The great value in topworking
- Thread starter Native Hunter
- Start date
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Question for all you pear gents .....
Given the research done on commercial rootstocks for DR, when you top-work pears onto Callery roots, how's the DR on any of the grafts? Any differences - good or bad - since top-working? Wondering if Callery roots have a noticeable effect one way or the other.
Given the research done on commercial rootstocks for DR, when you top-work pears onto Callery roots, how's the DR on any of the grafts? Any differences - good or bad - since top-working? Wondering if Callery roots have a noticeable effect one way or the other.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
I have not had any disease issues with any of my grafts. When I see a Callery pear that looks diseased I kill it. Not sure if it's actually diseases, injuries, or genetic disorders causing the trees to look unusual, but I just get rid of them. I've killed 3 because of appearance out of maybe 100 seedling trees I've encountered. I also kill off the huge trees that I can't graft, maybe about 10 so far.
I have had some issues with compatibility. Some varieties just thrive on Callery roots better than others. Some do very poorly, especially the perry varieties I've tried.
Callery pears around me seem to be very disease resistant. I just kill the few that appear to be affected by disease. I don't think the roots have much affect on the scion. The scion will have its own genetics and disease resistance. This is just my experience and not gospel.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
No difference in DR for me. I'm really particular about apple rootstock, but I have never seen any difference in any of the pear rootstocks except for the ultimate size of the tree. One nursery told me that he sometimes used Callery as his rootstock for pears he sold.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Grafted kerr on a droptine this spring. A few have fruit on them. Was afraid to pluck them and separate the graft union.
A badly damaged tree will give all its got to survive. 7ft of growth may not be a good thing. Especially places where winters are bad.
A badly damaged tree will give all its got to survive. 7ft of growth may not be a good thing. Especially places where winters are bad.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I topworked my Franklin last year with great growth. This spring I chose the best one for central leader and growth has been very slow. Looking closer, I found some sunscauld on it.
I also topworked the nurse limb and no success.
My other topworking this year seem to be failing except one in a more sheltered location. I think the heat, frost, and now numerous days of heat and wind have hurt.
I need to change my methods a bit.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
I did 8-12 grafts on 2 trees. A pristine worked to trailman, and a droptine worked to kerr. IF one fails I got plenty of backups. And the next year or two, I have a bnch of maturing laterals. The grafted leader dies, you might be able to use a lateral for the leader. The tree might be wanting to use it anyways.
Cant speak with much of any experience, but my crabapple grafts seem to be growing faster than orchard apple varieties.
Some might be better in general. Trailman and kerr have been rockets. easily 18 inches so far.
Tounge and whip grafts grow better than cleft grafts. Sometimes you gott do cleft on larger branches. My topworks are are 2 years old bareroots, maybe 7ft tall pre topwork pruning.
I wonder if replant disease sensitive rootstocks should just be put in the ground as-is to reduce year 1-2 strees and begin growing helathier, then topworked. Instead of the usual graft n plant.
My failed graft anotonovka's at camp are monsters compared to the same failed graft ones I regrafted the same spring. I may topwork them, I may not. A plain old antonovka makes a decent september putting on weight for deer apple. Especially compared to what up in birch n maple wastlelland there......
Cant speak with much of any experience, but my crabapple grafts seem to be growing faster than orchard apple varieties.
Some might be better in general. Trailman and kerr have been rockets. easily 18 inches so far.
Tounge and whip grafts grow better than cleft grafts. Sometimes you gott do cleft on larger branches. My topworks are are 2 years old bareroots, maybe 7ft tall pre topwork pruning.
I wonder if replant disease sensitive rootstocks should just be put in the ground as-is to reduce year 1-2 strees and begin growing helathier, then topworked. Instead of the usual graft n plant.
My failed graft anotonovka's at camp are monsters compared to the same failed graft ones I regrafted the same spring. I may topwork them, I may not. A plain old antonovka makes a decent september putting on weight for deer apple. Especially compared to what up in birch n maple wastlelland there......
