The best advice I’ve seen (here, perhaps?) was to graft just when a tree was starting to push buds and shoots. I seem to get more successfully growing grafts if I follow that rule. I use whip grafts mostly, I’ve never had much success with cleft grafting.
But I also often end up with left over scionwood after trees have broken dormancy and have leafed out fully and are blooming. I didn’t use to let that stop me, especially with trees that bloom early here in S. Calif, such as my Hood and Flordahome pears. But I seemed to end up with grafts that took but then did next to nothing for years, only showing signs of life like a few leaves, or a shoot that went nowhere. In recent years I’ve I started getting grafts that grew 4-10 inches right off the bat, and I think that’s because my timing has improved…but I’m not sure. It might just be better quality scionwood, varieties that match up better with the rootstocks, or some other factor.
I still don’t know if the grafting timing was the most critical element, but I’d like to know what others think of this…and also which are the best types of grafts that can be used after the tree has leafed out and is blooming, if any. I’m talking about deciduous trees, apples, pears, plums, not evergreen ones like citrus.
