Grafting in fall?

I have some scions grafted last year on the tree I am not going to move to new house. I have 12 days left before it becomes somebody else’s tree. Is there any way to preserve the kind? I have root stock fairly young (1 year in the ground) Their scion wood died or almost died from fire blight this year, but root stock seems OK. I can either move them directly into the ground or pot them and keep at any desired temperature inside. I also have mature apple tree on the property I can graft on. Is there any technique to graft now or store non-dormant scion wood till spring? Is it possible to root the scion so it can survive til spring?

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You could probably harvest the scion now, strip the leaves, and store it triple wrapped in the fridge, or buried in the ground at your new place. Should keep plenty well till spring, especially if you collect more than you need for insurance purposes.

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How do I know if they actually survived? Even if I save many of them, I will have only few root stocks to graft on. Also, what would be the best way to keep root stock? Have it planted and field graft them in spring? I am not that good with grafting, bench graft works the best for me. Also, what would be the best temperature to store the scions? I have several refrigerators with different temperatures , so I can find the best one.

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A scratch test should show bright, moist green, and the buds should look normal (not dried up). You could also put a stick or two in a vase at room temperature to see if they wake up, and infer that your reserves are also ok. I’d say just above freezing is the ideal temp, but I wouldn’t stress too much unless your fridge runs pretty warm. Wrapping the individual scions in parafilm also would help with long term storage. I was just sorting through my leftover scion from this spring, and found a couple sticks of persimmon that look to be in good shape, so I gave them a soak, wrapped them in parafilm, and put them back in storage for next spring.

You can keep your rootstock in a pot if bench grafting is easier. I would just sink the pot in the ground for winter, or put it in a straw bale “corral.” Then you can pull them and let them wake up a bit come grafting time.

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Thanks, sound like a plan, thanks!

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Good luck! I can’t wait to see what you do with your new space.

I will invite you guys when I have something to show :smile: As of now I even hesitate to make pictures - one big huge mess all around :grin: But berry garden started to get shape - at least one place I can let my eyes to rest :smile:

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you can graft it now, best to do some chip budding. it works fine even at this time. or you can store scions as written above

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Maybe the new homeowner will let you come back in the winter or the spring and take scion wood.

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