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I have found that birch clumps that are cut have regrowth that is heavily browsed. I am speaking of paper birch. Same for maple. Have you tried cutting small areas?
Sorry to change the direction of your thread.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
I do that. I prep a few areas for logging work too. Get rid of the young stuff, but when I cut it grows back as bushes, and they like it. 5 years after a good logging is prime deer population time. Food plot where I can, when I can. Got 300bs of rye to spread around and another 4 or 5 apple trees and 3 mulberry this year.
BrushyPines
5 year old buck +
Callery I topworked to Keiffer 2 years ago. It is almost fully healed, hoping that will take place this year.
PatinPA
5 year old buck +
Do you leave any branches on the existing tree in case they don't take, so the tree doesn't die, or won't it die?I thought I had one on this forum but couldn't find it. Here is one from a different forum:
How to Topwork with Bark Grafting
Someone on the forum recently asked me to post some instructions and pictures on how to bark graft persimmons. I topworked an apple tree the other day and took the following pictures. The method is the same when doing a persimmon, so the following works with them too. However, you need to...deerhunterforum.com
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
No, I don't leave branches. I occasionally have one that doesn't take, but I don't recall any of the trees dying. If that happens, I usually let it grow back for two years before trying again. It should replenish its energy by that time.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Great job.
Jordan Selsor
5 year old buck +
No more love for the Franklin cider? Seems like a few are cutting their losses on them? What's the deal? I have a few growing. They have a handful of apples on them this year. Was hoping for a good wildlife tree and maybe dabble in the cider world at some point. Thoughts?
Saw another top worked a pristine? That's been a great apple for me here in Missouri.
Saw another top worked a pristine? That's been a great apple for me here in Missouri.
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Keeping my FC. They are a good wildlife tree for my area although not a prolific bearer like some other crabs at an early age.
Others further south on here are finding some disease issues for their area while another crowd has them planted in close proximity to their house and these apples are not people friendly except for the hard cider crowd.
Others further south on here are finding some disease issues for their area while another crowd has them planted in close proximity to their house and these apples are not people friendly except for the hard cider crowd.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I still have my Franklin. It gets fireblight every year so not sure how much longer I will keep it.
I have found that some varieties seem to get a little more DR with age. That’s the only reason I’ve kept it.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
I topwkred the pristine. I get very bad cedar apple rust here. Could even be chemical resistant to some extent too, consider the high orchard population near me. Made it into trailman. However, I will keep the nursery branches and give it a few years. I have to spray my peaches early in the year. I use copper based stuff which worked great this year on a few rusty trees I have. Pristine's nurse branches got sprayed. Not a dot of cedar apple rust. A small grove of red cedars are about 25 yards away if that. 30 or so 15-20ft tall ones. PRe-existing privacy screen for the pool. Wife would murder me if I chopped them down...
Debating topworking my franklin too. Got 40+ trees at my home, deer wotn starve here...... What I more need is a macoun on M7 or M111. PRetty sure both store bought ones I have are on B118. Alot of small fine roots. Franklin came from stark nursery, looked much hardier than B118, maybe malling of some sort. Paler color, thicker roots, burr knots. Hooing m108 or m111.
Was going to keep a franklin at home to use as scion material at camp zone 3. 30-06 has been a great grower and very cold hardy when polar vortex's come down from canada. -38 deg F coldest so far. No sun scald yet either.
Debating topworking my franklin too. Got 40+ trees at my home, deer wotn starve here...... What I more need is a macoun on M7 or M111. PRetty sure both store bought ones I have are on B118. Alot of small fine roots. Franklin came from stark nursery, looked much hardier than B118, maybe malling of some sort. Paler color, thicker roots, burr knots. Hooing m108 or m111.
Was going to keep a franklin at home to use as scion material at camp zone 3. 30-06 has been a great grower and very cold hardy when polar vortex's come down from canada. -38 deg F coldest so far. No sun scald yet either.
