Temflex can be stretched very thin, and I need to stretch it thinner when I use it. I think @Olpea cuts it lengthwise before wrapping, and he may even manage to overlap when wrapping.
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I’m not familiar with Temflex. I just spent more than I wanted to on Parafilm, not in a hurry to throw it away now – seems pretty good, except that I think I used too many layers (learning, and I have a lot now).
How does Temflex compare to Parafilm?
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Temflex is a rubber type electrician’s tape that is nonadhesive but which will adhere to itself with pressure. It does not breath, is dark and opaque, and is inexpensive and readily available at big box stores. https://www.lowes.com/pd/3M-Temflex-2155-Rubber-Splicing-22-ft/3129711 Temflex will eventually degrade in sun, but is too heavy, imho, to wrap the scion itself with. It should not be confused with the plastic electrician’s tapes https://www.lowes.com/pd/Scotch-700-Electrical-Tape-66-ft/50148224 nor with friction tape https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-30-ft/3659406, neither of which will degrade in the sun very quickly, if at all.
Parafilm you are familiar with.
I use parafilm to wrap all my scions as soon as I get them, and I leave it on when I graft. After pulling the graft snug with a grafting rubber or rubber band or temflex I cover the graft with parafilm, being sure to wrap far enough up the scion to cover the joint, but not so far that I work the scion free from the graft - that’s the main reason I like to wrap the scion before I graft. @barkslip mixes parrafin and mineral oil, irrc, and dips his scions. But then, he does them by the hundreds, at least, and I do a dozen here and there.
If I have any doubt about how well I’ve covered with parafilm I dab a little johnny wax over the questionable spots.
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Some of the others use a product that you don’t need to remove. I use parafilm and snug it tight with the cheap plastic electric tape. I like to remove or at least put a relief slit in the tape before winter.
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I use the Temflex and I split it lengthwise also. When it is stretched it is probably no wider than the rubbers but I do slightly over lap it. It will split with scion growth and doesn’t girdle. In fact buds will break through it. It also adheres a bit to the parafilm so on the ones that I have removed in the fall it all comes off in one layer. It’s sold at Lowe’s for less than $3 a roll and one roll lasts a long time especially if you split it. I attempted to order it on amazon and it was almost $7 there so don’t try to get it that way. I wrap my scion with parafilm and then wrap the graft union good with parafilm. I put the Temflex over the top to pull it tight and strengthen the support. When I first started grafting (and it hasn’t been that long ago…) I played around with what I used but I’m pretty comfortable now and wrap everything the same way.
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I actually used something very much like Temflex on these grafts that failed. Should have removed it before fall I guess.
This is my first time with parafilm, it seems to stick to itself pretty well. But I think I might try to remove some, as I wrapped multiple layers.
Occurs to me parafilm might make a decent frost burn/sunscald protection for young grafts over winter, to protect them from desiccation — our winters here tend to be cold and dry, and then Chinooks blow in to warm above freezing and are even drier.
Good plan.
My apple graft failed this morning. It has been lush for several months, but we had strong gusts this morning out of nowhere and the scion snapped off. Amazingly the cleft graft is still intact with the wedge from the scion still wedged in there. So the graft union itself is still intact, but the scion wood broke. There’s not much left in the graft for it to grow new wood.
What can I do with my remaining scion wood that is now sitting in a cup of water? Should I try to regraft? It’s a splendour apple scion that I’ve been dying to grow and was frankly very disappointed this morning.
My thinking is that I have nothing to lose at this point by retrying. Any suggestions on how to approach this during non dormant season?
Here’s a picture of the scion that broke off.
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That’s right Mark. And just as Kathryn mentions, it’s about the same width as budding rubbers after I cut it longways and stretch it.
As mentioned, it’s just for wrapping the graft union, or for closing T-buds when I bud. I don’t wrap the Temflex over the bud itself, but everywhere around the bud to hold the flap closed. Then I put the parafilm over that.
I’ve tried a rubber tape similar to Temflex, but I liked the Temflex quite a bit better, so from then on, I’ve just stuck with Temflex rubber tape.
I can’t seem to find the Temflex at any of the big box stores around here (they all carry cheaper rubber tape) so I’ve had to resort to ordering Temflex online. Just about a month ago, I ordered 3 more rolls of it from Amazon. I’m done grafting for this spring, but I was getting low on the Temflex, so I ordered some more.
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Lowe’s carries it here.
I don’t put it over the scion bud either. I just use parafilm over those buds. But lots of times if the rootstock has a bud that wants to grow it will come through the Temflex. It’s amazing the strength of plants.
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That’s a lot of disappointment sitting there…
T-bud graft???
Ive been using some clingwrap like ethylene grafting tape, i am guilty of putting it on too thick and removing it too early (usually dont lose too many grafts but did this with peaches and apricots and could see the scion bark/buds starting to dry out so i put new tape on and they’re in recovery…) recommend leaving clear wrap/until leaves are 1 to 2in long and/or using waxdip or proper parafilm instead of cheap chinese grafting tape…also patience, the hardest part
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My parafilm often starts cracking by the time the scions have even just a couple inches growth on them.
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:-)M
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Order some on Amazon, if you can wait for delivery.
I wonder if I can do it on cleft grafts after grafting.
You can but its a pain and highly likely to dislodge alignment.
If you cover the entire scion and graft union with foil, how can you tell when it starts leafing out?
After 2-3 weeks - but depends on the temperature, sap flow, scion dormancy.
What if the scion doesn’t get one foot of growth in the first year?
Just do it a 2-3 months after grafting, experience will tell
You mention temperature. […]
When people talk temperature they usually refer to daily highs, and you would want several consecutive days at that temperature. See here:
I’ve lately changed my thinking on temperature, but I then get a lot of failures, and I think climate gets overlooked a lot. We’re barely zone 3, and we get cold dry winds. Plums aren’t common here, especially not grafted ones, so I pretty much stick to apples. This year I collected scions as late as I could before the buds started to swell (so I didn’t have to store them too long), and waited until the sap was flowing well, as in starting to leaf out, before grafting. Did I screw up?
Scion can store just fine for several months if properly packaged and properly refrigerated. Grafting when things start to leaf out works well for apples, pears, even plums. Harder to graft things like peaches need the correct temperature.
You will know if you screwed up soon enough. I had a 2/6 success rate with stonefruit my first year, don’t sweat it.
Thank you very much, that’s great info!
I mix water and paraffin and beeswax, fyi. I’ve got it down to the perfect consistency. If you were to search Dax’s Wax Recipe or I’ll post it now:
You really don’t want to wrap scions (ever) after they’ve been grafted. Always do it before. You can certainly (have the bud and wood parafilmed in advance) but do the cuts and after all held together then cover the union (carefully) with a wax tape or whatever type of “Johnny Wax” you use. For me, I stretch parafilm “sideways” to make it very thin and to create a situation where I’m not putting pressure on the union when finishing up the parafilmed, graft.
Dax
Bingo! Thanks, Dax, and thanks for the waxing tutorial (again), too.
:-)M
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Sure
Dax
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