Graft then move or move then graft

[Dantana]

I have numerous young wild crabs that I want to graft over to known varieties. Some I would like to move up north to deer camp, others I need to move to more desirable locations (i.e. not on my main walking trail). In your experience, is it better to graft/topwork these first and then move to their final location (either later in the spring or this fall). Or should I move them first and then graft them next year?

 

[Telemark]

Kind of an awkwardly worded question.

You can dig them up, bench graft, and and pot or plant them out. Or you could transplant them and field graft next year or after. Or you could field graft now, and transplant in winter.

Can you give a few more details about what you are thinking of?

 

[gunfun13]

I don't think there is a wrong answer here but I think the less moving of a freshly grafted tree the better. I have a few hundred rootstocks sitting in a garden. Some I'll topwork this spring, and move to permanent location next spring. Others I'll move this spring to permanent location and T-bud late summer. How many I do each way depends on what I have available for tubing and caging materials.

 

[Dantana]

Kind of an awkwardly worded question.

You can dig them up, bench graft, and and pot or plant them out. Or you could transplant them and field graft next year or after. Or you could field graft now, and transplant in winter.

Can you give a few more details about what you are thinking of?

Sorry, I had it all typed out in my head then got interrupted at work, hence the hurried, incoherent post! Every year, I find more and more wild crabapples at my home property. A lot of these I intend to move up north to my deer camp as I don't need that many at home. Judging on what the mature crabs around produce for fruit, these will all produce smaller crabs - mostly quarter sized. For that reason, I plan to graft them over to more known varieties of crab and apples. My question is, should I graft them this spring, then move them up north later this fall or next spring? Or should I move them up north and plant them in their final location but hold off on grafting until next year as they plant will likely undergo shock and the graft may not take?

 

[jsasker007]

I would move them and let them recover from any transplant shock first. Some might not make it. After they look like they survived do the work on them. Top working now might be a waste of time on any that would die after moving.

 

[bigboreblr]

I have bench grafted them and then put them in a bucket for a few weeks in the basement to heal the union.

IfI recall the leaves were just starting to pop out a bit when I transplanted them. Little mouse ears. I planted them at home, so they got regular watering. Probably would of been ok.

However, I mainly use these rootmaker pots. I have both 3 and 5 gallon. I use the 5 gallon for smaller bareroot tree orders. rootstocks fit in the 3 gallon ones fine. Ocassionally one or two need a slight root trim, or cut back a real long one instead of swirling it in the pot. Often have 4ft trees by late summer, then plant them from august until even december. Very handy if your camp time is hit or miss, or just clueless where to put them in march.

About 40 bucks for 10. I'm on year 3 on some pots and so far no sun fragile ones. See if they make it to 4 this year.