Thank you. I’ve tried cleft grafting to branches that might be 1 1/2" and scions less than 1/4". I get takes, but the gap left between the scions takes forever to heal. I’ve had better luck with bark grafts on larger stock, though, so I guess I’ll keep on with those.
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I’d agree. Especially grafting to larger trees once the sap is up.
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I have some questions and thoughts about cleft grafting, but I don’t mean to hijack this thread. I think I’ll start a new one.
One tip on this: cut off the extra if you’re a beginner. Or even not a beginner. It stays a random flap unconnected to anything most of the time, and it’s what can make it harder to wrap. Just trim it right past what will be wrapped and connected.
@royce Hi, just stick with whip and tongue. Don’t cut all the way thru the roostock since it’s thicker if you cut all the way thru. Instead, cut a flat piece off just as you would if you were going to cut thru the rootstock. You’ll have a flat spot to do all the same carpentry, however, you wouldn’t of just thru the entire roostock, as I keep saying. It’d be like a modified whip and tongue. So aim for width of your scion as you cut the rootstock to that width.
Chip budding is good for less caliper than rootstock scions you have vs. scions similar in width. You’re mentioning something about 1/8" difference in ‘typical-ness’ of scions you collected vs. rooststock size, find your scions that are more than more than 1/8th less than rootstock to chip bud those. Again, control your cut to be as narrow as the scion on a thicker rootstock. When your new to chip budding and holding a thicker thick to remove a chip bud… you’re likely like me pulling the knife toward your belly & if you don’t know what’s going on at every second, the knife will come loose and you’ll cut your stomach. So another way to learn is to have a cork cutting board if you can find one. Otherwise use a plastic kitchen cutting board. Learn to do your cuts sitting down such as at a picnic table on a cork board.
Option otherwise is to be extremely careful and find (a) side of the rootstock where you can create a flap that’s the diameter of the scion. Usually with a significant difference it’s going to be difficult to make a cut for a “wedge” “cleft type cut” to be stuck down in there. And then wrapped up. That cut is about as dangerous as any on the rootstock. Before you know it the knife has cut off the piece of rootsock instead of cutting a usable flap to insert behind that’s the exact/similar corresponding calipers.
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