2014 Grafting Adventures of CrazyED

[CrazyEd]

I had posted this information below on the other board as well as this forum before we got our facelift. I'm posting it again since I think it contains some helpful information.

Rootstock caliper and scion caliper have been determining if I do W&T or Cleft graft. I will say cleft graft is easier but I think i still prefer W&T if I have a nice match. We will see if one has a better success rate than the other come August.

All my finished grafts get a warm wax bath to seal them up and prevent dry out. I use a single burner coleman stove, large coffee can filled about half way with water and then a smaller can filled with gulf wax and grafting wax inside. Boil the water enough to get all the wax melted. Once the wax is melted I just turn off the burner, the wax should stay soluble for quite some time, I basically just dunk all my grafts when i'm all finished. You want the wax warm but not hot.

Here the wax is still solid. This is a mix of gulf wax and grafting wax.

 

[CrazyEd]

Here's a closer look at some of the B.118 rootstocks i'm using. These were purchased from Cummins. The rootballs seem way larger than the roots I bought last year. For some reason last year I did not get any pictures but I just remember each root stick only having a few small roots coming off, kind of like angle hair pasta. Maybe each stick had 5-6 of these roots. This year it seems totally different. My trees did great last year but I think these will do much much better.

Here's a simple Whip & Tongue graft, if you look close you can see I already cut the tongue in these. I try and have a 1"-1.25" long cut. Try to match scion caliper to rootstock caliper. The key is trying to get as much of the cambium lined up as possible.

Once your cuts line up, then you lock them together.

 

[CrazyEd]

After it's all put together I wrap it up in 1" teflon plumbing tape. There are a bunch of various things you can use for this part, rubber bands, parafilm, grafting tape. My only recommendation is find something you like and go with it. I like this teflon tape, it's super stretch, flexible, it wont girdle your tree and it's dirt cheap. For me it works.

I like to leave 2 to 3 buds above the tape and cut off the rest. Once the tree buds out I select the most aggressive one and remove the others.

I also use a nice steep angle cut right above the top bud. That way if water lands on the graft it will run off.

Once you cut off any access scion. Dunk the whole thing from the tip all the way past the tape into your warm wax. Just a quick dunk to coat the whole thing well and pull it out.

 

[CrazyEd]

Here's another close up of a whip & tongue graft.

The other type of graft I have started using this season is the cleft graft. This works well with the large caliper rootstock but sometimes have a small caliper scion. Again, ideally you want both the root & scion to be same caliper and match as much cambium on all edges as possible.

 

[UP Powers]

Ed... if you find a self help group... count me in. Very impressive. love it. .seriously love it.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Ed - I don't graft, so pardon my lack of knowledge. Can water sprouts be cut for scion wood? If so, would it be only NEW ones from the current year's growth?

 

[Turkey Creek]

Water sprouts can be used, they would be last season's growth for this springs grafting. Some people would say no because the buds are too far apart, but that is the result of where water sprouts grow. Not indicative of growth with plenty of sunshine reaching a graft .

 

[CrazyEd]

Ed - I don't graft, so pardon my lack of knowledge. Can water sprouts be cut for scion wood? If so, would it be only NEW ones from the current year's growth?

Take a look at this article.

http://www.seattletreefruitsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/gregs-scionwood-storage1.pdf

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks, Turkey & Ed. I was just curious. I don't graft, but may have scion wood in the future from some of my apple & crabapple trees. I get some water sprouts on the trees - not loads - but some. Hence the question. I have 3 old apple trees of unknown variety that seem to hold apples into late October - all different. I'll pay close attention to them this year to see when they ripen, fall, etc. Maybe some good scion wood from them to come. Good article , Ed. Thanks again.

 

[CrazyEd]

I have moved my grafts from my basement (56 degrees and dark 24 hours per day) to my garage. I'll probably move them into my nursery this week.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Lots of growth. I am surprised that they push that much growth in the dark. Do you ever have die back on that growth or does it green up relatively quick?

 

[CrazyEd]

Did the same thing last year and they seemed to be fine. We'll see I guess. Some of these things are going bonkers.

 

[CrazyEd]

Is that a horse in the background ?? Guess not. It looked like it on my phone. Is it a golden retriever ?

lol, that is tooley. yellow lab / golden retriever mix.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Matt

Your growth looks very yellow. Did they do that last year. I had one start a bit yellow but it turned green. Mine have been I rootrappers for a while but haven't grown as much as yours. Have yours gotten any fertilizer. Mine are in miracle gro dirt so I think they are getting some nourishment from that

Paul

 

[CrazyEd]

Paul, these things should green up just fine. Like I said they have been healing in my basement for 3 weeks or so. It's completely dark pretty much around the clock. I will keep them in my garage for a good week letting them get acclimated. Once I feel good an the temps look safe I will move them out to my garden. Even out there I will likely cover them up for a while with a bed sheet over them so they are not in direct sun just yet. They should green right up. I'm not worried.

I don't do any fertilizer on my grafts.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Ok cool once they get some sun I would guess they would green up pretty fast

 

[CrazyEd]

I am running out of space rapidly. Last night 38 trees got planted. I was going for 8-10" spacing between trees and about 12" between rows. That's going to get tighter for sure.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

That's why some of mine are going into the ground final place. It's an experiment but need to do it. Will set up a timer to water them

 

[CrazyEd]

put another 40 or so trees out in the nursery tonight. only another 50 or so to go I think. Overall thinks look good as of now but some of these look like they will need to be tbudded. roughly 10-15% have not budged yet.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

s&$t happens Matt. I think 85 to 90% is awesome!! Have to be happy with that here are 2 of my grafts planted in final spot as test