I’m looking to expand the fruit varieties in my orchard next year and would like to try my hand at grafting. Specifically, I’m looking to start by grafting scion wood to established plums, apples and peaches. I am a bit overwhelmed with everything I’ve read online and hope the experts here can help. Does anyone have a good guide for someone just starting out? Curious which type of grafts to use, where to put them, when to do them and how to properly seal them up. There are a TON of different views on this so I would like to start with something basic the first time I attempt this.
If your plan is to use a grafting knife or boxcutter,practice is needed to make the same diagonal cuts used in splice or whip and tongue grafts.What I’d recommend,is getting a bunch of pencil size and smaller diameter soft sticks,they don’t have to be fruit tree wood.
It helps to be right handed,because most grafting knives are made that way.With a boxcutter,it doesn’t matter.I have a right hand one and being mostly a lefty,it was difficult and I probably didn’t do it enough and so I went to a pair of all purpose anvil type cutters with disposable blades.They make a clean cut,that can be duplicated fairly closely.
To me,that is the first step.There are other grafts,which work well,like the cleft and bark.
Here’s a pretty good video from Dave Wilson Nursery. Brady
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuSYbmSgRcY
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Yep. I did what Brady suggested. I had lots of wood from trees that I pruned for others and practiced and practiced and practiced on them for maybe 2 months. I practiced mostly veneer grafts but found the best results with cleft grafts. 95 % were successful but the cleft grafts grew out more.
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Cleft grafts are the easiest one for a beginner, in my opinion. There are multiple topics on grafting on this forum, you can easily find them by using the search functionality. Many of these topics also include links to Youtube videos that people found helpful.
I consider myself a new grafter too. I think cleft graft is the easiest to get started and have reasonable success with pear, apricot,and plum. But peach is different story.
Does anyone have experience grafting almonds?
I’m trying to grow almonds in the eastern rain forrests and I’m barely keeping my head above water (I guess in more ways than one, LOL)
Anyway I’d also like a resource for info on wet tolerant almonds and possible sources for scions. I’ve looked but most info applies to almond growers in the west.