Regrafting early?

[Turkey Creek]

I know the standard approach is to T-bud failed benchgrafts later in the summer. Has anyone tried to regraft early, like now? With a cleft or whip/tongue? I assume the down fall is no good way to shelter the new graft until the callus forms.

 

[qdmohio]

I know the standard approach is to T-bud failed benchgrafts later in the summer. Has anyone tried to regraft early, like now? With a cleft or whip/tongue? I assume the down fall is no good way to shelter the new graft until the callus forms.

I'm testing out that theory. I top-worked half a dozen trees this Spring and a few grafts on some of the scaffold limbs didn't take (I think I might have done them too early and they dried out). I had some scions still in the fridge, so I took them out and grafted them on either as a bark/rind graft or W&T or what I've seen called a "side graft". Did that in the last week. A few of them are showing some new green on the scion bud tips, and some haven't shown green yet but are seriously swelling and look like they're going to pop through the wax grafting tape in the next few days. We'll see if they survive.