These scions are this years apple wood attached on 2015 06 17 to a pear. Four W/T and four side grafts. I went out this morning to cut the excess wood back to my grafts and got a pleasant surprise. About half had leaves and the others looked like they were ready for the buds to break. Did I just get lucky or is there some other factors that played a major roll in the quick take?
W/T
What varieties?
Those young leaves in the foreground look like pear to me. Are they from the scions or the host? Oh, I see those must be from the host and the little green apple leaves on the bottom picture are behind it.
I thought the same thing at first murky.
Sorry about the confusing picture. My phone doesn’t always capture a clear image.
I have used both t-buds and chip buds with this years scions but never until now have I considered w/t and side grafts as a viable option for summer grafting. In a few weeks I will be able to tell more about the success rate.
I’ve done summer whip & tongue and cleft grafting for years, even late as November. I think bud grafting is so popular for summer work because it rarely fails if done properly, and the only time the bark is slipping is summer.
I’m not sure where this type grafting will fit in my less than defined scheme but it’s good to have it as a possibility. Bill
Auburn, I don’t think you’ve said what cultivars of apple you put onto what cultivar or pear. I’d think graft compatibility a bigger obstacle to success than the type of grafting technique.
You are right Murky, the long-term compatibility is the key to success. I’m currently trying about 10-15 combinations and the longest has lasted about 5 years and is fruiting well.
The clarity is near perfect, but the apples were hiding behind the pear…lol
What if anything do you spray your pears with Bill? In one of the photos it looks like there is a little spray residue.
I have Winter Banana on my sister’s unknown Euro pear that has been fruiting for several years now. It also produced quince for a couple of seasons.
I got Fertility pears on my unknown apple root-stock a couple of years. I can’t remember if the Golden Russet Bosc fruited before giving in. It was on an apple tree with either Winter Banana or Fertility interstem.
Please report your results. I’m interested in having some apple/pear combos for novelty.
I thought Fertility pear wasn’t half bad for fresh eating. I hadn’t heard anyone compliment the fruit so wasn’t expecting much. I allowed it to fruit pretty much by accident, it was meant as an interstem.
no kidding? That is very interesting. I’m planning to graft pear to apple next year. This year I grafted in Winter Banana to my (now 15 variety) multi-graft seedling tree in preperation. WB was the only reported graft compatible variety I had read about. Are there others? Has any particular varieties you’ve tried seem to work better than others?
If you’ve had them last 5 years and actually successfully fruit I cannot see any reason that long term failure is assured. It seems to me like that passes the litmus test for compatibility. Obviously, I realize that that may not necessarily be the case, but what at this point could cause failure?
Thanks for the post Bill, I admire your tenacity and courage in experimentation.
I’m using Winter Banana and several others that are early in the process. There may be a longer list of compatible varieties than previously thought. Winter Banana seems to work well with my Ayers, Moonglow, and an unknown variety of Asian pear. I haven’t had any success with it on my Orient pear. Bill
Although I do these cross grafts for entertainment I would like to see some positive long term results. Bill
The pears in this picture have not been sprayed with anything. My other pears/limbs at a lower level have been sprayed with dormant oil/copper, serenade, sulfur, and neem oil. The dormant oil/copper seems to have helped reduce some of the spotting on the pear leaves. All my trees will get this treatment from now on. Bill
I have been considering adding quince to my Frankentree just for a little more variety. Tart fruit is normally ok for me but all the quince that I had tasted as of now takes tart a little to far. I’m not sure what one does with a quince unless it is for making pies.
My original intent for this post was to see if others have used W/T and side grafts with current season scion wood with any success. Any additional experience with this grafting is welcome. I must say that the post has branched off in a little different direction into compatability which is another area that I have a keen interest in. Just wanted to say that I’m enjoying all the comments and it does not matter to me which direction you go with this post and thanks to all of you for your input and I’m looking forward to any additions. Thanks Bill
Do you mean dormant scion wood collected in late winter?
These scions were not dormant. I cut the scions off one of my trees about 30 minutes prior to grafting. This was my first attempt at this time of the year with w/t or side grafts and all 8 appear to be surviving. Sorry about the confusion. Let me know if additional information is desired. Bill
OK, I see your point now. You pluck all the leaves and wrap the whole thing in parafilm. I’ve never tried it, but I could. I have plenty of experimental trees to work with.
