Favorite bench graft techniques?
- Thread starter CrazyEd
- Start date
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
I would guess 80% of mine are cleft grafts, with the remainder W/T. I think the clefts are slightly faster, but the W/T make a prettier graft.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
I got my start with grafting off of CEs posts a few years back. He sealed his grafts and so I followed suit. I always seal my bench grafts with wax, I cant say that is 100% needed, but I think it does make a difference, and since it takes so little effort to do it I will continue. My wax pot is a blend of beeswax, canning wax and toilet bowl wax ring, quite the hodge podge!:D Canning wax is too brittle by itself, the others add some flexibility to the wax.
buckvelvet
5 year old buck +
I used treekote last year it seemed to seal great. I assume this is a perfectly acceptable alternative to actual wax? https://www.agriculturesolutions.co...-grafting-and-budding-compound-1-quart-detail
greyphase
5 year old buck +
I use the cleft graft because I seem to have been born with 5 thumbs on each hand :eek: and the cleft graft is easier for me than the whip and tongue. Parafilm to wrap the graft and Gulf Wax to seal the end of the scion.
Used Tree Kote one year and got equal parts on the scion and myself. :mad: I use toilet bowl wax when I'm top working trees.
Used Tree Kote one year and got equal parts on the scion and myself. :mad: I use toilet bowl wax when I'm top working trees.
I used cleft graft last year and was highly successful wrapped the union with parafilm and wrapped the cut end with parafilm as well. I haven't used wax but will try toilet bowl wax if I ever top work any bigger stuff. For those that dip what do you do to keep from getting the wax too hot? Could spray shellac or a quart of regular shellac used to dip the scion in after the graft? I'm thinking shellac is usually cut with alcohol.
buckvelvet
5 year old buck +
& theres that! :)
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
I use an electric hot plate to heat a pot with water in it. The wax is in a glass jar in the hot water. Double boiler. I am not sure on the shellac if the chemicals in it would be harmful to the scion. I have used Tree-kote to seal grafts in the field.
chickenlittle
5 year old buck +
I have mostly done clefts. I'll probably do more whip and tongue this spring when I get a good size match. I have some very small scions that will be cleft grafted. I am thinking of adding a chip bud below the cleft or w&t as extra insurance, particularly for trees that I am planting in the final orchard location. I have some some hard to get scionwood that I want to ensure success without grafting too many extra trees. I will graft an extra tree or two of some varieties and start those in a new nursery at my house. If the orchard tree takes, I can T-bud the extra trees to something else in August and collect scionwood off it next winter. If I have a good graft graft in the nursery but the graft in the orchard fails, I can T-bud or field graft the orchard tree using the nursery tree or move the nursery tree to the orchard.
2ndHand
5 year old buck +
TC, Thanks for the info on the wax..:)
NY_Terrence
5 year old buck +
I use mostly w/t grafts. Last year was my second year and I changed two things. 1). Bought cut-resistant gloves so I didn't cut my thumb open when making the tongue . 2). My scions were often a lot smaller in diameter, so I did most w/t grafts on side like the one on this picture I grabbed from Internet.
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Dan Wombles
5 year old buck +
I use treekote, but I apply it after the grafts are planted; that way I don't get the tar all over everything while handling the grafts.
Corey Peterson
5 year old buck +
I like doc farewells grafting seal it has the consitencey of thick latex paint and cleans up with soap and water. OESCO carries the stuff. It really lasts, and is almost like rubber when it dries.
I prefer to use W&T but I ran into some unusually large root stock last year so I did mainly side W&T like NY-Terrence noted earlier. I tried a few cleft grafts as well but I don't love them.
For keeping my wax warm I use a coffee cup warmer I picked up at the local thrift store for $2. Either warm it in a double boiler first, or put it on several hours before using it, because it won't heat the wax in a hurry. I use a mixture of gulf wax and bees wax. After I graft I wrap the graft with parafilm and dip the whole scion and graft over the parafilm. I try to use a tall narrow jar with a lid for the wax.
For keeping my wax warm I use a coffee cup warmer I picked up at the local thrift store for $2. Either warm it in a double boiler first, or put it on several hours before using it, because it won't heat the wax in a hurry. I use a mixture of gulf wax and bees wax. After I graft I wrap the graft with parafilm and dip the whole scion and graft over the parafilm. I try to use a tall narrow jar with a lid for the wax.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
I used cleft grafts for my first attempts last winter, wrapped them in parafilm, and sealed with Tree-Kote. They were doing fine once moved outside ....... until the gypsy moth cats. got to them and ate them up !!! :mad: THIS spring - I'll spray them right away. I think I'm going to try toilet bowl wax on a few to see how it does, and do Tree-Kote on the rest. Clefts again this spring.
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
Cleft grats, para film and grafting g wax in double boiler sealing top of scion and all the para film
buckvelvet
5 year old buck +
Everyone talked about para film, I used plumbers tape per CE's method in his thread. Its a pain when it touched itself and you drop the roll, lol!
is Parafilm that much better?
is Parafilm that much better?
