Milehigh:

My choice would be to plant out the rootstocks in their final locations, let them become established and put on some growth this season, then graft them next spring.

This would require an additional season, but I think it would be justified by better results.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

You mention"when callus forms". Did you receive rootstock that is not rooted? Rooted rootstock is normally what should be sold and I agree with Don that they should be planted in their final location now. Benchgrafting is normally done at the nursery to container grown plants. For a successful graft the stock should be growing not still in the dormant stage. Rootstock is normally shipped "bareroot and dormant". If you are going to graft it you should wait for growth to start. To graft while a bareroot is getting established is asking the plant to produce roots into new soil and accept a graft at the same time. Your chance of a successful graft or bud will be much better if your rootstock has a year to establish in place in your soil. If I have misunderstood and you received potted rootstock I would still do as Don suggested. Al

If you have acquired scionwood that you intended to graft this season, you will probably be upset about waiting a year to let the rootstock grow. What I usually do is pot the bareroot rootstock and let them grow in a pot for a year, then benchgraft very early the next Spring. Once the grafts are growing well, I can plant them out whenever is most convenient since a potted plant can be put out essentially any time. Of course one loses some growth potential just by potting them although the ability to protect the rootstock from the voles, rabbits, and deer is made much easier by doing so.

Having said that, I have successfully bench grafted many of my trees by potting up the rootstock as soon as it arrived and letting its new growth begin, then grafting. Success is very much dependent upon the vigor of the rootstock. As calistoga implied, the stress on the rootstock can be too much and the graft is more likely to fail. I addtion, I've lost the rootstock itself on more than one occasion by grafting prematurely. If you cannot bear to waste all your scionwood, choose the rootstock with the largest preserved roots to try this on and either plant out or pot up the rest for next year.

Good luck,

Dave

I buy *ready made* benchgrafts. A two inch scion comes on a relatively large root stock (seedling or M111). I wouldn't know how to put them in a pot. I would need at least a fifteen gallon pot and even then I would have to stuff the roots in.

I plant them as-is in their final location. Of the original forty perhaps two failed. This year out of seventeen new benchgrafts three do not yet show signs of growth. A few more weeks will tell the story as most of the established trees have not yet leafed either. Typically the trees are three to four feet tall at the end of the first year. Some are producing apples after two or three years.

I find it interesting that the Granny Smith and Fuji bench grafts have about three inches of growth and the same established trees have nothing yet.

Zeuspaul

It makes sense to me that the rootstocks would need to be vigorously growing before being grafted onto. I did already buy some scion, so I'll keep it cool in the refrigerator until the rootstocks grow a bit.

How do I further protect the scion from decay in the fridge? I have heard to use a dilute solution of chlorine, but these came to me from various sources a few months ago. Should I treat them now to keep them from decay?

How much growth on the rootstocks would I need before trying the grafts?

Milehigh,

I've both grafted bench rootstocks and purchased benchgrafts (bareroot). In both cases the rootstocks were completely dormant. I planted them immediately and had good results. I think the key is not how dormant, or large, the rootstock is, but what's most important is the temperature in which you set them out. As Scott suggests 60-70F (for the daily high) is ideal.

mhg, Plant the root stocks now in the final growing space(like Don said),if possible. These will establish roots and you can chip bud in the fall. Chip buds heal over nicely in a few weeks then stay dormant all winter. My chip budding from last fall are growing out nicely now. Most grafted trees that are sold are really chip budded to the rootstock. If you look at the graft(bud) union on a young fruit tree the rootstock treetop has been clipped off.

While I agree that bench grafts are a challenge because your are doubly challenging the root to both accept a graft and accept new soil conditions, I think quite a few people graft to bareroot rootstocks, let them callous in sand or peat, and then plant out in a few weeks. I think both Greenmantle and Big Horse Creek produce their trees this way. Personally I don't do it anymore because I had too many failures.

My preferred method for grafting with dormant wood the same spring as new rootstocks show up is to plant out the rootstocks now and once you have about 1" of growth do chip buds on the sides. Then in about 2-3 weeks cut the rootstock nearly off right above the chip (cut 90% of the way through and bend it to the ground). This will keep the leaves producing but make the chip bud the dominant bud so it will hopefully sprout. Some reluctant buds may require the top be fully chopped off. I would also add some organic material to the soil right around the roots to help it get off quickly. I don't do this for most trees but you need as vigorous a rootstock as you can possibly get and it is already very unhappy at being moved.

Scott

Would it be best to use my scion on existing trees and then plan to graft to the rootstocks next year? If so, is the chip bud still the way to go?

