Here’s a picture of a small bud graft of Howard Miracle onto a franken tree with a bunch of prior and this summer’s grafts on it. Below the graft in the foreground is a toothpick for size comparisson with the branch.
I’m not 100% sure it’s taken, but it looks pretty good so far. The bud grafts that have had the highest success rate so far this summer is elephant heart plum. I’m pretty sure that almost every elephant heart graft has taken and I did a fair number of them. I wish all the other plum varieties I’d grafted this summer were as quick to take.
Here’s an example of the double bud graft I spoke of earlier. Two small plum grafts onto a much larger branch.
For those who grow out their own rootstock and graft, a question.
I have several rootstocks I bought this spring (3 Julien A and 3 OHxF 87). I planted them in my in-ground vegetable garden area. This is not the location I will be growing the eventually grafted trees.
Is it better to move and graft late winter/early spring at the same time or move to the permanent location once dormant and graft in place in the spring?
My thought is it might be better to give the whips a few months in their eventual home to perhaps be more ready to accept and heal the graft in spring.
Though above ground there will be no leaf growth, I believe the roots still do some growing in winter, especially where I am as it can easily be 80 on Xmas day. Soil doesn’t get very cold here all winter.
I know commercial outfits grow all their rootstock close together before sale or grafting and sale.
Since I have am option of when to transplant them, I’m asking.
Damn that would require patience that I don’t have!
Well at least for my 3 Julien A. They are to replace 3 of the 5 whips I started an espalier with this spring. (last purchase from Tyty for sure. 3 of 5 whips didn’t even bud out.).
I could train them in place for the espalier I guess but it will be so much easier to do it in the final location to get the angles right.
So I have about 1/2 dozen rootstocks which I grafted this past spring (cleft grafts) and put outside in the ground. They did well and all took. I noticed recently that the electrical tape has mostly to completely come off them and the parafilm has disintegrated too. Grafts seem to have healed well. But I am wondering if I should replace the parafilm and tape over the graft. Normally I would remove it next spring, so I could just leave it off, but we tend to have very windy spells in the winter (100+mph), so I was debating whether these new trees could us the extra support over the grafts during the winter months.
This is my first year of grafting various varieties on my seedling rootstocks.
Gold Rush and the Wambugu variety from Kenya seems to be very vigorous, especially the one above (Gold Rush). Also, Williams Pride and Golden Russett seems to like the climate especially after the rainy seasons. Hopefully, some fruits by next year. Ps: I’m using @applenut recommendations (apple list) for warm climates.
That’s interesting.
I am pretty much a ‘newbie’ at all of this. And before reading your answer I was thinking that my first inclination would be to go ‘open center’ and keep the outer 2 branches - and train by continuing to remove any inward growth - favoring cutting above the outward facing buds to create ‘spread’.
Is the formation of ‘everything’ coming off the main trunk at the same height going to be a problem in the future with ‘my’ plan? I am just curious. I haven’t done too hot a job training my earliest apple trees. The newer ones I used modified central (as best I could) . . . and they seem to be in better shape.
Always learning . . . . thanks. Pomgranny.
Basically what happens when everything is branching off at the same height is you have less structural integrity. The branch collars interfere with each other and you can also get bark inclusions (the branches look like they’ve fused, but the cambium is still laying down bark between them). Since the wood grain isn’t growing together, inclusions are very prone to splits. The bark inclusions are particularly going to be a problem with leaving both of the cleft graft leaders in.
If you look at a proper open center tree, there’s usually at least 4" vertically between the centers of each branch.
I only found one hit on searching for “heat shrink” in the forum so I am posting here.
Has anyone used heat shrink tubes for grafts? Any issues?
They make white heat shrink tubes so that helps with the concern of extra heat from the black tubes, though you can always cover the graft with aluminum foil.
Anyway I was thinking of it as I was cleaning up my garage and came across some heat shrink tubes.
With just a hair dryer it would seem to make a nice snug closure for support and sealing in the graft to prevent dessication or exposure to pathogens.
I’d think it would remain flexible enough not to girdle during the few months it’s on. It could be removed after good growth is seen on the scionwood and if needed be covered with parafilm for the rest of the first growing season.
Not sure I can be called an expert, but if 100 mph winds are a concern, you might do well to stake your saplings the first couple of winters, at a couple levels if they have gotten more than 3 feet of growth. Wrapping the graft union again with tape is, to my mind at least, insufficient insurance against failure in hurricane force gusts.
Another thing: last year my region had an unusual start to winter, with many broad-leafed trees still carrying the full load of dead leaves. My Goldrush hadn’t dropped any until I cut them off the following spring (only because I dreaded harboring pests in curled up foliage). You might check for that to decrease the drag in wind.
Good point. I generally do stake the trees for the first few years. And I think you are right, keeping that “lever arm” from moving in the wind is probably more important than reinforcing the graft.
One thing I have tried, that seems to work, is securing the main “trunk” of these trees by spiral-ling some twine around the trunk and tying the ends to the stake. I think this spreads the loads more evenly on the trunk than a single attachment point would.
If the cambium of the scion and root stock made contact and fused, but not completely healed can you unwrap part of the para-film to allow more oxygen into the wound to make it heal faster?
I grafted an 1" to 1.25" branch using whip and tongue, I amaze how tough that was. I was using an orange branch and it was so stiff. I have a hard time inserting them together. Once partly in, I spent a lot of time sliding them in. I say, 80% in using force and 30 minute of frustration. Then, I wrap it and pray it work.
Above half inch it is tough to get a good graft using that method. Thanks for sharing your frustrations…for others have had them too if they’ve ever grafted those sizes.
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