This will be my first year grafting, but with the bizarrely early spring, I’m wondering if I should get my grafts in early. Is this early? I don’t even know.
I’m in upstate New York, near Rochester, and It’s early March, so most years we would still have snow on the ground and freezing temperatures, but its looking like spring is here. today will reach 70. IN MARCH!!
we’ve got warm temperatures, bulbs sprouting, and the forecast looks like its here to stay for at least the next few weeks, with nighttime temps staying above freezing, and 50’s or 60’s most days. We’re getting April weather in March, and no end in sight. No sign of buds opening yet, but its only a matter of time if this continues, right?
I’m planning on doing cleft grafts, and maybe a few whip and tongue, onto established flowering crab apple trees, in an attempt to make some multi-variety trees. Basically I will be partially top working some trees. I’ve got the bagged and dormant scionwood in the fridge ready to go. (pomme gris, winter banana, Arkansas black, early Geneva, and chestnut crab, if you were wondering)
So should I graft? should I wait until the buds start waking up?
Definitely do not graft until the leaves have opened up to about the “size of a squirrel’s ear”. You need the sap to be flowing and the new growth to be drawing nutrients through so that the scion doesn’t dry up.
We’re getting curious weather here in western Montana, too. We got a light skiff of snow last night and the temperature is about 29 F, but we’ve seen high 50’s and even into the low 60’s once or twice. And, like you, we have bulbs doing their thing; our garlic is already three or four inches high and crocuses are blooming. But I wouldn’t trust it!
I don’t know that it is ideal, but I have done plenty of dormant grafts indoors where buds haven’t even swelled…that said, indoors I control temperatures, and the plants get enough heat they generally start to swell buds within a week, 2 at most. Some folks bench and “rest” the grafts in cold storage a month, too, to let things callus. That said, “rest in a cellar” is very different than “get whipped around in the wind and subjected to anything from 70 degrees down to lows near zero”…I am getting antsy too, enough that I may bring some plants into the garage, but I wouldn’t graft onto anything outside yet until buds were at least visibly swelling each day
My thoughts exactly. No need or benefit to being in a rush. Wait for the leaves on the host to be (in your case) the size of a mouse’s ear as Mark said.
Be patient Mark’s advice is excellent. Years ago i grafted everything still dormant while i tried to guess when it was close to breaking dormancy. You can do that and will have some success with apples and pears that way. By following Marks advice your odds increase by 20-30% on grafts taking. Thats because the scions get sap flowing sooner. Dont wait until they leaf all the way out or your grafts can get flooded.
I agree that it’s entirely possible, especially with pear and apple, to graft before the tree breaks dormancy and let the two of them be dormant together and still get success, but you’re a bit more dependent on the weather and there’s a greater chance that the scion could start to dry up. Using parafilm or bags has to help prevent that. And it helps that you’re experienced.
Im a risk taker when it comes to grafting which will always lower my numbers but overall improves my methods. Wild callery pears or apples are not like grafting ohxf333 or mm111 because they are genetically unique. I lost 40% grafts one year to grasshoppers girdling them. Some loss happens and to me thats acceptable.
No matter what the % loss is or isn’t, the point is, that it most definitely is not the optimum time for NY state. No point that I can see in rushing things. The issue of drying out is only part of it, there is mechanical damage to contend with also.
I think the old adage Mark spoke of is good advice. That old adage is spawned from a time when folks grafted a whole lot more than they do now…for sure. I think if anything, the time can be more successfully advanced from the old adage than subtracted from.
If it continues to stay as warm as it currently is in the mid-Atlantic and northeast, that time may be VERY soon though. It was like late May here the last 2 days.
Some of those old timers managed with little more than a sharp knife, some tape, and wax- parafilm and polyethelene were unknown; scions might be stored by wrapping in wax paper or some such and buried in the snow- so I’ve read; even I am not old enough to remember that from actual experience …
I have a new question for an old thread, and I live about 100 miles south of Murky, so here goes…
I started grafting yesterday and I looked through my scions and saw some that were budding out pretty seriously; they were ‘early’ varieties, so I thought, these would be good to graft onto an early variety of pear tree root stock (2nd and 3rd leaf, for me). Today I read that scions with buds already swelling are poor choices; it makes sense to me in that they are too needy. Does it make sense to others? I have non-budded sticks of the same cultivars that I used yesterday but they are of larger diameter than the ones I used or else I could rip the first batch off and replace them with new ones, which have only been on the trees about 18 hours (overnight).
I’m guessing that the scions should be as dormant as possible…can I get an Amen?
Dormant scions are best- but pears are pretty tolerant and if you graft is well made it’ll probably take. Maybe give them a couple of weeks and try again with your other scions if need be.