Regrafting Question

[KylePa]

Okay guys have a two part question here. I started grafting last year. I didn't have the best success rates around 60%, but the remaining roostock I kept all alive in my raised bed. I am planning on regrafting them this spring. They are currently tucked in my raised bed. My questions are:

Do I need to dig them out and bench graft them or can I simply graft them where they are currently located?

Also I received an order of scions from Grin this week, when would you suggest I graft them?

 

[yoderjac]

You don't have to dig them out to graft them and you will likely have better success rates if you don't. I've bench grafted and put them in Rootbuilder IIs afterwards. I've also grafted year old seedlings in RB2s. As long as the diameter match is well above the container top, I had no problem, but if it was close to the container, I had a harder time grafting it. I found that as long as I could make a good graft, trees that were growing for a year with the root system established, push scion buds much better. While both ways will work, I would prefer to have the graft well established before digging up the rootstock.

I suggest adding your location to your profile. I'm in zone 7a. Around here the start field grafting apples in March.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[BuckSnort]

Jack, I also had excellent success bench grafting failures left right in the ground. The one negative is that you have to get down on your knees and have enough room to work. I was worried that they would take more time to heal over but it seemed to work well and I was very impressed with survival doing my failed grafts that way last year. For a less invasive method you could bud graft in the fall, I guess it all depends on when you have more time available and when you can obtain scionwood.

 

[KylePa]

Thanks for the replies. I am in in zone 6b. I will just graft them right in the ground sometime here in March.