Grafting for complete beginners?

Clark, That’s the absolute first I’ve ever hear of someone covering a graft in tanglefoot. Care to explain why you would use it? I’ve not found that fresh grafts have any insect pressure and tanglefoots texture does not really lend itself to being that great of a “sealer”. My first thought was to say it would just make a huge sticky mess.

Care to explain?

Does Tanglefoot deter slugs? If it did I might be tempted. I’ve had a wicked problem with slugs this spring.

Tanglefoot does make a tree wound sealer/grafting compound,which I use. Brady
http://www.amazon.com/Tanglefoot-300000529-Pruning-Grafting-Compound/dp/B0035H3RGO

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That makes more sense. I thought he was talking about the super sticky stuff I use on my trunk to keep ants and other critters from crawling up the trunk.

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Makes me think of the roofing asphalt I used to use- we’d put it the tips of the grafts where they were cut, but now I just touch them up with Johnny Wax.

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Speedster,
This post will better explain the methods i use Top working Pears weather permitting . I could see how that could be confusing.

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My friend has an old crabapple and I have tons of extra honeycrisp scion he’d like me to try to graft onto it. I’d like to do it too and practice several different techniques. I was looking at the tree and its hard to find any new wood to graft to, its pretty gnarly with lots of spurs. Is it a complete waste of time, or can I hope to get some takes if my technique and timing are ok?

Mike,

I would focus on cleft or rind grafts on a tree like that. Here is a couple of videos that will help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrE2CkQHudI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpgbpbewU3E

Clark

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Thanks Clark, can’t wait to get out and try. Late next week we’ll be close to 70 for highs and close to 50 for lows. I checked out those great picks you took of top working a pear tree. If you get both both grafts to take on say, a 1 inch branch, do you let them both grow or cut one off?

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Better to cut one off. Wait until your sure they both took before you do it. I don’t always get around to it but it’s better if you do.

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Is that stuff any more wash-off able then treekote? I used treekote the last 2 years after wrapping the graft and its brutal to get that stuff off your hands. http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/Images/Original/1968_79103_p1.jpg

I totally quit using the tar based sealers because it almost never goes away. You can come back after 2 years on a warm day and accidentally get it on your fingers and then transfer to you cloths. For me it is bad stuff.

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Yes, A gentleman I talk to uses toilet bowl wax, its worked incredibly well for him, i believe I will be trying that.

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I recently started using the toilet bowl ring and I like the consistency of it. My preferred sealer is still parafilm M but it is not for wider gaps and that is where I use the toilet bowl wax.

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Speaking of grafting sealers, I’d like to know more about Doc Farwell’s grafting sealer possibly preventing “takes” if the sealer makes contact with the cut surfaces of the graft.

When I do bark grafts I paint Doc’s all over the graft and sometimes I’m sure it runs down into the cambium of the graft. Same for cleft graft- Doc’s runs down into the cleft and probably contacts the cut surface of the graft.

I don’t use Docs but putting a thin layer of parafilm on first might stop the running until it hardens.

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Same as Bill (Auburn) above. Nothing against Doc’s, but with any sealer I’d worry about it creeping into the joint, and parafilm is pretty good insurance.

I also use Johnny wax. I like to wrap the scion with parafilm before cutting and inserting it. After inserting it use the rubber bands or Temflex or other strong tape, wrap one more time around the joint with Parafilm (but not up on the exposed part of the scion except right at the insertion point) and touch it up with the toilet bowl wax.

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My suspicions are similar to yours. See this post Theories of warm weather rind and cleft graft failures.

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Is 3/8" rootstock a good size to use or is it too large for bench grafting?

Stuff some modeling clay or plumbers putty down into the gap between the scion and bark. That will keep Doc Farwell’s from seeping/wicking between the cambium.