Wondering if my graft took...

12 years ago

I had my first attempt at grafting this year. I did about 10 chip buds on a mature plum, and 8 whip and tongue on apple, and 3 pears with multigraft (whip & tongue and chip budding) on rootstock. This was about 3-4 weeks ago.

I think I got 4 plums to take, and out of the apples & pears, I see swollen buds and/or green growth on all the trees, except one apple. On this one, there is no change in bud size. But, when I unwrapped a bit of the parafilm at the top of the scion and scratched the bark, it is still green.

I still have wood in the fridge. Should I wait a couple more weeks and re-graft then, or re-graft now? Is it okay to graft (whip & tongue) when the rootstock is actively growing?

Comments (4)

ramble
12 years ago
I would use all the scion wood you have. Don't think it can last til next year. Also, if you do what I reco and you get too many grafts taking, you can cut some off.

If you don't, you may end up with nothing. I speak from 2 years of experience getting nothing.
ramble
12 years ago
I'd also recommend seeing what you may be doing wrong if not enough are taking. Below is a video that may help.

Here is a link that might be useful: cleft grafting video
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JRG13
12 years ago
I prefer to graft when the rootstock is actively pushing, problem is those conditions usually affect the longevity of the scion since it's warmer and days are longer. I would protect the grafts as best you can, especially any whip/tongue. Cover with a plastic bag and then shade it. Sometimes grafts can take awhile to push, but the scion should push on it's own and I think this is required to form a good union as both cambiums need to be active. Usually failed grafts result from the scion just not pushing any cambium for whatever reason. Sometimes though you can see where the cambium actually pushed out but didn't union or the rootstock failed to push any cambium growth. Making good clean cuts is important too and try to maximize all contact surfaces. Getting a good seal on your wrapping is good too. I use pruning seal on all non contacting open surfaces before I wrap and as I'm wrapping it'll push some of the seal into the grooves of the wrap to really seal it up. You need to keep that humidity in encourage cambium growth. Also, make your cuts as quick as you can and get them joined together. Don't be afraid to reset if you fail to get good contact in a timely manner. Usually I will make my grafts keeping in mind I might have to redo it, so keep a small portion of rootstock branch available if you have too and use a long scion. I like using whole branches usually. I will post some pics later of ones I did this year. But again, if I feel like I got a bad union, I can just cut off that end of the scion and still have plenty of buds available.
patapscomike
12 years ago
Don't quit too soon! Sometimes they take many weeks longer than the rest of the tree to show signs of life. Why rush and rip them off? Until they look dried up and dead, leave them.