So you bench grafted or field grafted and have kept your rootstocks free of any growth that has formed on them with the exception of failed grafts you are 100% certain of, so what’s next?
I’m going to keep this very short and sweet.
Bench grafts tied with rubber bands or budding strips. The budding strips should be removed now on all grafts, successful or non-successful. The scions should now be removed from failures and the tag in the container should be turned upside down so you may reuse the rootstock. If the graft was done low it’s now time to allow one-ONLY leader to take over as the new tree. You may be able to use the rootstock as a place to tie the new-growth of the new leader or you may need to use a stake. Sometimes an inch or more of rootstock remains and from that you will be able to retrain a new tree but later in the year you likely will need a stake due to floppiness.
Bench grafts tied together with parafilm. Nothing usually unless you put so much on that there may be 1/8" or more holding the graft together in which case you should remove all the parafilm tape. If you put more than 1/8" parafilm on scions prior to grafting that’s not good. Put the stuff on stretched well and on thinly and do it prior to doing the craftsmanship involved.
Bench grafts with electrical tape preferably placed on top of parafilm. I say that because if you put parafilm on first and then electrical tape you won’t be tearing the bark off when you decide the right time has arrived to completely remove your electrical tape.
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in most cases you will completely remove the tape or you will cut a dashed line thru the tape with intentions of removing the tape the following year.
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when you bench grafted a heavy/thick caliper seedling and scion with electrical tape you may decide to leave it on if the scion has grown considerably so in that case you either a) cut the tape top to bottom like this: - - - - - - - leaving gaps or b) leave it on completely.
You must learn your weaknesses and strengths. If you’re a person that consistently wraps too tight with either a rubber product or electrical tape then it would be in your particular best interests to unwrap all of them to check each and every union and then re-wrap those needing so.
Field Grafting / In-Ground Grafting Outdoors where preferably rootstock is well-rooted:
Any rubber bands must come off three months after grafting. Those that have not degraded must come off and the unions examined and sometimes another bud strip/rubber replaces the other if the union looks weak for any reason or reasons.
Lastly stakes. Once either your bench grafts or field grafts are outdoors they need a stake so birds don’t land on the grafts at any phase of the grafting process breaking the graft. Stakes are also a necessity when grafting on larger caliper trees where you’re getting 1-3 - 2/3’s a meter of growth or two meters of growth: without a very strong stake either taped to the rootstock or stuck in-ground next to the trunk the risk of the graft being ripped off from wind-especially but also a large bird or squirrel too or snow/ice during winter… it cannot be said more dutifully than to be sure you are staked and ready for any situation.