If theres a hickory grafting thread for this year, I didnt see it.
Finally some good callusing temps here for nuts. I have only a couple of Carya varieties, might try to get some more.
I put 5 grafts of ‘Grainger’ on a well established pecan rootstock after work today. All inlay grafts.
I haven’t made any hickory field grafts yet, but here are some of the bench grafts I made onto pecan rootstock.
Do you both graft to pecan for added precociousness?
its the preferred rootstock for many from what i gather. Im actually more excited about bitternut as a rootstock since it seems to do quite well in my soil. I have 2 pecan (presumably) rootstocks that are relics of failed ‘kanza’ and ‘pawnee’ trees that i bought close to 15 years ago from Stark’s. They died back to the ground repeatedly before finally getting enough size as to be hardy. Theyre the biggest and also closest at hand rootstocks i have at the moment, so I figured Id start with them.
Hmm. I just tossed out a dorm fridge full of hickory, pecan, and mulberry scionwood that I’d cut and bagged for the KyNGA Spring meeting on 29 Apr… most came back home with me and went back into the fridge.
Temps here have been into the 90s, with heat indices in the 110 range. I figure I’m pretty well done with grafting dormant scions… but, maybe I’m being too hasty…
Have had quiee a few successes with hickory on pecan this spring, but far too many failures, for no rhyme or reason… I didn’t do anything different on the failed grafts than I did with the ones that ‘took’. Have had several that budded out, started pushing leaves, then dried up and died.
wish id thought to ask! I AM looking for some more Carya wood if anyone has any. Mainly interested in early ripening shags and shag hybrids. Currently I have ‘Grainger’ and ‘Weschke’. Looking for ‘Jobstown’ and ‘Yoder’ , and would be glad for recommendations of others to try.
its so easy to get over ambitious about scionwood. I tend to have a reasonable level of control about the stuff i acquire to graft in. But when it comes to wood I cut to share, Ill often wind up with a huge amount and no takers. I havent been in a number pf years, but the big Fedco / MOFGA scionwood swap in Maine is usually the kind of scene where wood disappears. Ive often imagined having a swap locally, but itd take a looooooong time before it probably generated that level of interest and attendance.
I’m definitely leaning towards joining the NNGA. Thinking I should plant some pecan for later grafting. Are there better options for rootstock in my central Ohio clay soil?
I got a lifetime NNGA membership about 25 years ago. It was worth the cost to stop the yearly membership payment.
@Jujube - if your site is hospitable for pecan (not a droughty, rocky hillside), you probably could not choose a better understock for hickories. Seedlings of ‘Major’ are the preferred rootstock strain here in KY, and probably would do well for you, as well. That said, if you have seedlings or seednuts from local hardy natives or productive northern pecans, selecting the most vigorous seedlings for rootstock use would be Job One.
Here are a couple of blogposts from Dr Bill Reid on the importance of rootstock vigor:
Awesome thank you very much! I am still very early in my hickory journey but want to get it going since nothing moves fast with hickory
Using up some extra scion on some late field grafts. Rootstock is northern pecan and bitternut hickory. Scion is Walters, Yoder, Silvis 303, and Fayette.
How’d I miss this?? I grafted nuts for the first time this season. Of 11 hickory and pecan grafts, I got two takes (4-flaps) and one maybe (a late chip bud I’ll push next spring if it’s still green). Weschcke shag and Kanza pecan were my two 4-flap takes, and Fayette Seedling from Lucky is the chip. Ben, thanks for posting the great budding photos! I’ve been contemplating how I want to approach my retries next spring, where first and foremost I need to address the bleeding problem (I was thinking via a side graft, allowing the seedling to continue growing above the graft to continue drawing the sap). Going back to read the above in detail now!
