I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I graft terminal buds when I can, as I feel like they grow very vigorously and dominantly. Today I was looking at my new quince and a few terminal-bud grafted apples and they’re growing great with beefy central leaders shooting skyward. Every grafting seminar I’ve been to and every guide I’ve read says don’t use the tips. Conventional widsom aside, anybody else have any personal stories for/against them?
I did read this thread. One good point there was that a terminal bud doesn’t need to have its moisture sealed in.
UYGI, I think I have had a higher % take rate with terminal buds.
I’ve not done a chart or a actual ‘scientific’ study for that trait, but it seems to me to be the case.
I took a cultivar of Red Delicious from around 30 years ago from a tree that didn’t have over 1 inch of new growth anywhere on it. Terminal bud took.
Of the scions you sent me in April, three of the six grafts I made took…three were terminal buds, but the other 3 also took. So, I’m thinking almost 100% of grafts with terminal buds have taken over the past 2 years…and my overall rate was over 80 % in 2018 and around 75% in 2019.
And, good point…you don’t have to worry about putting wax on the top cut of the scion!
I always assumed that the advice was more simply because there isn’t enough scionwood to go around that has a terminal bud on it, since most people cut their scionwood into several pieces.
Hmm, could be. Also a lot of the tip wood I’ve harvested can be very small caliper, which is at best a pain to squish into a teeny tiny cleft graft. The really skinny scion is impossible to W/T graft for me.
I am a beginner to grafting. I can add this small observation though after just finishing a pear frankentree of sorts with 14 grafts. I did all cleft grafts and I have some terminal scion but mostly not. I certainly found I got a much tighter fit if I could tap the scion in versus pushing in.
. One good point there was that a terminal bud doesn’t need to have its moisture sealed in.