I bet you’ll be successful with some! and if not, message me in summer or fall and I’ll send you some budwood. I bet I have something you’ll like.
It sounds like you’re doing all the right things and I have faith in you being patient and waiting till that warm window! Post pics for us when you’re done!
Not sure what to call these grafts. Modified whip and tongued or side whip and tongue? Is this one used much?
I’m working my way through 175 rootstocks and realizing next time I need to cut larger scion wood if I can. I do some regular whip and tongue grafts and shift to one side if they aren’t the same size but I seem to keep coming back to this side whip and tongue.
Honestly, this year is the first time I’m grafting to a tree that isn’t planted outside, so I had no idea that keeping them in 55-65F would help or that I shouldn’t be planting them right away.
I honestly can’t imagine why it would matter if they broke bud in your garage or basement and then you planted them w/in the next day or two. My problem would be that they will break bud and I won’t be able to plant them for a week or two because of my other obligations.
Because I didn’t know what I was supposed to do: I planted my rootstock in planters and stuck them outside in a “pen” with the figs. I was going to put them straight in the ground then field graft, but my spot for them isn’t ready and see above with job and such. So I grafted them in the basement. (and I’m not done yet).
I’ve now dragged them to the back of the basement where it is coolest. the potted pawpaws are upstairs where it’s warmer because they apparently callus better when warm. My significant other is probably ready to kill me (as the pawpaw are in front of the couch and because he’s made to drive rootstocks and scions around to my friends like a delivery person). I’ll post some pictures so you can all laugh! but I’m hoping my grafts work!
I have also heard a lot of this is from nightly lows too. I forget exactly, but a grafter at a local CRFG scion exchange said something about needing lows above 45°f or 50 or so. At least here I think struggle with this because of my high temperature variation between day and night, often around a 40-50°f difference. On Saturday I hit 85.5f in the afternoon and 39f at night.
In the past I’ve been real hit or miss with peaches/nectarines… perhaps because of nightly temp issue. Either get great takes or complete disaster in trees right next to each other, grafted the same way, only 1 day apart. Now of course this year I’m dealing with a bleeder because I cut off one too many branches. I’ve found apricots to be more forgiving but YMMV… I gotten 70-80% takes with them so far doing the same grafts as the peaches (cleft and bark grafts)
Absolutely! It seems like a strange idea, but the callus forms very well in those temp ranges. If you can keep it in that range for 24 hrs a day, you get super fast development compared to the typical development when they’re in the field. Just make sure you keep the roots moist. I usually put mine in a bucket with damp peat, but just about anything will work.
This page from Cummins notes that 45 degrees is ideal for callousing and at least a couple weeks - are people seeing better results from 55+ temperatures?
Question, I’m finally getting to grafting apples tomorrow and Friday as mine took forever to leaf out. Looks like 4 days of normal spring temps and then 3 hot days 2 maybe going above 90. Just put on aluminum foil and hope for the best??
55F works extremely well for me. I bench grafted apples on 3/21, stored at 55F until 3/29, then planted out. All 10 had green tips by 4/3 and have already passed 1/2” green.
I just call them “side W&T”. Also not completely sure what they are called.
@benthegirl I was struggling last year with making the cuts, too! Skillcult makes it seem so easy. I tried a bunch of gathered knives I found at home to graft.
@NuttingBumpus offered the same suggestion on those knives & that really helped me- I liked the number 7.
Practicing helps and I had 98% grafts that worked last year, my first grafting year. The failed grafts were when I used a different knife. I still could not do fabulous whip & tongue seamlessly like Skillcult. He has so much experience!
Alot of my grafts where cleft grafts & splicing over whip & tongue. I took on 50 grafts my 1st year so I just got in the frame of mind that “done is good.” You’ve got this!
Best of luck!
What model did you get? Those are great knives, I encourage you not to give up.
If you feel the knife is too big for your hand, try holding it higher, taking the handle deeper into your hand, like this
I hope this can help. Tape your thumb.
I also posted this before
lamb abbey, clark’s crab (last photo) both awake. BIG Callus on the hudson graft, and black gold cherry both on a sam cherry tree, from last year.
this year’s start is peach, plum on the sand cherries, and apple dame de colvulle. all these scion were from forum members and I’m very grateful. i had no tree budget this year. the plum on beseyii cherry are toka- it’s gotten too aggressive on the original tree i grafted to, so I’m trying to move it to these bushes instead and if it succeed I’ll cut that graft out from that other tree next year.
i used the graft compatibility thread to figure out what to try on these sand cherries next. last year i attempted white gold, rainier and hudson cherry on them and all failed. so peach, j plum attempted this year.
first photo is the apple graft i did first this year, i was a bit clumsy with the cuts on it. the other two i did look a bit better.
Thanks! This is great! The way of cutting in the video is a position I can get my hand in!
I have been trying some more with the knife and I haven’t given up yet.
Thanks! Hadn’t seen that style before.
Watching you do it bare handed gives me the willies a bit after slicing myself good last year (with other techniques), but, as you suggest, with protection it shouldn’t be scary, and does look like you get some good control.
I like to wrap my thumb with athletic tape. It helps a lot and then you don’t lose dexterity to gloves.
Apple grafts. All are on Antonovka.
It was easier to put my knife through the apple scions than the pear scions, which I didn’t expect. Some of the grafts I wish I had done different. I think in general my comfort rule is buy more rootstock than scion. That way I can graft extra trees and choose what I want.
List (I added a list of my pears in the pear post)
Grimes Golden
Hoople’s Antique Gold
Sundance
Goldrush
Black Oxford
Enterprise
Winecrisp
Galarina
Fuji (Beni Shogun)
We really like Golden Delicious type apples so that’s what a lot of these are. I will graft on more apples once my trees get more developed. They’ll be frankentrees.
These two grafts I was particularly happy with. Black Oxford & Grimes Golden.
What I’ve been doing is making small tongues just to lock a splice together and make wrapping easier. I focus on making the splices as good as possible, ideally, no light shines through when lined up (no pressure squeeze). I’ve tried making tongues larger but my grafts misalign when I do that. I must be missing something.
I was really excited when I heard that cause peach trees roots don’t do well where I live (bitter cold winter) and the PA grow like weeds everywhere here especially ditches, so I’m going to be having a lot of fun with some gurilla grafting and confuse the some fruit foraging neighbors who pick the wild plums for jelly 
are you showing off your grafts or your bread lol
Most of the house is a wreck so I figured I’d show something nice 
