Hi Bob,
I have used up all my scion wood.
I you have any, I would love some. What varieties do you have?
I would love a chance to try again
Thanks
Send me a PM and we can discuss all the details. I know I have some wood from ARS and probably another half dozen varieties. Just apples, right?
Thanks to BobVance, I got another chance at grafting this season. I hope itās not too late.
I did all my grafts today. This time I used parafilm and coated any exposed surfaces with toilet ring wax.
I also did more of a variety of methods this time just to see what works for me. I mostly did single cleft grafts and some double clefts. I did a few whip and tongues and one saddle graft (like Stephen Hayes)
I donāt think I will be doing anymore saddle grafts. Kind of a dangerous one.
Hope it works this time.
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Good luck, I hope they do well for you.
@ribs1 Yay!
@BobVance So generous!
For some encouragement: Bob shared a pear scion of Fondante de Moulin-Lille with me in late spring. My first batch of grafts failed during a bout of dry heat here in May. I kept the leftover budwood in the frig and re-grafted just a few weeks ago. I pruned the host tree to give the grafts apical dominance, and lightly fertilized the tree. We got ample rain here the past few weeks, and my ālateā grafts took! Without a doubt, I can see they are growing out very well.
Thanks @BobVance !
Good luck @ribs1 !
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Hello,
Just looking for some more advise. I grafted last week and used parafilm on all my grafts. It seems like itās tough to wrap the grafts really tight with that stuff. Should I go over the graft unions with rubber bands?
Also, how long does it usually take to start seeing growth?
Thanks
I like to wrap the scion with pre-stretched parafilm (single layer so that buds can break through), before making the graft. After inserting the scion to the host branch, I tie it tightly with non-sticky garden tape. Rubber bands could probably serve the same purpose. After the tape, I cover the union with a layer of parafilm to ensure complete coverage.
Most grafts start to show growth somewhere between 10 and 20 days. Iāve seen a few which took over a month- I think 1.5 months was the record.
Glad Fondante de Moulin-Lille took for you Matt. It was great last year (1st fruiting for me) and Iām looking forward to a larger crop this fall.
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Bob,
Today, I removed the tape on my FdM-L rind graft (top of photo). Better late than never. It has grown a ton and looks great.
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Wow, your label looks better than my tool embossed ones. I canāt write that neatly on graph paper.
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I was just going to comment on how great those labels look. Did you just fill in the impression with a sharpy? Iām curious how long the blue will last. Not that it will matter since they are inscribed but they are certainly eye catchingā¦
Jafar,
Itās a co-benefit of my obsessive-compulsive neurosis.
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Like @Drew51 said: The blue ink eventually wears off, but the copper remains engraved and can be legible for decades.
They look great @Matt_in_Maryland. Is that copper as well as copper wire? Iāve been using aluminum from drink cans but the shiny surface and graphics on one side are pretty noticeable. I see yours are still shiny too though. If itās copper, do they blend in well once tarnished?
Thanks @Matt_in_Maryland. I found @Drew51ās comment about keeping them shiny to scare away animals interesting. Any idea if this worked Drew? I can say that the aluminum ones I used are still pretty shiny but it didnāt seem to bother the squirrels at all.
It might dissuade the more skiddish birds.
Iām out of town, working on my cottage. I have yet to try keeping them shiny. Left alone they blend in too much, hard to see. I still like them. Doing any gardening this last month has been difficult. No end in sight of the work here. I wonāt be around much this fall.