Bracing my topworking against the wind

[Native Hunter]

Last year was my first year topworking. I learned on July 3 that getting grafts to take was not the hard part. Keeping the wind from ripping them off was the challenge. The wind storm that day took out the very best ones I had. It was a violent one, taking down several mature oaks as well, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

But this year I'm taking steps to keep that from happening. The tools are Gorilla Tape and Cane Sticks. My thoughts are that by next year this bracing can be removed, but would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

This first one is pretty straight forward. I even removed the grafting tape on this one. I wish I had done it on all of them, but I can remove it on the others the next time I go back.



Another one.






A persimmon:





Apple Encounters of the Third Kind. This one took some planning.





I built a scaffold (or bird parking) on this double banger.



Tape removed on this one too.



That's about it. I did several more, but this gives an idea of my method. I have no idea if there is any better way. I'm just learning as I go along.

 

[buckvelvet]

I don't see why these wouldn't work as long as they are stable enough to not snap in the wind bringing the grafts w/ em. This is basically my thought when I stake my bench grafts the next 2 weeks as I've seen yours an others horror stories of wind or birds taking them out, no here they aint, sobs!

 

[Native Hunter]

I don't see why these wouldn't work as long as they are stable enough to not snap in the wind bringing the grafts w/ em. This is basically my thought when I stake my bench grafts the next 2 weeks as I've seen yours an others horror stories of wind or birds taking them out, no here they aint, sobs!

Good idea on the bench grafts.

Yes, those cane stick are pretty tough, so I think they can stand the pressure unless we get extraordinary wind.

 

[buckvelvet]

Good idea on the bench grafts.

Yes, those cane stick are pretty tough, so I think they can stand the pressure unless we get extraordinary wind.

Sorry, it was a typo i meant bark grafts.


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[Native Hunter]

Sorry, it was a typo i meant bark grafts.


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10-4....

 

[buckvelvet]

Roger...lol


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[Turkey Creek]

Yea I lost some of my best bark grafts a few years ago to a storm. The bracing is a good idea. I found this spring that T-buds are little more fragile as well as I inadvertently broke off 2 or 3 before it got through my thick skull that I couldnt treat them like a normal bench graft. Normal bench grafts I find to be pretty tough at least the way I wrap them.

 

[chickenlittle]

Those are some weird looking scarecrows.

 

[Native Hunter]

Those are some weird looking scarecrows.

Blair Witch Project....:emoji_ghost:

 

[John-W-WI]

The only thought I have (and I'm not saying it's a good one) is that I like your protection so long as you aren't constraining the tree from moving around a little. Some movement is good, as it will train the graft to be strong in the future. If they are too protected they may not make it in the future. Just my .02

-John

 

[Bill]

Small children will be afraid of what you have built.

 

[chickenlittle]

Another option is to prune the new growth back some now to slow it down while it is still fragile.

 

[yoderjac]

Last year was my first year topworking. I learned on July 3 that getting grafts to take was not the hard part. Keeping the wind from ripping them off was the challenge. The wind storm that day took out the very best ones I had. It was a violent one, taking down several mature oaks as well, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

But this year I'm taking steps to keep that from happening. The tools are Gorilla Tape and Cane Sticks. My thoughts are that by next year this bracing can be removed, but would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

This first one is pretty straight forward. I even removed the grafting tape on this one. I wish I had done it on all of them, but I can remove it on the others the next time I go back.



Another one.






A persimmon:





Apple Encounters of the Third Kind. This one took some planning.





I built a scaffold (or bird parking) on this double banger.



Tape removed on this one too.



That's about it. I did several more, but this gives an idea of my method. I have no idea if there is any better way. I'm just learning as I go along.

That is exactly what I do. I use electrical tape to tape a stick of bamboo. When I bark graft persimmons, the large root system sometimes makes them grow so fast in the first season, they flop over. As they grow, I loosely use cable ties to tie them to the bamboo. This gives me a nice straight central leader. After they harden off in the winter, I remove everything. In my case, wind is not an issue, but I often have birds light on the scion and break it before it is accepted. So, I apply the bamboo as soon as I graft. The birds light on it instead of the scion.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Native Hunter]

Thanks everyone. I was trying to allow for a little movement like John said but limit it to a point the scions might break. I would think that by next spring I could likely remove the bracing. That should give a lot of time for hardening.

 

[yoderjac]

From a wind standpoint, the scion will have a lot lower wind profile once it goes dormant. You probably don't need to wait until spring unless it is convenient. Yours is probably more complex than mine. I just did the vertical bamboo and picked my best growing scion as the central leader. For me, more than one is just insurance that one takes, so I don't really worry about the others.

 

[Native Hunter]

From a wind standpoint, the scion will have a lot lower wind profile once it goes dormant. You probably don't need to wait until spring unless it is convenient. Yours is probably more complex than mine. I just did the vertical bamboo and picked my best growing scion as the central leader. For me, more than one is just insurance that one takes, so I don't really worry about the others.

Yes, when the leaves fall off that will help, but just for my piece of mind, I think wait until next spring. I always do a bunch of spring maintenance anyway, so just one more job.

I really waited to long to topwork those bigger trees, and I plan on leaving all the scions that take. It might help to close the space on the cut branches faster. I know the trees could look funny, but with them making good fruit it will be a vast improvement over what I had.

 

[H20fwler]

They look really good and sure took well!

I'm going to take the tape off mine next month so the bark can harden up, mine were just scions to single branch WT grafts.