trees at the graft. I let the rootstock regrow and tried grafting my own Gerardii scions. At least one of the three grafts seems to be taking:
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