Well I just did all my grafts for first time last night forgot to fully cover scion with tape nor tie union ugh maybe able to do a little bit tonight and hopefully finish tomorrow and we’re supposed to be 80 for a few days. Oh well if none take I’ll try next year hopefully get it done earlier too
This is my first attempt at kiwi grafting… looks like I’ve got a bud pushing. I made a few slices to allow sap to escape per @scottfsmith’s recommendation. This seemed to work well.
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I bought a male scion from Burnt Ridge and grafted it to a couple of my females. The male hardy kiwi I had growing wasn’t very vigorous, and had some die-back, so these are insurance.
I vaguely recalled someone mentioning making some bleeder cuts, so I did that upstream of the grafts. On one, I wrapped it tight with parafilm. The other, I didn’t wrap at all, other than the rubber band over the graft union.
The unwrapped one is pushing, and I feel good that its connected, because it was dripping clear liquid from the tip of the scion a week after grafting.
The sealed one hasn’t shown any signs of pushing (it does get a bit more shade). We’ll see, but I’m wondering if it needed a relief valve 
It’s still early. Our weather is warming up so it should be pretty clear, one way or the other, soon.
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I made 2 grafts and it looks like the second one is just starting to push as well, but it was a little behind. Both are wrapped tight with parafilm. I’m not sure if the bleeding cuts helped, but they definitely bled. One of the grafts dripped fluid out of the graft union despite the electrical tape and parafilm which I thought might cause a problem, but it looks like it may be ok. Neither of mine pushed sap out the tip, but I agree that that sounds like a good sign. Also, I found the kiwi wood to be the easiest wood to make nice flat cuts on of the grafts I’ve made so far… it was fun to have nicer looking unions than I’m used to making😄
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The middle was like aloe vera on the host
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Now all you need is some heat!!!
Looking good!
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You think cold snap next week will hurt them or am I out of the woods?
How cold is it forecasted there? Are they in protected areas? Like wooded areas?
Was 40. Now 34…
Many protected. I may put bags over some as insurance
I shot my wad last week. Grafted everything I had as of Wednesday. Forecast wasn’t so nippy then. Thought I was golden
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They’re pears. I wouldn’t lose sleep over the temps.
23 fifteen days ago wasn’t a problem for mine.
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He talking about his persimmon grafts. Most are still in the bud stage. Very few leaves to be seen.
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What are the rootstocks?
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Pyrus betulifolia. They were super unhappy last spring when I got them and almost all the grafts failed. Fortunately, I got one to take and was able to scavenge enough scion from it to regraft the others this year.
I’d promised 3 to my boss last year. Had to delay delivery…
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I can see a big raise in your near future 
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