blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
I didn't have any luck with my pear grafts. None of the scions took.
First time apple tree grafting with some questions.
- Thread starter Adittmer
- Start date
I had a few that I thought were failures wake up in the past two days. I had a Liberty, Empire, and an unknown scion from a relative all show life within the past 2 days. These were all grafted around the beginning of April. I have 5 or 6 more that maybe will wake up as well. I guess moral of the story is wait on them they might not be failures?
Good advice, I’m just leaving them alone and watering them as needed & hopefully I get good success
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greyphase
5 year old buck +
Ok guys it’s been about 40 some odd days from when I grafted these trees. Out of the 24 I grafted 18 have shown life so far.
So far we are really happy with the results and success rate.
I have a few questions going forward though.
1. When do I take and separate them individual into there own pots? And how big of pots?
2. It seems that at some point I need to pick of the growing buds to be the “leader”? How do I know what one and how is this done?
3. Anything else I’m missing or should do to these little guys over the following months?
4. Should they be ready to plant in the ground this fall in northern Wisconsin?
Thanks again guys!
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So far we are really happy with the results and success rate.
I have a few questions going forward though.
1. When do I take and separate them individual into there own pots? And how big of pots?
2. It seems that at some point I need to pick of the growing buds to be the “leader”? How do I know what one and how is this done?
3. Anything else I’m missing or should do to these little guys over the following months?
4. Should they be ready to plant in the ground this fall in northern Wisconsin?
Thanks again guys!
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aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
Additmer don’t be in a hurry. Make sure you are getting good growth and that it’s not the energy left in scion generating the growth. Always good to leave some growth on the rootstock if the scion growth dies off. That happens trust me. Here is my buckets of 30 scions with about 23 showing growth from scion. I haven’t messed with these and want to make sure I get moderated temps between soil my grafts are in and the soil I will put in my roottrapper bags to grow them through summer. I will probably plant mine in late August or early September depending on temps and soil conditions at my farm. Here are my grafts which unfortunately have about 3 scions with only fruit blossoms growing. A lot of the Green growth you see is from rootstock keeping my fingers crossed
Jeez yours are growing 1000% more than mine. So it sounds like I should leave them be? I have them under a covered porch south facing
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Mortenson
5 year old buck +
Nice updates guys. My 41st of 41, a kieffer, awakened. But now as the days are going by, I think a few are starting to show that the graft didn't take. Flourishing little leaves on several are starting to looked withered. 1 Johantorp I think is a definite goner. I have a couple Liberty and a Yates that already have 2" leaders. 2 Johantorps also are excelling early on... very hopeful they don't bite it! Mine have been outside, planted in the full sun (but mostly it's been cold and rain) since Easter. I'm sorry I can't answer your questions, so I'll just hang around to share stories and read from the experts. I'm really hoping for 30 survivors but honestly I'd be happy with 20.
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
Mine are inside my cabin which has been ranging from high 50’s to low 60’s after a week in a dark room in 50’s temp. Put them in that spot in front of slider and I water with about 25 ounces of water each week. They get sun through glass but I haven’t messed with them so I think that’s the key. I messed around a lot in past and had disastrous results. Next hurdle is planting in roottrapper bags
cavey
5 year old buck +
I had assumed most of you that have them in five gallon buckets post grafting were only keeping them in the bucket for a week or so to heal the union... I kind of wondered about that if it was the case or not? From what Im now seeing many are keeping them bucketed up for longer than I thought - so in speaking of not messing with them repeatedly. Im not saying its right or wrong but post grafting I bed them in wet sawdust in a cooler for a week or so - essentially on ice. Im guessing the cooler temp is in the high 30's. But then I pull them and pot them directly into tree pots or direct plant them. The grafts will either make it or not (I usually have a pretty high success percentage in the end), but I know for sure the root stock is almost certain to survive so I just go ahead and direct pot. From then on they are free to just grow and no additional disruptions to growth/transplanting till I eventually put them in the ground where I want them.
