Grafting ?

[Mattyq2402]

With blue hill selling out so quick I didnt get any trees. Last year i grabbed two prime time, two roadkill, 2 acorn pippin along with some whitetail crabs droptine, cbow, and 30 6. I also have some other apple and keifer pear.

? Is, how old would a tree need to be before i cam start grafting onto rootstock? What consitutes a usable branch, scion, or whip or whatever you call it? Can I use wood thats on a immature tree? Would suckers work for a graft? Im going to grab some root stock from bhill but want to make sure im on the right track.

 

[chummer]

You want one year old wood so you are good to go.

 

[Mattyq2402]

Would that mean any branching?

 

[sandbur]

Would that mean any branching?

Most often no.

Look for a growth collar between this year and last years wood. Very rarely there are two growth spirts in one year.

I harvest scion in late February. The time may vary in your climate. I store it in the fridge, in a sealed zip lock with a slightly damp paper towel. There should be no fruit in the fridge.


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[AtomApple]

Would that mean any branching?

 

[chickenlittle]

I’ve taken cuttings from bare root trees when received and immediately grafted. If not pruned too hard by the nursery for shipping and arrive dormant, that is an easy way to turn a grafted tree purchase into more trees. The following spring you can graft more using the previous year’s growth.

 

[letemgrow]

I’ve taken cuttings from bare root trees when received and immediately grafted. If not pruned too hard by the nursery for shipping and arrive dormant, that is an easy way to turn a grafted tree purchase into more trees. The following spring you can graft more using the previous year’s growth.

I’ve done that using trees still in the box and have produced a lot of scions that way. They each go on a mature limb to really blow up the one year scion growth.

One tree has 15 different varieties growing at my house now. It’s my “mother” scion producer.

I figure it’s a good way to test each one side by side for drop and disease resistance.


Some of those hard to get Blue Hill varieties would be a great bargaining chip to swap for some others.

Anyone have a Candy Crab or Sweet November I’d like to talk.

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[Mattyq2402]

As always I apologize for questions, can I graft the scion directly onto the rootstock I purchase

 

[cavey]

no need to apologize... more questions are better than less and getting it wrong.

So yes, we call that bench grafting if you are grafting to unplanted rootstock. That is the typical way I do the bulk of my grafting. Order root stock in the fall for spring delivery, cut pencil sized lengths of scion in feb/march (dormant last summers growth like in the illustration) then dip ends in wax, put in a zip lock bag with a slightly damp paper towel as sandbur stated and store in the fridge with no apple fruit in fridge till my rootstock arrives. Bench graft in the spring.

I have a large chest cooler I use, filled with damp sawdust and keep block ice in the cooler to act as a mini cool room. Treat the rootstock with care keeping the roots damp at all times in the wet sawdust.... usually only pull a few rootstocks out at a crack, anything i am not handling to graft I keep (roots) under a damp towel. Root shock from drying roots is harsh on your trees. I then leave the grafted trees bedded back in that same sawdust and cooler for a week to heal the unions. After that I like to pot mine so I can keep them in the shed for a bit then move them out to the garden under shade for the summer but others differ in how they handle their trees post grafting.

Benefit of the cooler is I can keep the ungrafted root stock in there for a time too if I want to hold back do to weather or time concerns for my actual grafting session.

 

[Mattyq2402]

Is there anyone on here that shares rootstock from their top trees?

 

[Mattyq2402]

Is there anyone on here that shares rootstock from their top trees?

 

[Mattyq2402]

Sorry, i meant scions. And if yes, what tree types?

 

[Barndog56]

There will be a scion sharing thread started over the winter. If you look back far enough you can find last year's thread to see which varieties are likely to be available.

 

[AtomApple]

Sorry, i meant scions. And if yes, what tree types?

I don’t remember if you posted your location, but figure out what ”cold hardiness zone” (google that) you are in, and try to figure out which trees would be good after that.

 

[Mattyq2402]

Im zone 6, southern Ohio. I found that thread, got me excited. I think ill try and do a few of the lemondrop-primetime and probably the whole season and roadkill. Im really interested in pear, blue hill was sold out of the rootstock. I have an ancient pear tree in my parents yard that gets hammered octoberb thru early november. Any locations where i can find good pear rootstock

 

[homerj1]

Any locations where i can find good pear rootstock

Burnt Ridge Nursery, Fedco Trees

 

[cavey]

Willamette Nursery as well

 

[H20fwler]

Cummins, I like using OH97 for pears.

 

[chummer]

Im zone 6, southern Ohio. I found that thread, got me excited. I think ill try and do a few of the lemondrop-primetime and probably the whole season and roadkill. Im really interested in pear, blue hill was sold out of the rootstock. I have an ancient pear tree in my parents yard that gets hammered octoberb thru early november. Any locations where i can find good pear rootstock

Pears are harder than apples. Start with apples. I hate pears, they torture me.

 

[Mattyq2402]

Pears are harder than apples. Start with apples. I hate pears, they torture me.

Re reading this thread as my first grafting approaches. Why do you say pear is tough to graft?