I am going to top-work a youngish but established peach. I’m storing the scionwood until the appropriate time in the fridge. Scionwood is pencil thick, more or less.
While there are some branches similar in size I can graft on to, there are a couple spots where the best option is to graft onto 1-1.5” thick wood. Would a bark graft be better than a cleft graft in this case?
Do you have any advice or videos specific to bark grafting peach?
Do bark grafts in those situations, always.
take care,
Dax
OK. Thanks!
Why don’t cleft grafts work on peach?
Since the scion-to-stock-size ratio is fairly high for a bark graft, is it OK to make the cut on the scion very “thin” before inserting into the bark flap? Otherwise I don’t envision a good fit.
Figure it out. It’s either gonna flap around in the wind like a flag and break off if you incorrectly cut, or, it will stay in place. No matter what, you need a stake in place that you will add after the graft to tie the new-growth too. It’s gonna grow so fast your’re not going to believe it. It’ll be like nothing you’ve ever seen.
Brian aka butterfingers, when you ask a question that makes sense, I give you an answer that makes sense. Do you know how many (1000’s of grafts I’ve done in my life?) A 1" branch/trunk is i-frickn’-deal for a pencil scion.
Any more question are for the peanut gallery.
Good luck again, take care now.
Dax
Ok, a good straight answer!
I appreciate your advice, Dax. If you say 1 inch is ideal, I’ll run with that. I guess I was just going off the YouTube videos where you usually see someone bark grafting some gnarly old tree on a 3-inch stubbed scaffold.
You’re welcome. You got it buddy!
Take yer time. Long, flat cut on scion. Here’s my buddy doing a bark graft and notice how after the long flat cut that goes up against the pith of the branch or trunk how he shaves off the bark on the other side that makes contact with the inner bark of the tree.
Good video. He made it look like there was nothing to it except patience, but I understood pecans were pretty touchy to graft. Funny how guys who’re really good at hand skills make it look so casual and easy, and for them it is. Maybe took them thousands of cycles doing it to get there though!
What’s the purpose of this flat cut — to insert the scion deeper so that the contact area with the inner bark is longer?
Can you please also comment on the technique in this video with Tom Spellman:
It looks like he inserts the scion with the cut area where the cambium is exposed against the pith and uncut area still covered with bark against the inner bark of the branch. Where the cambium contact will happen — only along the edges?
I’m going to watch this video, but, I’ve been thinking about my friend and mines video for brief moments. It had been a while since I last watched it so I decided to watch it and there’s been better demonstrations than that one. My friend had a piece of junk scion to work with and it reflected poorly. And lastly, he does/did/still at time does all that foil and baggie over the union or no baggie but foil still; and he has no complaints anymore with parafilm. You know “Stan” people do graft differently and have the same success rates. I choose parafilm and he chooses to do all that other stuff. However, we like to stand next to each other and either of us will wrap parafilm while the other guy cuts and does all the actual grafting. Gary wanders off for hours too. He’ll return for tags or because he lost his car keys or he thought of something he just had to tell me. Then he’s gone again.
For the past 18-24 months it’s always been on my mind to do a bark-grafting video because I promised I would. I do things so much less simply than Gary, too.
This Gary Fernald, my friend . . . taught me how to bark graft. He’s never changed. Two things in the video I posted: 1) his knife was worthless sharp. 2) he didn’t skim the bark off the back side of the scion to expose “vibrant green” folks…
He always has, however. That day, the scion was floppy/bendable. We were working with a variety that Wes Rice recommends along with Mullahy pecan for anyone with about 1/2 th recommended chill hours for growing pecans. ‘NC-4’. and believe it or not, that graft took. But (and everyone) - bark grafts take so easily. You can butcher scions and still get bark grafts to go.
I’ll make a video and provide it in the ‘References’ area of the group.
@scottfsmith, my only other promise not kept was my peach grafting report. That’s a long thread now and my basic answer is I got about 50%. 40-50%. I don’t recall if I waited until temps were in the 70’s or if I bench grafted them in my basement and simply returned them to my greenhouse in giant rubbermaid tubs in order for them to naturally wake-up. I’m about 90% sure that was my situation. And 40% seems right on to me.
Thanks all for your understanding in this long reply.
best regards,
Dax
at minute 2:25 he said one minor error stating that more than 4" diameter scaffold should be considered as fine. 4" is the maximum diameter for longevity of a tree. I learned that thru an old codger on youtube that has many-many videos where he walks you thru his walnut farm located in California. When 3-4 (4 is better) scions are inserted around a 4" scaffold or if are (3) scions inserted around a 3" scaffold or (3) for a two inch scaffold… and should each one be a success - then the entire wring of cambium callouses of course providing for a better and stronger system of life for that tree.
When adding a 1/4" scions to a 1" trunk or a 1.5" trunk (very-common match) the entire wring of cambium probably will callous, but if it doesn’t, then it’s not any big-deal. But it is a very-big-deal for a 4" scaffold.
Here’s what’s always baffled me!!! The cortex is the invisible strip directly behind the bark and it is the place where callous occurs (not cambium) but cambium is considered okay by me because it’s impossible to tell someone to line up the invisible to the invisible and in fact - that’s quite-humorous. So, we all whether you or I or anyone knew it or not agree to stick with cambium because its’ bright-green & of course- visible. But it’s the cortex where cells begin lodging together from the cortex of the scion and of the rootstock and that multiplication of cells creates a truly cork type of a material as the finished product - and so the nutrients are now able to travel thru the cambium since the binding of the cells in the cortex- occurred. Cambium is what contains the xylem and the phloem which also turns to woody material annually with creates the rings we see to determine age while thus becoming pith.
But, to place a bark graft where we do so the cortex lays against the pith HAS ALWAYS BAFFLED ME. There’s no possible way for cortex to meet cortex (the scion’s cortex and the rootstocks-cortex.) It makes no sense.
Like my buddy Gary said in that video and like I say and like anyone who’s grafted for a long time will say, people graft differently…
I don’t know the answers. I hope to make a video to show how simple bark grafting is. It’s so much more simple than cleft grafting or you name it. So much less dangerous, too.
Dax
For anybody’s information, beyond 4" diameter bark grafting, here’s the next best method that I’ve come across:
Dax,
I don’t have much success grafting peaches on a stump or older wood (3-4 years old). The most success I have had is grafting peaches on the last year’s wood.
I’ve found that stump grafting work well with apples, pears or even cherry. Not much success with peaches.
Maybe, @Olpea could chime in how successful he has had grafting peaches on older wood.
Do any of you use a nail to hold the scion?
_ Also, do you guys prefer to make one cut in the bark or two?
Dax when you bark graft say a 4" trunk and put 4 scions in and they all take do you recommend leaving all 4 permanently or waiting till they all callus together and then cut back to 1? Im talking mostly pecan.
You remove them over time - keeping one. You allow enough vigor to set in to establish a new tree and when there’s enough material (tree) the others will have been removed thru a period of time that has no start time and no finish time. It’s up to the tree to allow us to know when it’s time to prune.
Dax
Thanks for the reply Dax. I have one now that i grafted last year that i was debating on what to do with. I usually try to get them around 1" - 1 1/2".
Yep it’s all about vigor. The balancing act of either ruducing or encouraging. If you encourage too much (not enough of a nurse branch(es) ) there’s the possibility the scion will grow like a rocket and snap at the union. So you moderate how something grows. (until such a time) it can take over on its’ own.