I guess ultimately my question is are you doing the bucket deal just to save space for a period of time, and or for the ease of some added temp protection - why not go direct to pots post grafting (excluding any lay up time to heal the graft union)? Wouldn't it be one less chance of inducing root stress on an already stressed root stock and a pretty cut up scion? Just curious on thoughts - I do realize there are a bunch of different ways to skin a cat.
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
I do it mostly for saving space and time and the fact that temps here in PA at grafting times don’t allow for much outside time in planted bags or pots and they are much easier to move around in the buckets and yes the stress maybe more in more established roots and scion growth but it could be opposite like a baby which needs much more care and feeding and tlc. Just my 2 cents. Whenever I planted them early after grafting I had much die off of scion and rootstock. Not sure which was problem but I think maybe shock to roots either in temperature or medium planted to.
I grafted 35 trees on Saturday and I'm letting them heal until this Saturday in my unheated garage. Then I'll plant them individually into pots and place them on the east side of my barn (they get morning sun here, but not the hot afternoon sun) until I plant them in their final destination this fall. This is the plan I followed last year and I had 100% survival on what was my first grafting attempt.
Last year I had a couple scion stay dormant for a month or more and then suddenly spring to life. So if they don't look too good right away don't give up on them. One of those trees only grew about an inch before they went dormant for the fall. This spring that tree is alive and growing great.
Last year I had a couple scion stay dormant for a month or more and then suddenly spring to life. So if they don't look too good right away don't give up on them. One of those trees only grew about an inch before they went dormant for the fall. This spring that tree is alive and growing great.
cavey
5 year old buck +
I was just curious, I see where it would save a ton a of space and be super easy to care for them like that. I have to keep them in cold storage a bit longer the way I do it and they have yet to have leafed out and many have not even swelled the buds yet. So mine are behind but this way I go direct outside and its just easier for me. Yours are way ahead of mine with all that growth.
cavey
5 year old buck +
I have pretty much an identical experience as you do with the trees, and its not uncommon to have a few really slow go'ers and I also have a high survival percentage so it seems to be working for me too. I usually have 18" to about 30" of growth average'ish going into the fall with some less and some more but as a whole all healthy. I pot them, label, stake (later tie them) and rack them up in a frame work and keep a good eye on them in the garden. They are under a pine tree so they get mainly indirect sun light - maybe a couple hours of direct sun but not much. In the fall they get planted or heeled in out at the farm in a nursery area. The last two years I have done tree pots. So last years heeled in trees will have to be planted in the fall or next spring the pots are 6x6x15" so they are not very big. Roughly a 100 trees at a crack.
I put my grafts together in a 5 gallon bucket for a few weeks in the garage, then transplant to each being in their own 5g bucket for a year. That gives me time to figure out where I’m going to plant them next spring. I know that moving them twice is not ideal but it keeps me from transplanting to a “permanent” spot the grafts that don’t end up taking and it gives me time to clear the room for new trees.
Plus it helps me convince my wife that I didn’t get any more apple “trees” this year. I think I’ve tricked her into thinking that a “rootstock” isn’t the same as a “tree.”
Plus it helps me convince my wife that I didn’t get any more apple “trees” this year. I think I’ve tricked her into thinking that a “rootstock” isn’t the same as a “tree.”
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
Out of 35ish I've got a little over twenty looking good, pretty happy with them and have a few new varieties going I had been wanting. Maybe a dozen apple the rest pear.
The rootstock top cuttings root hormone experimental side project stuff didn't do very well at all....out of the 35ish the pears have done best so far maybe ten with life still, the apples are down to two or three. I must have done something wrong with them? They sure started out good pushing growth on tops above dirt line then fizzled right out with not really any hair root growth showing when I pulled them.
The rootstock top cuttings root hormone experimental side project stuff didn't do very well at all....out of the 35ish the pears have done best so far maybe ten with life still, the apples are down to two or three. I must have done something wrong with them? They sure started out good pushing growth on tops above dirt line then fizzled right out with not really any hair root growth showing when I pulled them.
