Grafting Conifers?

[CrazyEd]

Anyone ever graft conifers or spruce trees?

 

[Turkey Creek]

No. But I have a feeling you are thinking about trying it!:D Actually I have read bits and pieces about it in my fruit tree grafting research.

 

[CrazyEd]

Of course I'm thinking about trying it, I'm crazy.

I dunno as I was driving to work today I guess I had a what if moment. I know it's possible to graft conifers, some of them anyways. I was just curious if it's a lot more difficult to have success with conifers compared to fruit trees.

I was also thinking, by us it's harder to establish trees like white pines and spruce trees. Yet Jack pines grow like weeds. I was curious how well a norway spurce might graft onto a jackpine stump. Or something.

I know this is a pretty crazy and wild idea. But when you have these trees with huge root system and you put a little twig on it, it can really grow into a large tree quick.

 

[West Branch]

I never heard of that before, but now you have me thinking. Grafting a tamarack to a spruce or pine would look pretty cool when the needles turn yellow in the fall if were able to keep the evergreen part growing as well. Maybe that wouldn't work since the tamarack is deciduous?

This would be easier for me than apple trees since we already have the conifers growing around home and I wouldn't have to worry about bears :).

 

[SD51555]

That's getting into mad scientist territory. I like it.

 

[buckvelvet]

Yeah I gotta see this experiment unfold, lets see the documented proof, do it ED!

 

[WTNUT]

Crazy Ed,

Do not go half way - see if you can graft a pine on a spruce and when it gets some size to it leave 1/3 alone and top work the other 2/3 with a Gold Rush apple and the remaining third with a white oak! You can do it as Disney says just believe in yourself!!!!!!

 

[CrazyEd]

maybe I will try it next April and share my results.

 

[buckvelvet]

CrazyEd, you still on board to try this? :)

 

[Native Hunter]

Never tried it but had a Dwarf Alberta Spruce shrub in my yard that started growing a whole different tree out of the top of it. This was an old shrub that had been set for several years. I don't have any pics, but it was the craziest looking thing you had ever seen. I sent pics to a biologist and she said it had reverted back to its parent species. I found this pic and info about it on the internet:

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/understanding_tree_reversions

 

[homegrownbucks]

Not yet but have been looking into it with plans to try this spring. Success looks good online

 

[Shedder]

I haven't but a friend was the fir guy for the DNR here and he did a lot of it.

He said it worked and was doable. There is likely info on line.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

TTT

Interested to hear if the mad arborist pulled it off?

 

[cavey]

I've seen sites where its being done on the web... I would have thought the sap weeping would have been a huge hurdle to the wound healing and the bonding of the grafts. Below is a link where their doing them in bulk batches so it must be easy enough. It would be pretty cool to have a couple Frankenstein Pines growing in the yard.

http://www.providencefarmornamentals.com/graftdemo.shtml