Last year I asked here about coppicing black walnut and was told that the regrowth is very weak and will never produce nuts. This is what’s left of last year’s failed attempt at grafting. Should I avoid grafting to the new growth?
I would do an inlay side graft on the main stem, then cut the top off in 10 days. I’ve done this very successfully for the last 25 years. The top growth encourages healing of the inlay side graft but the top MUST be cut off after 10 days or the graft will fail.
Make the graft about 2 feet below the top of the stub. Use a piece of scionwood with a very large terminal bud if you have it. Cut the scionwood on a slant about 2.5 to 3 inches long. Hold it up to the bark of the tree and cut on both sides with a very sharp knife so the scion exactly fits into the notch. Leave a flap of bark at the bottom to cover the sharp end of the scion. Use 2 small wire nails to tack the scion to the stem with the bottom nail through the bark flap to hold it in place. Cover with wax. I usually get 95% success using this method.
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