2025 Grafting thread

I may be a little early, but I have my Prunus Americana rootstocks inside a finished and heated room in my shed (60-70*). I grafted Flavor King, Dapple Dandy, Lavina, Santa Rosa, and Methley. Hopefully they take, if not I think I’ll have time to try again.

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I’m guessing this Flavor King Scion is waking up and just using stored energy to push new growth. Hopefully the graft will take and it will continue to grow! It was just grafted 5 days ago…

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It’s still going!

At a quick glance, some of my others seem to have some bud swelling.

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Could very well be a take… I’ve gotten a take in under 1 week on an apricot. Indoors so temp was fairly warm which helps a bunch. My room was 60s-70s.

Wow awesome! I have a row of Prunus americana Im going to turn into a fruit hedge. I will also be doing Dapple Dandy, Flavor King, and Methley at a minimum, hopefully a few dozen more varieties too!

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Flavor King still going strong.

Methley is starting to push some green.

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I notice we’re in the same zone and you’re grafting your plums/pluots already. Do you keep the grafted rootstocks indoor until it gets warmer? And were the rootstocks kept outdoor in the cold before you bring them in to graft? Thanks.

Would it be ok to bring a pawpaw seedling inside to graft now or is it far too early since they wake up so late.

The rootstocks were suckers that I dug up in November when they went dormant. They were kept in the unheated part of my shed until early January. Then I brought them into a heated room in the shed. Temps fluctuate between 55 and 70* in that room. I noticed the rootstocks were starting to wake up, so I thought I would give it a shot. I figured if they didn’t take, then I would have time to retry.

I will keep them inside until the temp warms up and then I will transition them outside and then plant them in the spring.

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That’s a good idea, I may try the same with some hybrid persimmon scions on seedling DV I grew last year.

Do you unwind that tape later?

I will unwrap the black tape to check for callusing after about 30 days. This is my first attempt at grafting so it’s all an experiment for me.

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I do so many grafts each year that I usually forget to revisit a graft.
If you’re like me, you’ll find grafting rubber bands more of a time saver. They fall off on their own.

No surprise that rubber bands are used in the nursery trade and not electrical tape. Leave that for electrical work.

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I was just using something I had on hand. It’s temflex so it’s not sticky (except to itself). I understand if you do a ton of grafts. But for a hobbyist like me who will not do many, it’s not a problem.

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Temflex is pretty handy but you can overdo it. I like to use it to over wrap parafilm and ensure a snug fit. Sometimes I’ve put temflex on too heavy and it made a mess getting it off. Usually I just use grafting rubbers and parafilm.

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My impression from experience is that untaping that could be a little precarious from such small, fragile stock. I too would have preferred grafting rubbers for that application.

I use electrical tape and rubber tape only for sturdy wood, like when bark grafting. It sticks really well to itself making it difficult to unwind. I typically will slice it parallel to the trunk/limb.

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Thank you for the tips! Like I said this is my first go at grafting. So I am learning as I go!

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This thread from some years ago might be useful. (If you read closely you’ll see that lots of different approaches work!):

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Hi Donnie
They look to be taking. Do you give them any natural sunlight?
Dennis

Dennis, no they have not gotten any natural sunlight. That room doesn’t have any windows to the outside.

Does anyone know where we can buy a grafting shears like the one used in this video? It makes cutting diagonal cuts looks so perfect and effortless.

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