Update on a couple of trees topworked this spring

[Native Hunter]

Tree #1 - a few days after topworking:



Tree #1 - Recent



Tree #2 - Day of topworking:


Tree #2 Recent:




All the rest look healthy too. The cane bracing sure has made a difference this year. Last year I didn't have it and lost a lot of grafts to storms.

 

[Jhoss]

Outstanding! Appreciate the post and pics as I embark (next spring) on top-whacking a few of my not-so-desirable varieties into something interesting. Thanks for the sitrep!

 

[greyphase]

Good job, NH thanks for sharing. Did you graft all the same variety per tree or did you create some "Frankentrees"? :)

 

[Native Hunter]

Good job, NH thanks for sharing. Did you graft all the same variety per tree or did you create some "Frankentrees"? :)

Thanks greyphase. Tree #2 shown above is a Frankentree. On all the others, I stuck with using one variety per tree.

 

[35-acre]

What did you graft them too? Looks like they were grafted to existing Apple or something.

The reason I ask is that I've thought about trying this. Each year I have to trim a huge Apple tree at my father's house. I have thought that I could use the trimmings and graft them onto something at my property. I just don't know if I can just stick them to anything and have some "frankentrees" in my woods? I was thinking more along the lines of drilling some holes and shaving the end off the trimmings and "cementing" them in.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Native Hunter]

What did you graft them too? Looks like they were grafted to existing Apple or something.

The reason I ask is that I've thought about trying this. Each year I have to trim a huge Apple tree at my father's house. I have thought that I could use the trimmings and graft them onto something at my property. I just don't know if I can just stick them to anything and have some "frankentrees" in my woods? I was thinking more along the lines of drilling some holes and shaving the end off the trimmings and "cementing" them in.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

The ones shown in the pictures were existing crabapple trees that were about 8 to 10 years old. I topworked a few others that were smaller trees too. Old trees can be done, but the bigger the tree, the greater the chance of not getting a successful heal and something going wrong before the healing is complete.

A high percentage of random grafting like this will work, but it is possible to occasionally run into graft incompatibility between a given tree and a scion. Some such incompatibility issues with known rootstocks and certain scions are documented, but you just take your chances on the type of grafting I did above. The odds are heavily stacked in your favor that it will work if you do a good job grafting and bracing. And, I have found the bracing is very important. Last year I didn't brace and lost a lot of successful grafts to wind storms. This year I did brace and have not lost a single graft.

As for "...drilling some holes and shaving the end off the trimmings and "cementing" them in..." I can't speak for that, because that isn't a method I am familiar with. I did "bark grafts" and "cleft grafts" which are both well know methods of topworking. There are countless videos on the Internet where you can learn about those methods.

 

[yoderjac]

Well done!