Grafting

[Dodgy Loner]

Yesterday a fellow came into my office to get a publication on grafting.  I found one on our online database and printed it out for him.  Then I read the whole thing, and I became very interested in trying some grafting myself.  Unfortunately, the dormant season is nearly over, so I don't have much time to try any whip-grafting, but I do plan to try some T-budding this spring.  Last night, I found a small rosebay rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum), clipped the top off, and grafted a small scion of some unknown catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) cultivar onto it.  I'm not sure how well whip grafting will work on an evergreen, but I guess i'll find out.

The possibilities seem endless.  Rather than killing all the multiflora roses I've been fighting for the last year, I could transplant a few, cut off the tops, and graft some knockout roses onto them (it'd be cheaper than buying a bunch of knockout roses).  Maybe I could convert some of my wild black cherries into pink-flowered weeping Japanese cherries.  Or I could take a small crabapple and graft four or five eating apple varieties onto it.  Have any of you done any grafting?  If so, I'd like to see some pictures.  Also, anyone know of any good books to read for more information on the subject

[Lanier_Lurker]

Not exactly grafting, but we have a schefflera in our vaulted greatroom that decided to start reaching up for the second level of windows a couple of years ago.  It is now 9' tall, very columnar, and cannot stand up unless it is allowed to lean against the windows.  I have done some research on what to do with it and have decided to try and "air layer" it about 4' up the trunk and end up with two 4' to 4.5' trees.  Layering sounds interesting, and if it does not work I will be no worse off than if I simply topped the plant down to the same height.

As for grafting, I worked for a couple of years on a pecan plantation in southwest Georgia.  We once had a traveling crew of grafting specialists that spent about a week there grafting pecan seedlings (< 1 inch caliper) in our seedling nursery.  They used a splice and tongue (or whip graft) technique.  Watching a group of pros do that on a mass production scale in the field is a fond memory.  I was on the crew that had to keep them supplied with scion wood, and they kept us busy for sure.

[Tom]

Ah yes.  Grafting.  I became aware of grafting when I read some of the earmark conversation on the forum and I don't think that....   whoops.  That's not what you are talking about, is it.

Let's see, Grafting.  Ah Yes, I've done that.  There are a lot of reasons to graft plants.  You will find that it's fun to graft those great big Japanese persimmons onto the wild persimmons in the woods.  I've tried, but not been successful here yet.  I did have a friend, recently deceased, who did this regularly and has those big persimmons growing all over North East Florida, in places where you'd least suspect.

When I was little, I worked for a private nursery and was taught grafting.  Well, taught enough of it that I could get some decent results.  I started on Hibiscus.  They are easy.  If you haven't any, you might be able find some Mallow.  We weren't always concerned with dormancy when whip grafting or cleft grafting.  We would just make sure that the cambium touched and was tied tightly, then we sealed it with wax and aluminum foil.  

I keep saying that I'm going to get involved in it again, but it keeps taking a back seat.

[Bro. Noble]

I have a book 'tree Fruit Production' that has some grafting info.  It's old,  but the information is probalby still good.  It was written by Shoemaker and Teskey and published by Wiley.

The bud grafting is probably the easiest.  I always that that grafting tame grapes on wild grape vines would be practical.

[Left Coast Chris]

Grafting can save the day.

We live in an area that has had past agriculture that brought in a disease killing Apricot trees from the roots up in about the third year.   I tried for 10 years to get one going off and on with the same results.  In year two or three the apricot tree tries to push buds and leaf out only to stall, wilt and die completly.  Very discouraging.   My plum trees did fine.   I  took a whip from a healthy apricot tree from my neighbor just before bud swell and grafted it to the plum.  Worked great.  Still growing.   Peaches and cherries will also graft to a plum.   Fun stuff.

[Dana]

I was thinking the same a few years ago. Here is the link to it. http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,17931.msg258141.html#msg258141

[Dodgy Loner]

How did your grafting work out, Dana?  I'm thinking of going up to and orchard down the road from me and getting a few persimmon scions today.  I don't have many wild persimmons at my house that I could graft them onto, but my dad does

[Lanier_Lurker]

If you need persimmon seedlings I can probably help you out.

[Dodgy Loner]

LL, that would be fantastic!  I could use some pencil-sized or slightly smaller rootstocks to graft my scions onto if you have any seedlings of that size.  I just cut about 40 scions from 4 or 5 different varieties of Japanese persimmon this afternoon. 

