I had not seen a 2026 Grafting Thread yet, so I figured I would make one. If there is one and I missed it, please delete this!
This year I am mainly focusing on plums/pluots grafted onto Prunus Americana suckers. I will have 1 peach graft (Loring) that will be going on the PA as well.
Flavor Rich
Dapple Dandy
Flavor Supreme
Spring Satin*
Obilnaya
Flavor Delight
Flavor Grenade
Toka
Splash
Sweet Treat
Ox Heart
Black Ice
Bluebyrd
Here is what I have bench grafted over the last few weeks. 3 have started to show some green.
I don’t have any fruit trees ready to graft this year but I did do some grafting at the office. These are variegated ficus grafted on my standard green ficus.
I didn’t know American plum could be rootstock for peach. That’s amazing. I look forward to seeing your results. I tried grafting several pluot varieties to PA bare root trees last year but had no luck.
So far I have 2 peaches (Georgia Bell and an unknown variety) grafted. I grafted them last year and they seem to be doing great so far. There may be long term incompatibility?? I tried several plums/pluots last year as well with minimal success. But I attribute that to it being my first year grafting.
I have done 81 pear grafts on OHXF 97 with 26 varieties. Once I order from @39thparallel I’ll add raja to the list. I currently have/ordered 100 OHXF 97 and 10 BET rootstock. Along with 2 Callery pear seedlings.
(Asian) Drippin’ honey x3
(Hybrid) Turnbull x3
Magnus x3
(Asian) Korean giant x3
Ayer’s x3
(Asian) nijeseiki x3
(Asian) Kikusui x3
(Asian) Shinko x3
(Asian) Yoinashi x3
(Asian) Chojuro x3
Patten x3
Gem x3
Honeysweet x3
Clark’s small yellow pear x3
Maxine x3
Summercrisp x3
Brandy x3
Harrow delight x5
Harvest queen x3
Sunrise x3
Chapin x3
Blake’s pride x3
Shenandoah x3
Hunter’s deer pear x1
Bell x3
Potomac x3
I still need confirmation , but I might do my eagle project for Boy Scouts at my the church that hosts the troop. That would include planting a small orchard of apples, pears, and stone fruit. The fruit produced would go straight to the community via a church gardening program.
As for apples I currently have 50 G890 and 150 Siberian crabapple seedlings. The Siberian crabapple seedlings will have to be summer grafted due to their small diameter. I will probably buy at least 20 more apple seedlings and 10 B9 from @39thparallel maybe more. The list of apple that I will graft this year
Co-op 29
Anton Polt
Burford Redflesh
Florina
Kerr
Sieversii#12(PI 613994)
Sieversii#5(PI 613987
Viking (Clean)
Williams’ Pride
Zestar!
Reinette Zabergau
Priscilla
Prima
NY 414-1
Kidd’s Orange red
NY 35
Jonalicious
Hubbardston Nonsuch
Gilpin
Chieftain
Edelborsdorfer
Claygate Pearmain
Gold rush
Galarina
Clarks crab
Lodi
Chestnut
Liberty
Sweet sixteen
Rusty’s favorite
I have a few US-942 seedling rootstock leftover from unsuccessful grafts last year.
I have 100 American plum seedlings plus 10 MYRO-29, 10 Marriana 26-24, and 5 nemaguard.
If all goes well, I’ll have one (or more) of the following:
Ananas
ASE 170 from SSE (a super tart but also sugary apple with a fun, powerful flavor)
Cara Cara Orange Crab
Chestnut Crab
Cinnamon Spice
Divine
End of the Vine Crab
Green Newtown Pippin
Hoople’s Antique Gold
Jellybean Cider
Kerr
Mott’s Pink
Pear Apple from 39th parallel
Pinker Lady (regrafted this year thanks to rabbits girdling both my trees last year)
Pristine
Razor Russet
Wickson x Cherry Cox crosses
William’s Pride
Windfall Golden
I hope to graft a bit more to some established trees, but am not sure it’s wise to do so this far prior to the average last frost date (have only done bench grafting on dormant rootstock thus far).
I have many plans to protect these new grafts from rabbits this year (lost many of my grafts last year to girdling… My fault for not putting protection higher up, leading to girdling after a massive snowstorm this winter).
Got an email notifying me Copenhaven has shipped my root stocks. Will be interesting to see how the forecast weather affects projected arrival time of Thurs.
Looking at your photo: if the center of the length of graft is that thin line, then the bud got rubbed out and it probably will not beak bud from nearly invisible secondary buds. If that pair of reddish knobs at the base of the cut are from the stock and are buds (strange configuration to my eyes) then again, not from the grafted scion. It appears callus has formed just above those knobs.
When I made chip bud grafts first time, I made twice as many as the goal and succeeded with half of them. I hope you have more Calville Blanc d’Hiver and can try again. It’s an old & useful apple in the right conditions.
@NuttingBumpus I zoomed in and this is what I think I’m seeing. @tobrien - do correct me if I’m wrong. I do think the bud looks slightly mashed but maybe is swelling?
I also did my first chip buds last year (in fall). I was really excited to see several of them are growing now (peach). I notched above a couple that looked alive and callused but weren’t growing.
@benthegirl and @NuttingBumpus thank you both for the input. Yes benthegirl you have the pieces labeled right. The bud is a bit smooshed, but still attached. I definitely did more of these but this was the first one I unwrapped. Guessing I got a little overzealous with the parafilm on the bud.
I think it looks like it might be swelling a bit and I’m going to keep the hope alive for it leafing out! Where are you at? Do you have other apples that are at bud swell?
Thanks for the zoom. Yep, that looks like it might be swelling. Excellent. Now’s the time to cut the stem a couple inches above the graft (or notch if this is to become a limb). Feels miraculous, huh?
(Only black currant and lilac are swelling buds in Spokane and I might have seen forsythia blooming, which marks the end of winter in these parts.)
Sunday I started sort of top-working an old (30ish year) crabapple I inherited.
Did several bark grafts on each limb to help the cuts heal in a reasonable time, with the intent to eventually have 2 of the limbs E. Spitzenburg (Assuming this tasty problem-child doesn’t cause headaches in my backyard orchard), 2 limbs to Winchester and a 5th limb to RubyRush.
Left a pair of poorly placed “leaders" as I was nervous about completely topping the tree all at once considering its age, and the leaders are tall enough I don’t expect them to shade the new grafts. I figure in a year or two once the grafts are established and the scaffolds are regrowing I’ll take the leaders out to make it more of an open center Franken-tree.
I also left some younger growth on the South side of the tree (right of photo) that may end up being useful as a limb to balance out that side of the tree down the road (previous old limb on that side had died prior to my moving here and was removed last year)
I am in Upstate NY. This happens to be a potted apple that I had off site from the rest of my grafts. When the weather turns a bit nicer I am hoping to get out and check some more. Thanks again I’ll post if there is any further success. It does feel good.
My root stocks arrived on time, kudos to FedEx! 2nd year for 7/16” G.214 from Copenhaven, they’re huge and tough to get a grafting knife through, but last year I had 100% take on 25 of them so doing another 25 this year. One more order from Mehrabyan and I’ll be all set for the year.
