Note to self.When making the cut on a branch for a splice or especially a whip and tongue,think about the placement,so that it will easier to do the next steps,like cutting the tongue or having the best view of the union when wrapping up. Brady
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Well, now…my (accidentally) upside apple graft is lookin’ good.
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Some apple chip buds i did in summer 2014 have quite a few flowers opening… can i let these fruit?
Here is a topic that I started a couple days ago. It doesn’t conclusively answer your question, but it presents plenty to think about. Based on the comments, I’ll probably be removing all the fruit this year. The one fruit I let grow last year on a tree that I had had one year may have affected the tree. That tree essentially didn’t grow last year. All the rest of my trees I planted in Feb 15. I think I’ll let them get better established before allowing any fruiting. If you follow this link, start at the top of the page.
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Ummm…upside down graft (accident).
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Looks like one of my mulberry grafts is actually taking. I think this one was whip & tongue, but I’m not sure. Jury is still out on some of the others, although a few have a not-promising shriveled look to them.
What worked? This was probably the largest scion I had, in terms of width. Narrower ones have failed sooner. I’ll make sure to go with the thicker ones in the future.
Not a great success rate, but I’m still pleased, since this was the variety I most wanted to propagate. It’s tasty in the white stage, but the berries will turn light purple if you leave them long enough.
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curious, what’s that duct tape at the top for?
Most grafters I’ve seen put some parafilm or wax on the ends of a scion when they cut it off, I think to cut down on moisture loss. This is my version.
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Have you done that before? I would be afraid of ripping strips off removing it later.
I have not. I’ve only grafted once before, with help. I am not recommending this to others.
(Unless it ends up working, in which case I will be recommended it loudly and often.)
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It you’re talking about parafilm, buds grow right though it, you don’t remove, no need to. I use the stuff with fig cuttings too. If you mean duct tape, I agree, i would not use it. I used wax this year too, and I’m sold on it, I will be using it from now on.
So any recommendations on when I should try to remove the duct tape? I can cut a slit if people think it is likely to cause damage otherwise.
On my failed grafts, I visited the parent tree the other day, and a lot of its end segments (corresponding to pieces I cut off for scion) seem to be dead wood. I’m not sure what’s happening there, but it makes me think that maybe mine didn’t fail because of my grafting technique. Perhaps some spray it caught from the roadside? The tree seems otherwise healthy, it just isn’t leafing out on the last six inches of most branches.
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Tj,
I have found that poor quality scionwood is a major cause of failed grafts. If the wood is healthy, the chance of grafting success is higher even with relatively new grafter ilke me.
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I guess I would let it go now, see what happens. It should be fine. I guess worries of removing bark, but maybe it will be fine, let us know. I would leave on for now.
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Seeing some bud swelling and a little pushing out of buds on different app,e grafts I did. Love the self fusing splicing tapes.
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I think if depends on how tight it its how soon you should mess with it. I think the accurate but possibly unhelpful answer is right before it starts to bulge under or above the tape.
I think you also may want to try using wd40 to loosen the adhesive when the time comes.
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There are several good suggestions above about tape removal and when to do it. Sometimes when I’m not sure if I can get the tape off cleanly I just use a new box cutter blade and make one single cut just going through the tape. In a day or two the tape will start separating. This is a good time to see if you missed cutting the tape cleanly. Once the tape has this single cut the pressure is relieved and you can wait to remove completely at a later time or just let it push off on it’s on. Bill
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I have started putting the electrical tape on backwards ( sticky side out) it still pulls nice and tight, sticks to itself and is easy to remove later. I got this tip from someone else, wish I could remember who?
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I pulled the tape off. Here’s the successful graft. This is how they normally look, right? It looks bad to me, but seemed sturdy, and is growing well.
Looking at the failures, they were pretty rotten underneath the tape, and I even found a few earwigs stuck to the tape. I think the duct tape probably caught too much water in there (and I didn’t wrap it tight enough). So, duct tape is maybe not such a great grafting tape. Who knew?
(Answer: Everybody knew, Tim. Everybody knew.)
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Tj,
Everybody makes mistakes. We learn from it. I have found that wrapping with parafilm first to stabilize the union and wrap it tightly with either green grafting tape or Temflex works for me. I don’t use masking tape or electrical tape for wrapping.
I have not grafted on big branches or stumps so I don’t need wax or Dr. Farwell grafting seal to cover large surface. So far, I use parafilm to cover all small surfaces well.
You should try a few materials to see which one or which combination works best for you. Experienced grafters probably don’t need all the things I do 
You also grafted a larger scionwood on a smaller rootstock so there is a bit of a leftover out there.
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