Any suggestions for potting (both container and soil medium) if you say, went overboard, and have like 150 grafts? If Johnny Appleseed had a cousin who like pears, I am that guy.
I still struggle with the W&T but am having some success with my grafting tool.
For 150, this is what I would do. Space them double rows about a bit over 1ft apart. Rototill a spot, dig out and rototill again. Place 2 layers of tarp/fabric down. Mix the soil with something loose, like sand if you got clay. Let them grow outside for a year then transplant.
Far as soil goes. This is what I do with my grow pots, use the soil they're going to live in, but make it better. I use 2/3rds my clay soil, and 1/3 nice potting soil, maybe a pinch on manure, about 2oz weight of pelletized lime, and about 2 oz of osmocote or maybe a tablespoon of triple 12 instead. This is per 5 gallons of clay soil used. This is for my home trees in clay soil.
I could use the same at camp in sandy soil and have done fine. This year brought home abut 25 gallon of sandy top soil from there. Stuff around mature trees top 2 or 3 inches. Going to pre mix this weekend while I am waiting for my rootstock. Probably use 2/3rd of the clay soil mix and 1/3 of the sandy soil. Add 1oz of limestone and 2oz of osmocote to the soil. Just sweeting the soil up a bit. Likely per 5 gallons, the clay needs about 6 to be good and 2-3 for the sand to be good.
Lets say ideally your soil sample says you need 3 tons per acre. Usual recommendation is for the top 6 inch of soil to be better. Thats 21700 cubic feet of soil to that 3 tons. A 5 gallon bucket is .66 cubic feet. 3 tons/acre is like 4oz per 5 gallon bucket of soil. It is pretty easy to go overboard on lime and fertilizer in small quanities like this.
Regular pots will be getting rootbound, prepare to rip those rootballs open. 10 3 gallon rootmaker pots are like $35 on amazon. I am on year 3 on half of them. About a dollar a year per pot so far. Pack the soil around the dimples, put your rootstock in, and push the soil down with your fingers, make sure theres some soil under the roots before you start. Mulch the top when you're done. Rootmaker pots are not efficient waterers. I put a little on the top 3 or 4 times until watered. I easily get 2x the growth of jut putting it in the ground. Do not curl the roots, either push through the hole or trim. I have a few 5 gallon pots for larger rootstocks, or sometimes ask for smaller bareroot trees from the nursery.
Grow pots are the way to go. Sick of work work work at camp. Bring up 2 or 3 grow pots anytime after the bulk of summer heat, hour or so later, your on your kayak fishing.. 4th of july, august, september, october, even early december. 100% survival so far.
Too many rootstocks? Graft what you can, put them right next to ech other in a bucket of soil. Let them sit somewhere dark n cool for 3 weeks while the union heals. Just put them where they're going to be. Not enough scion? Jst plant them where they're going to be and grat next year, or topwork when they wake up. Too much hassle to graft? Antonovka, dolgo, and m111 are known to be decent early-mid season trees. Some of the desired crabapples varieties folks sell are unique seedlings. Could have a winner. M111 is essentially 3/4's northern spy. It gets CAR, which I have real bad at home.
Graft failure. #1 not letting the union heal. #2 it sat dormant too long, you did them too early. #3 seal up that union well. I use grafting tape / ceranwrap, then using elelctrical tape inside out, wrap that union about medium to a little bit more than medium tight for electrical tape. Leave some xtra ceranwrap / crafting tape exposed so the bark doesn't stick to the electrical tape. Maybe remove the tape late june.
Get anything to practice, young maple or your pruning cuttings. Does not need to be perfect. If it's still too early to plant outside, after 3 weeks put in by a window inside. Your wife will love that.....
Best scion is your own trees. Get them as fresh as you can get. seal the ends. I save a branch or two and prune later incase I want to copy that tree. You can hydrate your scions. Cut a bit of the end and sit in some shallow water in the fridge for a day. Clip both ends and bury in cold water for a few hours. IF you feel the scion looks to bad, it probably is. Need that layer of green. You might have to take a foot long scion and only get 1 good one in the middle. No green, no go.
You want alot of a certain tree, buy that bareroot the year before. I got trees at my zone 5/6 home, 1 mile from a huge river, 250' elevation 4 hours away is nasty lake effect snow 2300ft elevation zone 3 now they think its zone 4. I graft leftover scion to my suckers on my mature trees at home.
