I’m trying to figure out why I have poor sucess rate with my peach scion grafts. Then I ran across this video. I did not know this about peach trees. I checked all my takers and failures. My failures all have flower buds. My takers have only vegetative buds. Now common sense is telling me I should only harvest vegetative budded peach scions. Maybe everyone already knows this but I had no idea…
I recently grafted peaches for the first time and learned about this just a couple of days before grafting.
Also, I collected some budwood from a site I volunteer at only to find out that most of the scions did not have any buds? So, that’s another thing to look at carefully before harvesting scion.
technically flower bud can take too.(atleast in suptropocal region)
but they will flower and use up all the nutricion and died.
some time they can still survive.
avoid using flower bud.
we cut our scion into single bud segment so we can make sure only vegetative bud is used.
Before grafting examine and remove any flower buds before applying parafilm to reserve all scion energy to vegetative growth, then your grafting success will be greatly improved! The video does a good job of illustrating how to identify each.
Dennis
Kent, Wa
Here’s a odd ball… has both vegetative and flower buds. But out of all those buds, only the lone vegetative bud is showing a little green. I believe i’ll gently pinch off all the flower buds to see how it does, for experimental purposes.
The main factor with peach grafting is waiting for temps above 70F and vigorous growth begins. Nighttime temps above 55F also helps to keep callousing occurring around the clock. Otherwise, use the method that you can best use to match cambium.
Dennis
Kent, Wa
My 3rd year grafting but I can offer some insights that helped me get off to a good start.
I watched MANY videos but this one video helped me the most. Watch it then think about it a while, the watch it again. Rinse and repeat several times. You will learn something new each time you watch it. I watched the video again a few days back and learned something new again.
As for grafting peaches i’m beginning to think chipbud grafting would probably be the best method. Since I could isolate a single vegetative bud on the scion and graft just that bud onto the rootbstock. But then again as suggested remove the flower buds from the scion and graft a length of de-flowered scion to the rootstock is another option. Like I said its only my third year grafting and have a lot to learn.
I want to encourage you. If I can learn how to graft I am confident most anyone could learn to graft.
Get yourself the right tools also. A right or left handed grafting knife, parafilm and treecoat.
Its a little late to ship scionwòod in my zone 7a. Budwood gernally ships around august. Budwood is no where near as popular as dormant scionwood though.
I wanted to add… not knowing the differnce when I harvested peach scionwood in mid February. This length contains only vegetative buds. Every bud broke and putting on leaves.
I purchased lovell rootstocks from fedco when they sold them as rootstocks. They now are only selling lovell seedling trees. I plan to plant a couple lovell rootstocks and not graft them. Lovell peaches are said to be good for canning peach halves. And the pits can be grown to produce lovell rootstocks or lovell trees. I checked and there are a number of nurseies that sell lovell rootstocks.
Peach scionwood is either reliance or red haven. I harvest my own scionwood during the coldest day in February, which is sometime mid February. I cut them to fit in a gallon sized zipplock baggie and store them in a dedicated mini fridge.
The graft site needs to be 70-80F or so or it will not callous. My guess is it was sunny and the temperature of the graft was around there. One time I took out a laser temperature gauge and found the sun made things 20F+ hotter at the graft site. I think some other people here have reported success at lower temps. I would be very surprised if it was not sunny for a good stretch in any successes at colder temps.
I dont have a problem with waiting a few extra weeks to graft peaches. Wait until callousing temperatures are more favorable. I just want to increase my sucess rate. When my sucess rate for apples, pears and cherries is 100% but peach success rate is 40%. 40% doesn’t lie and tells me I’m obviously doing something or many somethings wrong.
So far I gleaned from this thread:
Remove all peach scion flower buds, leave only vegetative buds. Graft and wrap the entire grafted area including the scion in parafilm. I have no issues here and will try this approach.
Wait to graft until weather conditions are more favorable for callousing. 70 - 80F during the day, 55+F overnight. Again no conserns with this either.
