Would it be better to move my conversation over to Scion Prep
Do you have a picture of the host tree?
I’m going from recall, so you can correct if I misstate. And if this is more detail than you care to share broadly, I will edit or retract.
From what I recall, you are planning to graft dormant scions of peach curl susceptible peaches and nectarines directly to the lower canopy of a mature ornamental purple leafed plum in the Willamette Valley. You will retain most of the canopy of the plum tree. I don’t remember if you’ve been pruning it, but generally these trees have a crowded canopy with lots of vertical limbs. They are the ones that are a beautiful pink cloud for a couple of weeks each March if the weather cooperates.
Scion branches were collected a few weeks ago, and stored in large bags, and you plan to process them into scions now for storage until you are ready to graft.
Some potential roadblocks to overcome:
- Are peaches compatible with this plum variety?
- Is the scion wood in good condition, and can you keep it that way until you graft?
- My understanding is that peaches need warm weather for scions to take. That may be June. A long time to store scions. (peach are more difficult than most, the buds protrude, are fleshy, break bud early, and in our region appropriate healthy growth may be difficult to find, although your source must have a good spray regime, so you may have a leg up there).
- The area has severe leaf curl pressure. If the scions take, and start to grow - how will you protect them from curl?
- Grafts will need to fight apical dominance to take and grow. (The tree growth wants to occur at tips of branches at the extremity of tree, especially high in the crown. It is suppressed elsewhere)
- You are learning how to graft and will have a learning curve for completing the elements correctly. (normally for a first time, this is the obstacle to overcome, I would want to optimize all the other conditions above this as much as possible. Meaning, replace entire top of healthy tree with the new variety, easy to graft species like apple that can be grafted in cool weather, disease resistant scion variety, known compatible combination, etc)
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Good summary. I will do as much pruning as I can (without using a ladder or making my wife mad at me).
You might do better here and scion prep.
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I have found that is not an easy question to find and answer to. From a Botanical view, there is not much research on Prunus Cerasifera (the Purple Leaf Plum). I have found some information online.
The topic Rootstock Graft Compatibility
does list some think compatibilities but the Scions I have are not on that list. It did have a reference to an article Adara, A Plum Rootstock for Cherries and Other Stone Fruit Species which says “Adara was selected from an open-pollinated population of Myrobalan (P. cerasifera Ehrh.), although its genetic identity has not been defined.” (Purple Leaf plum is also P. Cerasifera) and it does say that “, according to the criteria of Herrero (1951) and Mosse (1962). Peaches and nectarines grafted on Adara display different compatibilities depending on the cultivar, but a high proportion appears to
be compatible with this rootstock” but it does not list the specific varieties I have. It does list two of the cherries I have Scion (Bing and Rainier) as being compatible.
Yes, I believe it is (now). As you mentioned I am in process on preparing it for storage in the fridge. Hopefully it will be fine in March when I need it.
I will do my best to save some of the Peach Scions until June. If nothing takes from March, maybe I will try again in June.
I am going to do my best to use the disinfection techniques discussed in Good system for preparing winter dormancy graft cuttings to prevent that, but if I do get one of those to start to grow, at least I will have leaned something. My first step is just to get one of the grafts to take.
As you can see from the photo, “high in the crown” is not an option for me. There is some growth on the lower limbs and I am going to try to leverage into that when possible.
Do you have any other recommendations - other then Top Working the tree which is also not an option?
This is primarily an ornamental tree. Replacing the top is not an option and I don’t have an apple tree so that is not an option for me right now - maybe in the future. At least some of what I am grafting seems to be a “known compatible combination” so maybe I can avoid epic failure on my first attempt.
I just wanted to let you know that the tape included with that kit gave me extremely poor results. I had half of my apple bench grafts fail that I used it on. I highly recommend getting buddy tape instead but maybe I was doing something else wrong. Regardless I wish you luck!
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@disc4tw Thanks, I wouldn’t want to have my first grafts fail because I didn’t have the right tape. Can you recommend something on Amazon or that I can find local?
This Grafting Tape seems to have good ratings and note the comment in the Q&A even refers to GrowingFruit.org
This is what you want, and probably the best price you’ll find. That roll will last you a long long time. It wasn’t in stock the last time I looked, ebay is the other option. I’ve ordered multiple items from sumo and they are great.
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I regrafted a few scions that scratched green but had absolutely no growth. I labeled them with an L for late to keep track and grafted them into another tree. I was pleased that they took 
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@markshancock This is where I bought, great price, Japanese language box. When you buy the thinner tape though, he just cut the roll, so better if you do that yourself as you go. Lasted through 200+ grafts plus scion wrappings. So worth it compared to other grafting tapes, but I have not tried actual Parafilm yet.
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Same graft, except I create more cambium contact with a longer, sharper cut. The cheap electric tape is what I use, although you can use the rubber stuff and not have to worry about the tape girdling the graft as it grows as it does sometimes when used for apples- you can cut it with a razor knife once the graft is strong but I usually unwrap the tape the following very early spring and just cut when too much bark is coming off with the tape. More likely to be a problem when the bark is slipping.
I’ve had miracle grafts also, half the time they runt out, it seems.
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I forgot to mention the importance of the scion wood being positioned front and back the same way they were on the tree they came from. It’s obvious when you look for it but you can get lost in other details. If you put them backwards it stunts growth a great deal.
I’ve shown clients how to do a splice graft in 5 minutes and they’ve had great success their first tries. The hardest part is holding the scion in place while you wrap it with tape, but it’s easier to master than a whip and tongue.
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@franc1969 I looks like you intended on a link but I didn’t see one. Where did you get the tape?
If you to just edit your original reply, PM me after you do and I’ll delete this reply
Link was in what I replied to.
I think his meaning is that the end of the Scion that originally faced the tree must be the end you graft with. Good point, I should flag that when I prepare Scions with two cut ends when I cut my Scions but I suspect you can also tell if from the direction of the buds on the Scion.
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Here is the reply I am referring to, I could not find a link
I thought this might be what he meant but I never have heard this before. How would you be able to tell?
Thanks!
