Following up on my question…I think this video sort of answers it. He talks about ‘soda can sized’ branches to graft onto. I’m assuming this will apply to citrus. It allows me to come down quite far on the tree to start top working some of the bigger branches thereby downsizing the tree.
Also grafted some drippin homey scion to my winter banana apple as a backup and it took too. Thanks @IL847 for the scions this spring.
I grafted several plum onto a peach root stock. The plum grew faster than the root stock during the 1st full year. On the 2nd year, the root stock caught up with the plum. You will have to wait and see if this is the case. I didn’t prune my scion, but use strings and stake to hold them in place. They grew to 10 - 12 ft tall.
I accidentally debarked half of one of my grafted pears (Shinko on callery) with a weed eater this summer. So I figured it was a good candidate for an experimental surgery! Found a donor limb of callery pear and cut this hunk of bark off it, wrapped with cellophane.
Seems to have been successful! Can’t have a tree half girdled.
Any major scion sellers have shops opening soon in next month? I saw Queener farms someone mentioned yesterday (apple scion) so curious if any pawpaw n persimmon sellers especially are opening shops soon.
Cummins nursery in New York
Definitely leave all 4 until the “stump” is entirely closed over, you could try weaving, in-arching, wrapping the young shoots over the stump to close it off, or the easiest, pruning them so they make low down branches.
So cool, please give us an update if it really heals, and more details how!
The picture is of it healed! The green fluff is new scar tissue that filled in the sides. If it dries up or dies I’ll come back and update.
I grafting several scions on my plum tree and thankfully 1 took. My success rate is very low- for next time, I plan to graft mulberry.
I plan to graft multiple scions in hopes that one takes and can thrive. Is there any consensus on the advantages / disadvantages to graft multiple scions in the same or similar spot on the tree to become a central leader?
I have another failed persimmon graft under my belt. Trying a third time.
It’s noted that apple grafting is rather forgiving. When first learning to graft the caliper differences worried me, but the trees don’t seem to mind. This is a G214 3/8" caliper with a much smaller stick of Dennis Rodman. Out of the 120 trees grafted this year I only lost 3, all the same variety so I suspect that was from incompatibly.
A question on how to protect newly grafted trees, i have so many i dont want to lose any this year. I dont want to give them to my friend yet to plant since last young trees up there got stripped to the bark by mice im guessing. So will baby them here protected in my yard somewhere:
Do you have access to an attached garage? I’ve been putting all my potted trees in the garage the last couple years (a similarly large collection). Stays between 30F and 45F all winter. It would be a lot of work to dig them in. Sometimes they like to break bud before chance of frost is over, but worst case you move them back in for a night or two.
If you want to plant bare root in the springtime, after they go dormant, perhaps you could heel them all in together in just a small trench to overwinter? It looks like you have them growing together currently, so you’ll need to seperate them anyway. You’ll be halfway there work wise.
That’s a good idea… if I run out of space in my garage maybe a friend can help in my zone 7. His property mostly has open air barns or unheated Amish wood cabins in zone 5 so probably won’t leave up there.
As a beginner grafter, this is very helpful to see. Thanks for sharing.
The grafted bark died.