How long after scion is grafted can it be used for scion itself?

What rootstocks did you order? I pot my rootstocks in 2 or 3 gallon pots then wait to graft until the rootstocks break dormancy. Whip grafts or an omega graft with the handy grafting pliers work for me. Keep the newly grafted trees inside for 2 or 3 weeks to let the callus grow then place outside. You can plant them in their permanent location, a nursery row or grow them in pots until fall. Since I use dwarf rootstocks I don't see much if any setback from growing the trees in pots until fall. This also keeps the callus from being damaged if you accidentally bump the tree or knock it over when planting.

Milehigh,

This topic is very interesting to me, as I am making my first attempt at benchgrafts this spring. First, it seems that the term "benchgraft" is often used incorrectly here. Friends, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a benchgraft a graft that is made onto a rootstock that is not in the ground--literally on a bench? As Scott points out, nurseries are still producting trees this way. Here is a care guide for benchgrafts put out by Cameron:

http://www.cameronnursery.com/education.htm

I bought 20 rootstocks from Cummins this spring: 10 M7 and 10 G30. My goal is to save some heirloom varieties. I planted seven of the G30 in the garden immediately, with plans to bud them in August, as Cummings advised that G30 is not easy to benchgraft owing to it's brittle nature. The other 13 rootstocks I benchgrafted with whip and tongue or cleft. The dormant benchgrafts were then heeled into damp sawdust and kept cool and dark. I peeked at some of the trees after three weeks in the sawdust, and some of the buds are starting to push. Cummins strongly advised me to hold off on planting them until the threat of frost is past. I'm crossing my fingers for luck, but if any fail, I will have another chance with bud grafting in August. I am still debating about planting them into the garden or their ultimate location. It seems they will be needing plenty of care and moisture during the next months, but the downside of the garden step requires a transplant.

Scott, your method of spring budding is very interesting. This is the first I have read of it. Are you budding onto the new growth or the old growth? I could use this method for my rootstocks already in my garden, couldn't I. Then try again in August if it fails?

Marc

"We should so live and labor in our times that what came to us as seed may go to the next generation as blossom, and what came to us as blossom may go to them as fruit."

Henry Ward Beecher

Milehigh, you could either graft to existing trees and then bud to rootstocks this fall, or try to graft to your rootstocks this spring, or do both (the grafts on existing trees would be backups). If you are backing up on existing trees use a chip bud or T-bud; if you definitely want to let the grafts on existing trees grow out this spring, use a wedge or cleft graft. Don't graft too low down or they will not grow strongly enough.

Marc, I am budding on to the old growth, the new growth won't be big enough. If the spring budding fails you can bud again in the fall. The only disadvantage is you will have a smaller stock in the fall due to the stress in the spring.

Scott

Well, seeing as the rootstock is not actually in the ground I guess it qualifies as a benchgraft.

I got G.11, Mahaleb, Ohf33, and Myro.

They are just breaking dormancy now, and I think the best thing to do for the rootstocks would be to plant them and let them get their strength.

My question now is, what's the best thing to do with the scion I have? Some of the scion has been in my fridge for 3 months already. What should I do to further protect it from decay? Should I dip them in a dilute chlorine solution or just change out the paper towels they are in?

I like the idea of doing a backup chip bud on an existing tree and trying to graft to the rootstock this spring also.

If your scions look OK I wouldn't do anything to them besides change the towel if its yucky. If they have mold I would very gently wash them with soap and water to get the mold off. I use a super soft brush, soft like a paintbrush, to help remove the mold. Thats usually all I ever do but you can also dip them in a 10% bleach - 90% water solution if they are looking really bad.

Scott

Three months from cutting to using is my limit on scion wood. Rather than risk the loss of your rootstocks I would order new scion wood next spring when you and "the in the ground rootstocks" are both ready. It is not just the presence of mold, the scion wood has been losing energy ever since it was cut from the tree. Keeping it cold and damp may keep it from coming into bud but it does not keep it forever fresh. Al

I successfully grafted an apple scion (Hawaii)last year that had been in my refrigerator for over a year but that is unusual. The fresher the better, but there is no absolute limit that I'm aware of. And I agree with Scott-just change the damp paper towell. I've never used bleach.

Sometimes you can park scions on somebody else's trees- graft them to suitable rootstock and hope they grow enough to allow you to take fresh cuttings late next winter. It can happen.

At least you get some experience grafting, and that's always neat.

Good luck,

M

Gee, for me three months is nothing. I grafted several scions this spring that were budwood from last summer. As long as the wood looks good (nice and green under the bark, no browning) its good for me.

Scott