First time bench grafting apples, and have about 35 to get going tonight.
I poked around for a good half hour and didn’t find a clear answer, hence the new thread. If there’s already one, kindly point me there.
When you graft onto rootstock, how much rootstock do you aim to leave above the roots? (root to graft length)
When you initially plant a grafted apple, how far below the surface do you bury the roots (after the graft is callused)?
Hi Ross
Wow, that’s a smart technique! Once I figure out chip budding, I’ll have to latch onto that idea. That’s a useful reference on the height…
Alright, got it. I wasn’t sure if at the start of it’s life was different than what I’ve seen coming as pre-built bare-root trees… all makes good sense. I didn’t want to make a bad assumption on a lot of trees.
Yes, I definitely need to dig into wood chip mulching. I don’t think hardwood chips are easy to come by here, but I need to chat with some tree guys to see if they offer any.
Thanks, Dennis!!
If all you have is conifer chips, try to get aged ones, but any is better than none. Should you have access to a mature conifer and can take some mycelium from the soil beneath the tree, it’s an excellent innoculant for your woodchips that you use for mulch. It can quickly speed up conversion of chips to soil.
Dennis
Regarding how much of the rootstock and where to make the graft. I think a minimum of 4 inches above soil ois recomended. I often go 6. Some of it depends on where you can match caliber. One theory is that a longer rootstock, 6-16 inches gives the rootstock more influence on the trees growth habits.
I’ve messed around with some on M111 and cut about 3". Just to try the nurse root thing later. And then there are interstems too. 8" pieces on those.
@DennisD That is helpful to know, and gives me some areas to investigate. I have a lot of conifers on the property, so no issue there - however, I need to read up on mycelium and its collection. Thank you.
@Masbustelo This has me thinking more about trees I’ve bought before. It seems they’re pretty typically planted both at the same root crown depth as well as the graft usually being that 4-6" above the soil. I was scratching my head a little recently, thinking about graft strength, and that many of these purchased bare root trees either appear to be side grafted or modified cleft graft (which, from what I can tell, are very similar grafts). Now it strikes me that they may do this for consistency, with respect to comments I’ve read about distance from soil to graft, versus grafting up or down the rootstock to match caliber. It seems that you prioritize caliber matching for a stronger graft versus consistency. This is all good perspective - thanks.
@dannytoro1 as soon as I saw Masbustelo’s comment, I started thinking back to a discussion I saw recently on minimum interstem length, so your comments and Masbustelo’s comments on interstems and rootstock influence make good sense.
All - on the topic of root crown depth… what do you call the root crown on a specimen like this…
Should soil line (1" above roots) be at:
I’m unclear if straggler roots are pruned off, or only unhealthy straggler roots. Thanks in advance!
On that one I’d graft right under that rough looking top straggler.
I’d plant at red.
Using whip & tongue or cleft grafts, I like to match the diameters of the scion and rootstock. I’m a little OCD about it – I used a micrometer. Of course, it’s always approximate because the sticks aren’t round. The reason for matching is obvious – matching diameters makes it easier to ensure cambium contact on both sides. In my experience (maybe ~100 total grafts of apples and pears) grafts with well-matched diameters almost never fail.
So for each graft, my process is to select a rootstock, find a scion that is approximately the same diameter, then fine-tune with actual measurements. I’ll cut the rootstock at the height that creates the best match with the scion.
When the scions are just a bit too small, I’ve used off-center cleft grafts – still trying to get contact of the cambiums on both sides. When the scion is way too small, then I’ll go with a bark graft. In these cases, I prefer a thicker rootstock so I’ll cut ~4-5" above the former soil line.
FWIW, I don’t think it matters much how high on the rootstock an apple is grafted. But with Asian persimmons on D. Virginiana rootstock, Cliff England reportedly claims that higher grafts are more cold-hardy. I have no idea why that would be true.
I would plant at the same depth as the rootstock grew or maybe slightly deeper.
Thanks all, you were very helpful.
During the callousing period, what mediums do you heel your freshly grafted trees into?
I’ve heard shavings, perlite + sand, and curious what else works. Around here, I have diatomaceous earth, pine bark fines, compost, sand, pine bark chips. I’m thinking even straight DE may work.
This may be unorthodox, but I potted the trees directly into 1.5 g pots.
I think any medium that creates high humidity without anoxia would be fine.
Thanks. I was thinking of that for some of mine will go into pots, but many will go into a nursery bed after callused. I am concerned about some of the scionwood is ready to bloom ahead of it callusing, so I’m trying to keep the potted ones mobile for a bit, in the event I need to throw them in the fridge.
Since I have DE and sand here, I’m thinking of a mix of the two
You could transplant from the pot to the nursery bed at any point. I think you’re creating an artificial distinction. For trees destined to be transplanted, I might put some burlap in the pot to make it very easy to remove the rootball without disturbing the roots.
Scionwood ready to bloom seems like a potential problem, like the scions weren’t kept fully dormant. You want roots before leaves (and flowers), otherwise the scion will exhaust its stored energy. Anyway, flowers should be removed this year.
I’ll definitely be removing any flowering, which I’m not expecting. Yeah, one of the scionwood orders I placed had 10/14 scions leafing out when they came, and another 2 in the fridge. So, I had to replace most of those. But, one or two I could not, so this is a try-n-see, and using longer sticks and removing all leaves that aren’t the last bud to break. Folks do make it work, just not clear on a good approach.
The ones going in containers are probably destined for containers for the future, whereas the ones in the garden bed will get dug out and re-located in-ground.
A few additional questions on newly grafted apples that are starting to leaf out.
Today, I applied some tree-tone, and then thought… not sure if that was a good idea. What’s the typical guidance around bench grafts and fertilization? Do you all think this will be an issue?
Also, in your experience, once the graft has broken bud (and it’s 4-6 weeks after grafting), do you allow it to be in direct sun, or do you have to harden them off? We do have intense sun this year, and for the first time, entirely burned a fig.
Lastly, I left some buds on the rootstocks, which are now leafing out, as well. At what point do you cut off the rootstock leaves? I have scion buds in various stages from multiple 1" leaves down to tiny leaves just emerging from the buds.
Thanks, all!
Ross, I am wondering how your 35 apple grafts turned out? How far along were the rootstock shoot growths before you trimmed them? How did the callousing phase go? I will be grafting a chance seedling I found growing on a mountain road this spring to purchased rootstock. The apples are super intense with lots of acid and sugars. I am looking forward to a good cider apple.