I've worked with a guy in my county who has about 25 acres of apple trees, so I stopped by his orchard today to get some tips on grafting.  He seems to be a wealth of information, and I plan to drop by his place in April or May when he starts topworking some of his apple trees.  He's got quite a few trees that he wants to change the variety on, so he cut the tops off a few months ago, and pulled scions from the varieties that he wants and stored them in the fridge.  This spring, he'll take the scions and graft them onto the trees.  He showed me several different trees that he grafted in years past, as well as some that he T-budded.  He also showed me a tree that he grafted 7 different varieties of apple onto, just for fun.  Very cool stuff.  He also dabbles with all sorts of other fruit, plums, peaches, persimmons, blackberries, raspberries, bunch grapes, blueberries, figs - you name it, he's got it.  I got the persimmon scions from his trees.  Can't wait to start playing around with them.

[Sprucegum]

My BIL has only one apple tree and it has 5 varieties grafted on. He tells me because of the different varieties he doesn't need another tree for cross-pollination. An ideal plant for a small back yard.

[Tom]

That's great that you have someone local to help.  It turns a 6 month book class into a 2 hour lab with the same diploma.

[Dodgy Loner]

Yep, he'll make it a lot easier for me to learn, and you could see his eyes light up when I asked him if he knew much about grafting.  He will be as eager to teach me as I am to learn

[HOOF-ER]

Dads cousin did grafting. I went to school and learned the basics(text) . Then watched him and really learned. We grafted alot of thin shelled pecans onto hickory. This year they really produced.

[Tom]

There is a combination I wouldn't have thought of doing.  I know they are all hickories, I just wouldn't have thought to do it.  Do some take better than others, or will they all take a pecan scion?

[Lanier_Lurker]

LL, that would be fantastic!  I could use some pencil-sized or slightly smaller rootstocks to graft my scions onto if you have any seedlings of that size.  I just cut about 40 scions from 4 or 5 different varieties of Japanese persimmon this afternoon. 

Well, they are not that large yet since they were only hatched last spring, but I will bring them anyway.  In another year they may be large enough.

[Dana]

How did your grafting work out, Dana?  I'm thinking of going up to and orchard down the road from me and getting a few persimmon scions today.  I don't have many wild persimmons at my house that I could graft them onto, but my dad does

Dodgy, I never carried through with my plan. I guess thats for the best anyway since I have lost 50% of my fruit trees to the deer.

[Dodgy Loner]

I tried grafting some Fraser magnolia twigs onto a yellow-poplar today.  I have no reason to believe this will work, other than the fact that they are both in the magnolia family.  I also grafted some yellow-poplar twigs onto other yellow-poplars.  If these work, I may be able to rule out poor technique as the cause of failure if my poplar-magnolia grafts don't work.  My rhododendron graft from earlier this week is still looking good .  I need to post some pictures sometime.

[Tom]

Dodgy,
The biggest problem I experienced, when learning to graft, was not making good cambium contact and surfaces would dry out before regeneration could get started.   I made bad contact by not tieing the graft tight enough and it would move.   It takes a sharp knife and a pretty good eye to get the surfaces flat enough to mate.   The T-budding doesn't seem to be as critical, but they will dry as well.

The old fellow that taught me, had me tie the juncture fairly tightly with cotton kite twine and then wrap it in a strip of wet cotton cloth.  There are grafting materials, like modeling clay, available now that probably work better.   It's always amazed me what plants will accept other plants.

[Ironmower]

Thank you, fellas for re-igniting my interest in all aspects of trees & plants. Being a fairly new FF member  , I've learned you fellas really know your poop. I've mentioned in other threads that I growed up in orchard country in PA. I was taught some of the basics of "grafting" which I enjoyed . The proper terminology has long exited my brain . And as I was reading this thread, things start coming back too me . Sharp scalpel, keep it damp & wrap it tight as Tom said . We had several multi-variety apple trees on the farm. We had talked about grafting pears on apple or vice-a-versa, never tried it, but it should work  ..............Thanks again

[Dodgy Loner]

I've read that pears and apples can be grafted upon each other, but the grafts will usually die after just a few years.  It would still be pretty cool to try, though

My dad has several wild crabapples on his property.  I think I'll t-bud some improved varieties onto them this summer and transpland them to more suitable locations this winter.  I have lots of plans, we'll see if I follow through with this one.