Please make a video or take some photos to demonstrate your technique. It sounds efficient and simple, aside from finding the type of pruner you have.
Champlain Valley, Vt . Flipping back and forth between mud and below zero here.
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Probably. I used to live in Oswego, NY, next to Lake Ontario. Lake Champlain isn’t as big, but it does help buffer the winter,same as the Finger Lakes area
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I try not to race when holding sharp objects 
I’ve got enough trouble avoiding cutting myself when doing it slowly. Which I suppose is one of the benefits of your method with the pruners.
I’ve tried using the splice graft that you do (I think) and while it often works, I have trouble holding it in just the proper position. That’s one of the things I like about the cleft graft- the cleft holds the wedge in place pretty well. Often well enough that it doesn’t move if I take my hands away to get the tape of do something for a minute, though that does depend on the width of the scion.
I do like the splice graft for very thick scions, as I can get the angle correct, have plenty of cambium, and still get enough structural integrity in the union.
For very thin scions, I prefer bark grafts, as the thin scion slips easily into the narrow gap and would be difficult to structurally connect in a splice or cleft.
For everything in between, I generally do cleft grafts, though I’ve played around with the others.
While speed is nice, I am more concerned about optimizing success, at least within the skills that I have.
One way that I save time (at least springtime time) is pre-parafilming. I don’t bother for apples or pears, things that 95% success is expected anyway. And for jujubes I only do the ones where I particularly value the variety and know there is a good chance I’ll use it all. But for fruit like peaches or persimmons, where the grafting is done later in the season and the results are less certain, I think pre-wrapping helps preserve the wood.
I tested with some persimmon wood last spring, putting both pre-wrapped and bare from the same source in the same bag and the pre-wrapped came out in much better condition.
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I’m in the Mid-Hudson Valley, NY on a small urban/suburban plot. I’ve followed the posts of many of you here when I was selecting varieties to plant. Thanks for all the great info!
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It took me a few minutes to find it, but here is the data I posted last year in late May on success vs scion diameter:
Note that “medium-large” with the best success rate is just a tad under the width of a pencil (5mm vs 6-7mm).
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Want out for a Valentines breakfast at a diner that was my first visit. Noticed 60ft grape vine arbor in the parking lot. Sat next to a window and noticed fig trees, about 8 ft high with no winter protection. Waitress said they grow fine there. Later I saw there were about 20 of them. Low this winter was 6f and somethings it goes to 0f. Anyone growing their figs in the region that don’t die down to ground when not protected.
Here’s a photo from the window.
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Zone 6a Marblehead Ma. (formerly from Syr NY, so I feel like this group was made for me!)
I spent all weekend trying not to prune. It was in the 50s. Now, it is in the 20’s with fresh snow. Things look really good on my trees. I hope for lots of flowers this spring.
Dave Wilson combo trees: Cherry, Pluots, peach and apricot
Espalier: Apple, Pear
More Cherries.
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Electric tape holds the scion to the shoot, parafilm covers the scion outside of the electric tape, which buds can’t possibly push through.
Splice graft. Splice Graft
i prefer wrapping with parafilm 1st then wrapping just the graft section with elec. tape.
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Yes, it is easier to wrap the scion before you’ve joined it to the rootstock/host. When I try to wrap afterwards, I feel like I’m loosening and/or mis-aligning the union.
After applying rubber tape (temflex) to the union, I do add a layer of parafilm on top of the tape, though I’m not sure it is absolutely necessary. One thing to consider is that it also lightens the color, so late season grafts are probably less likely to cook from solar absorption in black tape.
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When diameters are close to the same and you wrap firmly with electric tape you aren’t going to shift anything when you wrap the scion with parafilm, holding the scion to the shoot while you wrap from the electric tape up. However, if I started by doing it your way, I’d probably be endorsing that method.
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Blue Hill, Hancock County Maine here, on the DownEast coast. Grow about 40 varieties of Apples with a bunch more on order for the spring. I only grow one local variety, Black Oxford. John Bunker and MOFGA have done a good enough job that I don’t feel under pressure to grow the local varieties - they are grown everywhere and can often be bought in the local Co-Op.
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Use white or other light color vinyl tape.
I’ve always wondered if that business model would be viable. Do you advertise or do you get customers through word of mouth? Do you also maintain the trees for your customers? Not thinking of starting anything similar, but I once considered it.
I’ve used vinyl electric tape, at least a bit. But I don’t like that I need to come back to vinyl tape and cut it. I’ve had both vinyl tape and (more often) the green garden tape (non sticky) girdle/deform grafts after being left on for a long time. The rubber tape stretches and often rips by the end of the first year. Though it often stays on, which helps me find the grafts later,
I took a look to see if rubber splicing electrical tape comes in other colors, but don’t see any like that. The closest I see is silicone rubber, but I’m not sure if it would have the same physical characteristics. And for most grafts, the black is fine- the ones it might help with are the late peach/persimmon ones when it starts to get hot (80F+).
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Central Connecticut.
Blue Hill is a nice place! I have a friend that lives in South Blue Hill and we go to visit most years. You’re in a great part of the world for growing very high quality apples. The cool summers and stony ground seem to agree with them.
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Hey Jcguarneri,
Appeciate the comments - you are very kind. Yeah its a nice climate for apples - as a drive along most of the roads here will illustrate - you are never far from a wild apple tree - its also a nice climate for porcupines unfortunately, and they don’t agree with my trees - looks like I have another set of Ashmeads and a Harry Masters with the branches/upper trunk stripped in the last couple of days. They are canny climbers and can climb over the tubing i use for the first 3’ of the trunk. My attempts with the humane traps proved unsuccessful, so the next investment is probably an air rifle. 
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porky’s are tough animals. id recommended at least a accurate .22 and do head shots. those quills are tough to penetrate with a bullet. ive taken my fair share of them in the last 35 yrs. they will cost you dearly if your dogs find them 1st! not fun!
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